Yellowknife (Oct 20/04) - A herd of caribou was spotted on the Ingraham Trail yesterday, and hunters are already taking full advantage.

Raymond Bourget, senior wildlife officer with Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development (RWED), was out on patrol with another officer yesterday.

He said they saw a herd of about 50 caribou criss-crossing the Ingraham Trail between Reid and Tibbitt lakes.

Bourget said he's never seen them this early or this close to Yellowknife before.

"I don't understand why they're moving so quickly, so early this year," said Bourget.

"We had reports of them last week being about 50 miles out, and now we got some right here.

"I'm not sure if they swam across the Cameron River or walked across some lakes to get to where they are."

The caribou didn't come until well after freeze-up last winter and stayed relatively far away from town. He said the caribou came early about three years ago, but this year's sighting on the Trail beats that migration by about two weeks.

Bourget obviously wasn't the first person to see that the caribou had made their return, however.

He spotted gut piles and remains from at least seven caribou close by the Trail, raising suspicions that they were shot while on the road, which is illegal.

You can shoot them positioned a short distance from the road past Powder Point, but not onto it or across it.

From Yellowknife to Powder Point, hunters must be at least 1.5km from the Trail before they can shoot.

Shooting from the road can lead to a court appearance and a fine of up to $1,000.

Bourget said he also noticed hunters left behind some necks, which is also illegal.

"RWED wants to remind people that we're concerned about meat wastage and that includes necks, not just the legs and the ribs," said Bourget.

He said RWED will be out conducting patrols on the Trail every day, checking for hunting licences and tags, and making sure people take all the useable meat with them.