Wildlife managers with the Yukon government say they hope new restrictions, not a complete ban, on hunting dall sheep will reduce traffic around Pilot Mountain near Whitehorse.

Government biologists estimate there are about 170 dall sheep in the Pilot Mountain area, above the Takhini Hot Springs. Each summer, licensed hunters go on the mountain to kill a handful of full-curl rams.

But motion sensing cameras, set up on two of the most popular trails up the mountain, photographed more than 160 people that came up there during the last hunting season, said Rob Florkiewicz, the government's manager of species programs with the Environment Department.

"It's not certain what they're all looking for [but] that runs the gamut of recreational users, hikers, bikers," he said Monday.

There are "a fair number of hunters, probably, up there as well, looking for that big sheep on the mountain," he added.

Florkiewicz said the attraction of a day hunt, so close to Whitehorse, is likely drawing so many local hunters to Pilot Mountain.

The Laberge Resource Council wants a temporary hunting ban on Pilot Mountain, but Florkiewicz said limiting hunting permits to just six should achieve the desired effect.

"My expectation is that it will reduce the amount of traffic on the mountain," he said.

The territorial government also dismissed calls for an all-terrain vehicle ban in the area. Fish and wildlife director Dan Lindsay said the Wildlife Act cannot regulate non-hunters.

"If there's a lot more activity than just licensed hunters, then really, are you accomplishing anything?" he said.

Conservation officers will keep a close eye on the area in the coming hunting season, Lindsay said.

The biologists spoke on behalf of Environment Minister Elaine Taylor, who approves, rejects or sets aside recommendations from the Yukon Fish and Wildlife Management Board on wildlife-related issues.