Tis The Poaching Season

[Pangloss62]

Damn! That's a lot o' moose burgers.

On the evening of Sunday, September 17th, a local hunter reported the presence of a possible hunting camp in the northeast corner of the park, where hunting is prohibited. The park pilot conducted an overflight of the area, located the camp, and observed a moose kill site approximately two miles inside the park boundary. Aerial observations suggested that the hunters had illegally used ATV’s to access the area. Three rangers flew to the site by helicopter early on Monday morning and apprehended two hunters – 54 year-old Delmar Neeley of Anderson, Alaska, and 22 year-old Robert Maxfield of Nenana, Alaska. The rangers seized a 43-inch bull moose (43 inches is the measurement of the maximum width between the bull's antlers) along with weapons and other evidence. To prevent further resource damage, one of the hunters’ two ATV’s was sling-loaded to a point outside the park boundary. Activation of the hunters’ own GPS receiver at the kill site showed that they were well inside the park. Misdemeanor Lacey Act and other charges against the two are pending