Yukon bison hunting season extended to end of March

Hunters in the Yukon are being given an extra month to harvest bison this year, extending a season that conservation officials say has been slow so far.

Environment Department officials said Thursday the bison season will now end March 31, notFeb. 28.

"The harvest levels aren't quite what we had hoped for. I believe right now there's probably around 70 bison or so that have been taken, and the allowable harvest was actually 200," conservation officer Chris Gustafson told CBC News.

"They're hoping that with an extension of the season that additional hunting opportunities will be provided and a higher number of bison may be harvested."

The Yukon has held an annual wood bison harvest since 1998 to control large populations in parts of the territory. There are currently about 1,100 bison in the herd.

The extension announced Thursday applies to all hunters with bison permits who have not yet taken a bison this season. Hunters are limited to one bison each.

Gustafson said extremely cold weather, deep snow and overflow on large lakes and rivers have limited hunters' interest in pursuing bison in December and January.

He added that the bison have also become a little smarter around hunters.

"I think it's no secret that the bison have become accustomed to hunters and have developed strategies for avoiding people, including, you know, moving into thicker cover when they hear snowmobiles approaching and that sort of thing," he said.

"They're certainly not as simple to hunt as they were a number of years ago."

Hunters wanting to harvest bison on the settlement lands of the Champagne-Aishihik First Nation mustobtain permission in advance from the First Nation, by contacting either of its offices in Haines Junction or Whitehorse.

The Little Salmon Carmacks First Nation has granted blanket permission, until March 31, for licensed hunters to access its settlement lands without written permission.