Father-Son Hunters Charged With Poaching Bears Sentenced To Jail Time, Fined

Andrew Renner, 41, and Owen Renner, 18, were convicted in a plea deal on multiple charges over a poaching incident last April on Esther Island in Prince William Sound, the Alaska Attorney General’s Office said Wednesday. Prosecutors said the men illegally shot the sleeping bears and attempted to cover up what they had done, not realizing their actions had been captured on video by a game camera nearby.

The misdemeanor charges the men faced included unlawful take of a female bear with cubs, unlawful take of bear cubs, and the possession and transportation of illegally taken game.

Andrew Renner was convicted of eight counts related to the illegal killing and transporting of the bears, and the falsifying of the sealing certificate. He also faces one count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor because his son was 17 when the crime occurred.

The ADN says father Andrew Renner must serve three months in prison and pay $9,000 in fines among other punishments. His son’s 30-day jail sentence was suspended.