Bison hunters are being cautioned to take extra care.

Senior conservation officer Kris Gustafson said Thursday the Dec. 1 opening of the season could see an usually high number of hunters in the field at one time. That's because of the new open season, as opposed to the previous permit draw.

"The indication we are getting from the public is there is probably quite a bit of interest in hunting bison right now," Gustafson said.

He doesn't expect to see the same flurry of traffic one associates with the opening of deer season in southern Ontario or Michigan.

But local hunters should expect to see more traffic in the outback than they're used to, he said.

For the previous 10 years, the Department of Environment issued a limited number of permits, with each permit holder choosing which two months in the four-month season they wished to hunt in.

In an effort to increase the bison harvest, the government has removed the restriction on the number of seals issued, and is also allowing hunters to go hunting anytime they want, just as they can with moose and other big game.

"A lot of hunters probably have their spot in mind, but other hunters may have the same spot in mind," Gustafson said.

Normally, he explained, Yukoners don't run into much traffic when they're out hunting moose, because they hunt at various times, and in different areas.

In this case, though, it's a very distinct area, and local hunters may be looking to get out early to take any advantage there might be in bison becoming somewhat desensitized to vehicle traffic since the last hunting season ended last March 31, he said.

Gustafson suggested it's not likely going to be long into this season before the bison remember what the sound of a snow machine means.

There was a time in the initial years of the bison harvest when hunters could literally drive up to pockets of the then-curious animals.

The animals, however, have since grown much more weary, and the success rate of hunters has plummeted.

More and more bison tags have had to be issued every year in an attempt to reach desired harvest levels, on what is a transplanted population that has grown way beyond what wildlife managers wanted to see.

As of this morning, 240 bison seals have been purchased. There have been at least 400 hunters who've taken the mandatory workshop required to purchase a seal, on top of the 1,100 who've taken it over the last decade.

The department is recommending hunters wear hunter-orange, and be sure of their target and what lays beyond.

Proper gear should be taken, given the remoteness of the area and the chance that one might have to spend time in the bush that wasn't expected.

Gustafson also cautioned hunters to be well aware of the ice conditions this early in the season, as there's a good chance they're not yet safe.

The new open season will run until the end of February, with a target harvest of 200 animals. If, by the end of February, the harvest level is not reached, the government will extend the season through to March, but will switch back to something like a permit draw to select the eligible hunters.

When the bison management plan was put together in the mid-1990s, it was decided by wildlife managers from the Yukon and first nation governments that it was best to keep the population of animals at under 500.

There were concerns about the impact the bison were having on the moose and caribou habitat, as well the hazard they were presenting to highway travellers. There has also been reports of property damage caused by the huge animals.

Recent surveys, however, have indicated the population is now up to 1,100, plus or minus 200.

The bison were transplanted to the Yukon from Alberta in the mid-1980s as part of an effort to assist the species, which is listed as threatened worldwide.