Tuktoyaktuk (Oct 01/04) - The search is on for four Tuktoyaktuk men who failed to return home after a planned one-day caribou hunting trip last week.

Missing are Frankie Steen, his son Paul and Ronald Rufus and his son Kyle Felix, well-known members of the community and experienced hunters.

The men left Tuk in an uncovered 20ft. aluminum boat on Sept. 22, Paul Voudrach, chair of the Hunters and Trappers Committee in Tuk, said Tuesday.

A search began Sept. 25 when the men still had not arrived home.

"They have experience travelling on the water and the land," Voudrach said.

Voudrach said a gloom has been cast over the entire hamlet about the unknown fate of the fathers and sons.

"Everyone is hoping -- that's all we can do here is hope."

The foursome's travel route included the region from the west side of the Tuk peninsula up to the Dalhousie area, he said.

Voudrach said a searcher from the community told him a kill site was found near that vicinity.

"The searcher indicated to me that they harvested that caribou and it looked like they were on their way back to the community from the area everybody knows as Bumbles, north of Tuk."

The area is comprised of sandy flats with grassy terrain, not visible by boat for more than five miles out, he said.

Voudrach said the community is at a loss as to what could have happened to the four hunters.

Voudrach said it is a popular time of the year for residents to go out in their boats for day trips or camping.

Frankie Steen is employed by the hamlet as a heavy equipment operator, while Ronald Rufus works for M&J Water Services.

Paul Steen is believed to be about 16, while Kyle Felix is between 18 and 20-years-old.

Members of the community accompanied the Coast Guard on the search. The daylight search is being co-ordinated by the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Trenton, Ont.

The centre includes members of the Canadian Coast Guard and Air Forces.

Assistance was sought from the U.S. Coast Guard, which arrived Tuesday by Hercules aircraft.

Also assisting in the search are the Tuk Search and Rescue Organization and the Tuk RCMP.

Pierre Bolduc, air co-ordinator for the centre, said poor weather has hampered the search during the last few days.

The search area is about 120 nautical miles wide and 120 nautical miles long, he said.

Two other Hercules aircraft from Winnipeg are in use, along with one ice patrol-7, a Coast Guard helicopter, one Twin Otter from Yellowknife, a Cessna aircraft, as well as several RCMP and Coast Guard vessels.

"We have well over 100 searchers," Bolduc said.

Tuk RCMP would not comment on the search, other than to say they were assisting in the matter.