Environment Minister John Edzerza signed an emergency order this morning closing caribou hunting in five sub-zones along the Dempster Highway.

Caribou biologist Dorothy Cooley said this afternoon the five subzones – 2-16, 2-23, 2-27, 2-28 and 2-39 – are subzones used by both the barrenland Porcupine caribou herd and the woodland Hart River herd.

When there are no Porcupine caribou along that section of the Dempster, the sub-zones are closed to protect to the population of the much smaller Hart River herd, she explained.

Cooley explained most of the Porcupine herd is in Alaska, or in northern Yukon, nowhere near the Dempster.

"There are small groups of Porcupine caribou up at the north end of the Dempster, but they are very small groups,” she said. "The balance of the herd is well away from the Dempster.”

All five sub-zones are along the highway, south of the Ogilvie River, she pointed out.

She explained in years when there are Porcupine caribou at the south end of the Dempster, those sub-zones remain open for woodland caribou because authorities recognize it's difficult for hunters to tell the difference.

When there's no Porcupine, the season for woodland is closed, in keeping with the regular woodland caribou season for the rest of the Yukon, which runs from Aug. 1 to Oct. 31, Cooley said.

The closure will take effect Friday and run through to Jan. 31.

The Hart River herd is estimated at 2,200 animals, and cannot alone withstand the typical hunting pressure, says a notice issued this morning by Environment Yukon.

When both herds are present, says the notice, the chances of a woodland caribou being shot are small.

Cooley said hunting pressure to date has been low because of the lack of Porcupine caribou, but there are still hunters going up the Dempster.

To date, for example, records indicate Yukon resident hunters have harvested 13 Porcupine caribou, compared to the 400 reported by Yukoners last year, she pointed out.

"The (radio) collars indicate most of the Porcupine caribou herd is in Alaska around Arctic Village,” Cooley said. "We have a small number of collars in the Yukon, but as of last week, most are still north of the Porcupine River.”