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[silverbullet555]

Good story and good lessons. I don't know if I would fight it or not, but that seems a bit rough. I know why they have strict rules, but it would seem you followed them.

For clarity, you brought four quarters out, correct?

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[Kevin Dill]

Hindsight always being 20/20: You would have been okay if you'd bagged up the (unfit) meat you disposed-of and brought it out. The law doesn't specify the meat has to remain fit for humans to eat...only that all of it must be recovered and removed from the field. After that it's your meat to use (or not) as you decide.

 

[Reload]

Yeah I dont plan on fighting the charges.
And yes, all four quarters were brought out and are here in Illinois in my chest freezer

 

[Boiler]

Awesome trip! I think losing the rack and $3000 is ridiculous for 100 lbs. of meat that some might have left in the woods to begin with. Thanks for the write up, might save someone else some problems!

 

[Reload]

Kevin, that too was my assumption but the ticket specifically states that it was a failure to salvage 100 lbs of meat for human consumption. The officer was told of the discarded fat, connective tissue, etc.. and never mentioned any of that in his report. There were scales present from the transporter and they were not used. A collective estimate was approximated at 100 lbs of trim. I felt bringing all of it out was the best effort to make and right in the eyes of the law. I dont know any different other than what the ticket was issued for in this case.

 

[AKBorn]

Here is the language from last year’s (2017-2018) Alaska regulations Booklet:

Salvage of meat means to transport the edible meat to the location where it will be processed for human consumption. Successful hunters must validate their harvest ticket or permit immediately upon taking game. Once you have validated your harvest, you can begin to salvage. Edible meat in all cases must be salvaged, and the following information will help you understand what other requirements may be necessary for salvaging game.

Wanton waste of big game meat is an extremely serious offense punishable by a fine of up to $10,000 and 1 year in jail.

You must salvage all the edible meat of moose, caribou, sheep, mountain goat, wild reindeer, deer, elk, bison, musk-oxen, and spring black bear, for which seasons and bag limits exist. You must also salvage either the hide or meat of beaver,pika, and ground squirrel; for small game birds, the breast meat must be salvaged, except for geese, cranes, and swans; for these you must salvage the breast meat and the meat of the femur and tibia-fibula (legs and thighs).

By my interpretation, I think that you did salvage all of the meat, if you brought it all out? Unless the game warden or trooper was drawing a fine line on “edible meat”. Feels like you could have been given a smaller fine, as there certainly seems to be no intent on your part to waste meat.

 

[Kevin Dill]

Reload: I have no dog in the fight as they say...only my thoughts and experiences to draw from. The hopeful point I was trying to make is this: If you'd kept all the stinky meat in question (and thereby had the correct overall required amount of meat salvaged from the carcass) I doubt if the trooper would have issued a citation. 'Failure to salvage' (for human consumption) is a much easier case for the trooper to make when the meat in question isn't in your possession. If you'd had that 100 pounds of bad meat in a bag and brought it out with a stated intent to keep it, there's probably little the trooper could do. Disposing of the bad meat is being interpreted as 'failure to salvage', even though you did get it off the carcass.

I've been around enough to know that troopers are pros. They know how to handle people and situations. They know what they can cite and what they cannot. They write plenty of citations which never get argued because of time, distance and money. Your situation has a number of gray areas an attorney would explore and defend. Most of it would come down to definitions and interpretation of terms such as 'edible', 'human consumption', 'salvage', and so on. I know this because I'm aware of it happening in a different situation and the AK prosecuting attorney dismissed the citation based on the interpretation of 'edible meat'. In that case, a defense attorney wasn't even needed.

I appreciate you sharing this story with us. It's an opportunity to learn. On the record, I think you got burned unnecessarily by a well-behaved but aggressive trooper.

 

[Reload]

I should have been more clear in my initial posting. All meat was taken out of the field. Upon inspection by the trooper, he determined there to be 5-600 pounds of meat in front of him. The 4 quarters were in separate bags, neck meat in it's own bag, 2 loins in separate bags, 2 racks of ribs in separate bags, tenderloins in it's own bag, and brisket, with the trim meat swept over the carcass in it's own bag. I too was under the impression that bringing all of the meat out was the proper thing to do. I pointedly asked the officer if the ticket was for the trimming I had told him about and he said no. The ticket was for the meat brought in that was not fit for human consumption. Im at a loss on this myself, but that is where it stands. On a side note, my biggest fear was this incident jeopardizing my job. After I found out that there was not a risk, I was able to breathe a sigh of relief. The hunt, rack, adventure, etc...means less to me than supporting my family. I've worked for our DNR here in Illinois for over 20 years. A game violations something I've never dealt with. I may have a lack of experiences in Alaska, but truly feel that I did everything within my power to thwart this very outcome

 

[Kevin Dill]

Thanks for that clarification. Yes, I interpreted your writing to indicate you'd disposed of the meat in question. Apology for that. I really have a feeling this case is unusual. If you recovered all the meat and brought all of it out and got it to a point of final processing (whether it got processed or not) then I think you met your legal obligation. For a trooper to judge it unfit for consumption and cite you (that much for 100 pounds of smelly meat) after getting all the meat out and back to town....well....you know what I think.

By way of comparison: I helped butcher a fine bull in 2009. All the meat was great and got taken to a processor in town. That processor proceeded to do just about everything wrong possible while keeping the meat until processing. 100% of that meat was tainted or outright spoiled, and then thrown away by the processor. We contacted troopers and local LE but were told no statutory crime was committed. The processor got a pass for wasting thousands of pounds of game meat, as this involved a number of moose and caribou.

Thanks once more. I'll hold my thoughts and hope this somehow has a better ending for you.

 

[Reload]

No need for that Kevin as I just wanted to clear up anything that i may have left to question or chance. I'm to speak with the District Attorney tomorrow to see if there's a possibility of a plea deal. If not, i may reluctantly look into fighting this on merit based reasoning

 

[Reload]

FWIW, My Transporter and all crew members associated with them told me to fight this case. It was appreciated to hear that from all of them, but I do feel an obligation to accept the responsibility of losing such on my watch.

 

[KJH]

I really sympathize for you and it seems you did the right thing by bringing it out of the field. I've never lost any meat, but its always been a major concern. I wish your trip would have turned out better.

All of the AK Wildlife Troopers I've encountered have been excellent professionals with absolute common sense, but one. This trooper tried for two hours to find a reason to write a ticket. He told us that he was looking to write a ticket that day. All he could come up with was ONE missing rib bone that I discarded because it was shattered with impact (All meat has to come out on the bone in that unit). He eventually told us that he wasn't going to write the ticket and said that it was the best meat care he has ever encountered in the field, then caveated it with "I'm surprised a non-resident could do it". I kept my thoughts to myself. Finally, when he was ready to head back to his plane, he said "I guess I'm not writing any tickets today" to which I replied "I guess that's good for me". His only response was "not good for us, how am I supposed to pay for the gas to get out here today?". SO the moral of my story is that there might be some incentive for the troopers to write tickets and impose fines to either justify their field work or generate revenues that can support their enforcement efforts. Maybe if he was on the fence in your case, he figured he's write the ticket and let the DA or judge sort it out and hope it justifies his efforts and possibly put some money back into the enforcement coffers.

 

[tntrker]

I feel for you Reload. When reading this great hunt story, my thinking was on meat spoilage. But I have not experienced this type of hunt before so I was reading in excitement for you. Accepting responsibility is just and what is the moral thing to do, however, I hope they have kept your antlers and you fight this so you can be reunited with them if you choose to go to court and fight. "Unusual warmer temps", and the fact that you brought all that you did out should account for your responsibility. Being that you are a wildlife officer yourself, if I read correctly, you should be able to remain proud of your efforts, as written. I would fight it just on moral ground alone. Congrats again on a great hunt, sorry this marred your experience..Good luck and let us know your action/outcome. God Bless..

 

[rayporter]

I have also heard the tales of processors and transporters losing meat and the hunter had no recourse as well as the fish and game doing nothing.
it certainly is a shame you are so far away and cannot fight it.

also add the fact that the transporter could not land for an early pick up.

 

[OFFHNTN]

First off, congratulation on a great hunt and awesome moose!
Second, thank you for sharing this for others to possibly learn from. Personally, I would not be happy and would fight it. I would like to know how the trooper is an expert on what is considered good and bad meat. Maybe it was obvious. And I also agree that $3k and losing the rack is very steep for this. It was unintentional and you did the very best you could given the circumstances. Good luck with it all!

 

[silverbullet555]

FWIW, My Transporter and all crew members associated with them told me to fight this case. It was appreciated to hear that from all of them, but I do feel an obligation to accept the responsibility of losing such on my watch.

Obligation my ass. You've taken responsibility for losing SOME meat and perhaps a small fine could be assessed. But the punishment is over the top for the effort you put in and the small amount of loss. Loss is part of hunting. At some point, you'll lose an animal, have some spoilage, etc.

I don't get why you equate taking responsibility with losing the rack and a fine.

I don't know if Alaska is part of the state pact where a ban or suspension in one state, impacts the others. But, you might consider the impact of a 1 year suspension. I would also consult with an attorney familiar with their laws.

If you had just brought the rack out, that would be different. Though, I have a friend that went on a hunt up there and shot a caribou. Over the course of the next several days, the meat and hide was ravaged by a wolverine (they got video). All they got out was the rack/head. They self reported upon return and had no fine and kept the rack. Trooper said it was due to their documentation.



I think you're getting screwed and taking it. If that's good with you, that's fine. But, there is a difference between taking responsibility and being screwed over.

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[gbflyer]

Hell of a way to treat our visitors. Sorry my state did this to you. You did all you could do. I would not hold still for this. I’d almost bet money you’ll get it reduced if you contest the charges as long as you didn’t screw yourself by admitting to something you didn’t do. They’re banking on the fact that you’re a non-resident and will just take your medicine. Don’t give them the satisfaction.

 

[silverbullet555]

Hell of a way to treat our visitors. Sorry my state did this to you. You did all you could do. I would not hold still for this. I’d almost bet money you’ll get it reduced if you contest the charges as long as you didn’t screw yourself by admitting to something you didn’t do. They’re banking on the fact that you’re a non-resident and will just take your medicine. Don’t give them the satisfaction.

Yep

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[Kevin Dill]

As a nonresident hunter you're automatically subject to a higher degree of scrutiny. I would also say the trigger to write citations gets pulled more easily for nonresident hunters. Does a trooper get an annual performance evaluation? Does that evaluation consider the type, number and value of the citations written annually? IS there incentive to write high-dollar citations which probably easily exceed what a court would assess at a hearing?

I think the main thing I would dislike would be the blemish on my name and record after doing all I could to save that wonderful meat. I know I would do what I could to get the charges dismissed completely. A game plan would get put together and I'd make as much of an effective case as possible, citing the weather and transporter limitations as mitigating factors. I would ask the prosecuting attorney to consider how the trooper could absolutely determine your meat was wasted or not salvaged for consumption. The fact that you work for another state's DNR probably carries some legitimacy to your defense. Perhaps someone there could make a phone call to provide a character reference. Utilize everything possible and just maybe you win.

 

[Trial153]

I would contest it.