https://alaskabeacon.com/brief...hunting-for-4-years/


After illegal Alaska moose kill, 2 men will be banned globally from hunting for 4 years

BY: JAMES BROOKS - OCTOBER 19, 2023 6:34 PM



A plea deal pending in Anchorage’s federal court would ban two men from hunting anywhere in the world for four years as punishment for illegally hunting a bull moose in Denali National Park and Preserve.

According to documents published Tuesday, Christopher Brumwell and Andrew McDonald agreed to plead guilty to a single count each of illegally transporting wildlife that was hunted in violation of federal law.

Prosecutors said Brumwell and McDonald killed a bull moose about 900 yards within the park’s boundaries during a hunt in September 2021, then packed the moose meat and antlers to a spot outside the park in an attempt to make it seem as if the kill was legal.

A third party saw them kill the moose, and when park rangers arrived, Brumwell and McDonald lied about the location of the kill. Their GPS device showed their path and contained messages between the two, indicating their plan.

All sides have signed the plea agreement, which is awaiting approval by a magistrate judge.

In addition to agreeing that they will not hunt or seek a hunting license anywhere in the world for four years, the two men each agreed to pay a $10,000 fine to the “Denali National Park Foundation” and forfeited the weapons and some equipment used in the hunt.

Public records do not list a Denali National Park Foundation active in Alaska, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Anchorage was unable on Thursday to clarify the destination of the donation.

Note to myself. Stop hunting Denali National Park. And for god's sake stop using communicating and tracking device while poaching.

How do you enforce "globally " ??

Grizz

quote:

Originally posted by Grizzly Adams1:
How do you enforce "globally " ??

Grizz

Biden & his NWO buddies/fellow shitstains!

quote:

Originally posted by Grizzly Adams1:
How do you enforce "globally " ??

Grizz

It's a plea deal. They voluntarily agreed to the terms in exchange for not going to trial and possibly facing prison time. If they choose to violate it then the deal is off and they go to trial facing the full range of penalties all over again, and now with a likely even more irate judge.

Edit: They likely faced a whole slew of charges in addition to the crime of actually shooting the moose, such as discharging a firearm in the park not in self defense, hunting in the park, transporting illegally taken game, lying about the crime to park officials, probably drove ATVs on park land, etc. Im sure the sum of all those penalties is much much large than what they got hit with and they'd be very motivated to comply with their agreement, not to mention the tens and tens of thousands in lawyer costs if it did go to trial.

https://www.justice.gov/usao-a...denali-national-park


PRESS RELEASE
Two men sentenced for illegal moose kill in Denali National Park
Wednesday, February 21, 2024

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Alaska

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Two men were sentenced to four years’ probation for killing a bull moose inside Denali National Park.

According to court documents, on Sept. 20, 2021, Andrew McDonald, 42, of Harrisburg, South Dakota, and Christopher Brumwell, 42, of Anchorage, were hunting in Denali National Park when McDonald shot a bull moose inside the park boundary. Three groups of hunters witnessed the illegal kill and separately reported McDonald’s and Brumwell’s conduct to law enforcement. The defendants spent several hours field dressing the moose to move the skull and a small portion of the meat to a concealed location outside the park boundary. The rest of the meat was left at the kill site for two days, until Park Rangers packed out an additional 76 pounds.

McDonald denied any knowledge of the moose kill when questioned by law enforcement the next day, while Brumwell was out in the field attempting to move the rest of the meat. Witnesses reported that Brumwell denied any knowledge of the kill when they contacted him in the field. Brumwell returned to his camp without moving any more of the meat.

Park rangers directed the men to retrieve the two game bags they moved, along with the remainder of the meat. Two days after the illegal kill, Park Rangers contacted McDonald and Brumwell as they were headed out of the field. The Park Rangers observed the men with the skinned moose skull from the kill site and the two game bags, but the men failed to retrieve the rest of the meat from the kill site as directed.

McDonald was hunting on a non-resident license, and Brumwell was hunting on a resident license.

The court delivered a sentence of four years’ probation and prohibited both defendants from hunting or seeking hunting licenses anywhere in the world for four years. Brumwell is required to pay a fine of $10,000. McDonald will pay a fine of $2,500 and $7,500 in restitution to Denali National Park. When delivering the sentence, the Court emphasized the seriousness of the crime by stating, “I want anyone who is aware of this case to know that this is not a mistake, this is a big deal. … We take this very seriously.”

Moose that aren’t taken through conventional hunting are donated to the Alaska Department of Safety “Roadkill Salvage Program,” which donates the moose meat to participating charities, people and organizations. The average moose yields roughly 500 pounds of meat, but because of the defendants conduct in this case, Rangers were able to salvage and donate only approximately 196 pounds of meat.

"Mr. McDonald and Mr. Brumwell’s actions are an affront to law abiding hunters and Alaskan subsistence living,” said U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker for the District of Alaska. “Hunting must be done legally and in accordance with regulations. My office will continue to work with our wildlife law enforcement partners to ensure that hunting rules and regulations are followed by resident and non-resident hunters.”

“We are very proud of the work our rangers, special agents, and law enforcement partners accomplished to ensure the successful outcome of this case," said National Park Service Alaska Regional Director, Sarah Creachbaum. “A special thanks to the local hunters who witnessed the violations and helped out with the case.”

The National Park Service investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ainsley McNerney prosecuted the case.

###

Contact
Reagan Zimmerman

Public Affairs Officer

reagan.zimmerman@usdoj.gov

Updated February 21, 2024