Polar bears and CATS

As of April 24 there were only two polar bear hunting tags still outstanding out of the original 24 issued in late October, said Mark Jr. Karlik, manager of the Kurtairujuark Hunters & Trappers Association. The last bear harvested, around April 19, was reportedly around nine feet long, said Karlik.

Several other Kugaaruk residents successfully hunted for work with the Department of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada, getting hired to clean up an old site littered with fuel barrels about halfway to Naujaat, Karlik said. The job activity started earlier this month.

This is the second spring/summer season that the work has been available and it has involved training on CAT heavy equipment for some workers, he noted.