Darrell Greer
Northern News Services

Arviat (Nov 28/01) - Matthew Akaralak of Arviat returned safely to his community last week after spending three days on the land.

Akaralak, 55, went out on the land caribou hunting on the morning of Nov. 16.

Arviat's senior administration officer, Darren Flynn, says Akaralak was known to be somewhere north of the Maguse River.

He says the hunter was reported missing about 10:30 a.m. on Nov. 17 after failing to return the previous night.

"As it turns out, the change in the weather that weekend coupled with all the soft snow we had on the ground led to him (Akaralak) consuming his gas a lot quicker than he anticipated," says Flynn.

"Akaralak is an experienced hunter and he was well-dressed and equipped when he left the hamlet. He was not, however, carrying any communication equipment."

Between 12 to 18 local search-and-rescue team members took part in the search each of the three days Akaralak was on the land.

The hunter had a tent with him and set up camp when his snowmachine ran out of gas.

The team found Akaralak about 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 19, about 53 kilometres north of the Maguse River. He was cold and hungry, but otherwise OK.

Flynn says finding the hunter in relatively good shape proves the importance of having the proper gear when heading out onto the land.

"He (Akaralak) doesn't speak much English, but, roughly translated, he says it wasn't the most comfortable experience of his life," he says.

"Our local SAR committee members went not-stop throughout the ordeal making sure there was gasoline and provisions always available to those conducting the hunt. They did a fantastic job."