Caribou hunting closes along section of Dempster Highway
Most animals in area are Hart River Caribou, which can't sustain hunting levels: Environment Yukon
Caribou hunting will be closed along the Dempster Highway between North Fork Pass and the Ogilvie River, starting tomorrow.
Environment Yukon is closing caribou hunting between kilometre 77 and kilometre 195, because aerial surveys have found that the majority of the animals in this region are Hart River caribou. Wildlife officials worry the animals could be over-hunted. The larger porcupine caribou herd are not present in as many numbers in the area.
The ranges of the Hart River caribou and porcupine caribou overlap, but while the latter's numbers were estimated at about 200,000 last spring, the Hart River herd only has about 2,200 animals.
Environment Yukon says the area could be reopened to caribou hunting if the porcupine caribou herd migrates in sufficient numbers into the region.
The closure does not apply to Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in or Na-cho Nyak Dun First Nation citizens with hunting rights secured by land claims agreements. It's applicable to Inuvialuit and Gwich'in beneficiaries in the area south of kilometre 140.