Inuvik (Feb 04/05) - The official search for Gordon Moore was called off Monday when searchers failed to find any further sign of the Inuvik man who went missing Jan. 22.

The Inuvik Hunters and Trappers Association may continue to conduct their own search for the 61-year-old, however.

A witness told police Moore left a cabin the pair were working on, located approximately 90km east of Inuvik. He started out on Jan. 22 at 1 p.m.

When he failed to return for dinner that evening, the witness conducted his own 13-hour search of the area on foot and then radioed on a shared broadband channel that Moore was missing.

This call was overheard by a resident in Tuktoyaktuk who contacted Tuk RCMP, who in turn communicated the situation to police in Inuvik.

According to Inuvik RCMP Sgt. Sid Gray, "First light Monday morning (Jan. 24), the search began."

Joining the RCMP were the Canadian Rangers, members of the Civilian Search and Rescue, staff from the Department of Fisheries and RWED and Ron Larson of Parks Canada who organized the eight-day search.

Twenty-seven flights - fixed wing and helicopter - combed more than half of the 136,000 square hectares that encompassed the search area, while 17 individual ground searches took place involving more than 50 people.

"One and a half days were good weather, but as soon as it turned to evening it was whiteout again. We tried our best, but couldn't beat Mother Nature," said Inuvik Canadian Rangers Sgt. Hank Rogers of his four-day search that began at Moore's last suspected location, about 18km from the cabin. A windbreak of willows was found there on Jan. 27, along with a depression in the snow where Moore may have slept. However, there was no evidence Moore made a fire at the location.

Rogers says members of the Inuvik Hunters and Trappers would likely continue the search this week. He added that the search would probably be in an area between Sitidgi Lake and Kugaluk River (Miner River), where previous search efforts were hampered by weather.

"We didn't really touch that area because the storm wouldn't let us go in there," he said of the relatively treeless region that offered no protection and very little visibility in the blowing snow.

The witness who originally reported the incident told police Moore left the cabin at 1 p.m., walking "in the general direction towards Inuvik," but was not carrying a .22 calibre rifle as originally reported.

An experienced hunter and trapper, Moore has made similar unannounced journeys from that location to Inuvik in the past.