Tuktoyaktuk (Oct 08/04) - The four men missing from Tuktoyaktuk since departing on a one-day hunting trip Sept. 22 are now considered missing persons by RCMP.

Ronald Rufus and son Kyle Felix and Frankie Steen and son Paul Steen have not been located, despite a massive search involving the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Trenton, Ont. and many individuals and organizations from the seaside hamlet.

The hunters were to have travelled up the Tuk peninsula near the Cape Dalhousie area.

Evidence of a caribou kill site was found in that area, said Paul Voudrach, chair of the Tuk Hunters and Trappers Committee.

On the weekend, the groups searched the area stretching from west of Herschel Island up to the Baillie Islands in the east.

Cpt. Livio Paronuzzi at the rescue centre said on Tuesday the area has been thoroughly searched.

"We had the assets we needed to conduct the search. Every day the water current and weather was plotted on computers to see where the search area should be expanded and then that area was covered," Paronuzzi said.

"Weather was not a factor up to the point of obstructing or preventing us from doing the search," he added.

Cpl. Wayne Norris of the Yellowknife RCMP "G" Division, said RCMP have worked very closely with the families and the Tuk community to try and find the men.

"I understand the local search and rescue are considering all their options in regards to what else to do. That would be a decision they would have to make," Norris said.