Yellowknife (Oct 27/04) - A steady stream of caribou hunters looking for an easy kill on the Ingraham Trail is keeping wildlife officers busy, but so far there have been few problems, a senior official says.

Wildlife officers from the Department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development (RWED) have been cruising a section of the Ingraham Trail every day between Reid Lake and Tibbitt Lake ever since news broke last Tuesday that caribou have been spotted on the highway.

The caribou migrate across the highway every few years, although this year's return is unusually early, said senior wildlife officer Raymond Bourget.

Hunters and curious onlookers

So far, despite large numbers of hunters and curious onlookers hoping for a chance to take pictures of the animals, most people are following the rules, said Bourget.

"For the most part I think people have been quite good out there and that's the norm," said Bourget.

"The amounts of (meat) wastage and infractions you get is quite low."

Bourget spent half the day on Friday checking hunting licences and only encountered one hunter who was being less than civil.

He jumped the queue ahead of another group of hunters preparing to shoot and killed their targeted caribou himself.

The department received another complaint of someone shooting into the road.

"But there hasn't been a lot of that."

"That just comes down to respect for each other and hunter courtesy," said Bourget.

Hunters are allowed to shoot off to the side of the Ingraham Trail past Powder Point, but not directly on it, from it or across it. They must also possess a valid hunting licence and the corresponding tags.

On Monday, Tu Nedhe MLA Bobby Villeneuve asked RWED Minister Brendan Bell whether the department was doing enough to ensure hunters were acting safely and not wasting meat.

Villeneuve said his questions were in response to a radio news report, indicating hunters had wasted meat on the Ingraham Trail and were using firearms that were too small.

He suggested that RWED provide 24-hour surveillance while the caribou are on the Trail and meat wastage fines be increased.

Bell said he would have to check to find out how many hours wildlife officers were spending monitoring hunters on the Trail.

Bourget said that's up to the officer's discretion. "It really depends on what's going on," said Bourget.

"If we get out there and there's hardly anyone out and we've checked them all, we come back. If there's still lots of people, we stay out later. It can vary."

Wasted meat penalty

As for wasted meat penalties, Bourget said the draft version of the new Wildlife Act, which has yet to be approved, recommends penalties go up from $1,000 and a year in jail to a maximum fine of up to $50,000 for individuals.

Bourget said he expects the current herd of caribou to eventually move off the Trail, but isn't certain when.

On Sunday, approximately 100 caribou were sighted near or crossing the Trail -- from lone bulls to herds of more than 20 animals.

Yellowknife resident Jeff Mercer was out on the weekend for his first-ever caribou hunt, and along with a friend, they bagged two.

Mercer said the hunt and the number of hunters on the Trail was more than he expected.

"It was pretty active," said Mercer. "I'd say there was electricity in the air."