Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska Three men arrested for killing 12 caribou.

They killed 11 bull caribou and 1 cow and all were killed out of the hunting area. They also killed a moose out of season. Granted they were going to eat them but that doesn't really matter does it? It's still poaching no matter how you slice it. The Russians that live near Delta Junction have a reputation for doing such things and getting away with it. Maybe the residents and LEO of Delta got fed up with it and decided to try and do something about it.

I remember when Jeff King killed that bull moose a mere couple of hundred yards inside DNP, he was found guilty and had to pay a fine. What they did was intentional where the moose is concerned, as for the cow, well they shouldn't have left it, blatant wanton waste IMO.

I absolutely agree with everything they did wrong... And with all of it there is nothing like the purported massacre at Pt Hope. Based on that the Russians SHOULD expect what? A $50 fine?

Whatever they get I am sure it will not be enough. I am sure they will get some sort of leniency because they were going to eat everything but the cow but it's still poaching in my eyes. I would think that they would get more than just a simple fine, since those that plea bargained in the Pt Hope fiasco got bigger fines and have to do community service.

Can't compare these two issues. When the Pt. Hope bunch killed the caribou, they were not breaking the law! Had they brought the meat back and distributed it, as they should have, they would have been within the law. The caribou season there is five per day, 365 days a year, per person. Cows and calves are forbidden for about six weeks in the spring, but bulls are not. So their lawbreaking didn't start until they abandoned the meat. Then they should be prosecuted and made to pay.

The Delta guys, on the other hand, are simply poachers from the get-go, and should be punished accordingly.

Everything about them is different, and should be handled differently in every manner except their success at teaching people to follow the law, or punishing them if they don't.

Dennis

I haven't been able to verify the fact that one poacher is a youth....if so, they will put all the blame on him as he won't get much of a sentence.....

Community Service has been a non sentence in the past.

I don't hold much hope for any serious sentencing.....the one thing those folks respect is JAILS.....we can only hope....

Certainly hope no one considers my arguments here as condoning or supporting them, only the fact there may be other issues at play...

As Devil's Advocate, let's say they claim at trial they did not realize they were off the Federal land... And gave as proof it can happen the surveyors alongside ANWR that reversed their North and South pins and sent a drilling rig a couple miles inside the Park... Surveyors, not compass-toting rooundeyes "new to the area."

Based on what I have heard of them and seen first hand from the ones near Homer I have zero sympathy, just trying to define the argument.
art

That argument didn't work so well for Jeff King, just sayin...

Ignorance is not a defense.

You're right... I think Jeff got hosed...

Why do you think he got hosed? He had a GPS and knew he was close to the boundary of the park. Says it right in the regs that it is your responsibilty to know where you are. WIth that being said, a $4000 fine is a bit on the steep side.

From the biology standpoint the killing of that moose did not affect the population. Further, the only reason he could not hunt in the area is the fact it is open only to a special class of citizens. I do not believe in special classes of citizens.

The concept of granting extra rights to individuals based on zip code is wrong headed and I believe unconstitutional on every level. So I think King was hosed.
art

As far as I know, nobody can hunt in DNP. I'm definitley with you on the special class of citizen thing, total BS IMO.

I think the area was the Preserve that is open to Subsistence... I could be wrong.

I looked at a map and there is a small section on the northwest and southwest corners that is considered the Preserve and the article in the paper says he took the moose on the northern boundary of the park. I think I know where he was hunting, i've hunted there several times and I've always stayed well away from the park boundary, don't want to make that mistake. Here's the map I was talking about.
http://www.nps.gov/dena/parkmgmt/up...D%20PRESERVE%20HUNTING%20INFORMATION.pdf

Can't hunt in the "National Park"; can hunt in the "Reserves". Some places it's easy to shift from the Reserve to the Park and not notice it. But the Park Service guys do...

Dennis

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

"Fairbanks- Three Delta Junction men who illegally killed 10 caribou off the Denali Highway in December have been fined a total of more than $12,000, ordered to forfeit their snowmachines and rifles to the state, and had their hunting privileges revoked for three to five years."

Read More: Fairbanks Daily News-Miner - Three Delta Junction hunters sentenced for illegally shooting caribou

Complete story lists names of who did what and details of sentence awarded to each person involved. Justice served for a change, imho.
If this was already posted, my apologies.
Best Wishes

Justice served

Glad to hear this and that our justice system does seem to work from time to time.

I will be very suprised if they have to pay this fine.The judge in delta usually shows pitty on the poor russians who drive bmws and live in 10,000 sq ft houses.They have stolen $30,000 worth of my stuff and the cops dont even care.When I reported it they wanted me to get a mailed report from them and they didnt want to get involved.They wiped out the old herd of caribou that was on Donnley Flats.I came to Delta a few years before the russians now it bites to live there.I have gotten tired of russians getting away with everything.One kid stole a couple of million dollors of computers from the school and got a slap on the hand.They snare moose and leave them in the snares.They shoot every raven they see.russian moose season is from sept 16-aug 31 no limit either sex day or night anywhere.They have done it scence they have been in delta till you never see a moose around delta.Its is a crying shame these noncitizens do anything they want and usually get a $50 fine.They shot a cow and calf in my friend Godfreys driveay and they told him if he told they would kill him.He was about 78 at the time.They are ruthless gamehogs who will totally turn the area within 300 miles of Delta in to a gameless desert.They should deport them and that would make them think.They are not afraid of the troopers or f&g only the army.Its a shame they ever came to delta and ruined the best place i have ever been.I came up on one last year with a 60 quart cooler of grouse .He had three kids about 3,4,5 with him so he could shoot 60 grouse a day and he did.There are no more grouse in that area.I live rightin the middle of this stealing bunch of human waste they should never have brought them to Alaska.It was some state rep from Valdez some gal named Gale who got them up here .They will ruin Alaska forever no game anywhere!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Walt was being sarcastic/ironic. And I agree with everything SD/Art said.