Plea Agreement Calls for Fines and Loss of Hunting Privileges Following Illegal Harvest

Two hunters plead guilty to five misdemeanors

(GLENNALLEN, Alaska) – Last week, following a plea deal with the state, two men pled guilty in a Glennallen court to five misdemeanors relating to an illegal hunt. The investigation done by the Alaska Wildlife Troopers began Sept. 17, 2018 following a report of two partially salvaged moose located in the area of Tangle Lakes.

Alaska Wildlife Troopers responded in a State aircraft to the area and found a partially salvaged cow moose and a partially salvaged bull moose. Due to a thorough and lengthy investigation, the Wildlife Troopers identified two suspects for questioning. In early January, Anchorage residents Chris Bowman, age 27, and Jeff Lanners, age 23, were each issued a summons to appear in Glennallen District Court on multiple charges including the taking of a cow moose without a permit, failure to salvage game meat, removing antlers before meat, and unlawful possession and transportation. The case was prosecuted by the Office of Special Prosecutions.

On March 5, 2019, Bowman and Lanners were sentenced to a $15,000 fine with $10,000 suspended. They were ordered to forfeit the rifle, canoe, and motor because the items were used in the illegal take of the cow moose. They were further ordered to forfeit the unlawfully taken moose meat and the antlers of the bull moose. Additionally, both defendants’ hunting privileges were revoked for one year.

“The Tangle Lakes area is an easy to get to and popular hunting spot. Because of the high amount of hunters that utilize it, any take of an animal should be done responsibly,” said Col. Doug Massie, Director of the Alaska Wildlife Troopers. “In this case, a breeding pair of moose was wasted. That will have an impact on the future moose population. Irresponsible hunting will eventually lead to no hunting due to diminishing populations if we aren’t careful.”