Outfitters blast N.W.T. government at caribou meeting

Caribou hunting outfitters accused the Northwest Territories government Thursday of unfairly targetting them by slashing their caribou hunting quotas without looking at other ways to deal with the territory's shrinking herd populations.

In a sometimes tense meeting in Yellowknife, territorial government officials shared preliminary results of their caribou surveys, which point to a continued decline in caribou numbers.

Outfitters, who make a living as guides for visiting hunters, said their businesses could face extinction because declining herds could mean the government would keep cutting the quota of caribou they can hunt.

They accused the government of favouring other types of caribou harvesters, including wolves, aboriginal subsistence hunters and other N.W.T. resident hunters.

Target other harvesters

Outfitter Boyd Warner said the government has not seriously considered options, such as controlling the number of wolves.

"I'm not advocating a wolf gunship helicopter program. But B.C. does it, Alaska does it, the Yukon does it. It does [make] a big difference," Warner said at Thursday's meeting.

"Whether you argue 15 to 30 caribou per year per wolf, those wolves are out there. And if we've got to do everything necessary to turn this around, why are we not talking about the wolves?"

Outfitters in the Northwest Territories took roughly 500 caribou last year. They say they only target bull caribou, which is considered a best practice.

"We're the only ones that you can manage," Gary Jaeb, owner of True North Safaris, told government officials during the meeting.

"You can't manage the aboriginal harvest, and I'm not criticizing that at all. That's not the issue — it's that we've been targetted because we're the only ones you can manage."

Another outfitter, John Andre, blasted the government of harbouring a political agenda that's biased against them.

That prompted a response by Gary Bohnet, deputy minster of environment and natural resources.

"You should take whatever legal means you've got and deal with it through that particular way. But you know, making these unfounded allegations is a crock of B.S!" Bohnet said.

Full results from the government's surveys, with specific numbers, will be released later this year.

Bohnet said the government will discuss the issue with aboriginal harvesters and the territory's public resources boards. He invited outfitters to take part in that process.