Alaska Man Sentenced In Moose Poaching Violations

He reportedly killed three moose and left them to rot in the Anchor Point area earlier this year. Now he'll see a hefty fine as well as jail time for those crimes.
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An Anchor Point man will serve jail time and pay hefty fines after he was convicted of poaching three moose last fall. Among Rusty Counts’ penalties: $100,000 in fines and fees, a 270-day jail term, a three-year suspended hunting license and forfeiting his rifle and ATV used to illegally kill and then waste much of the moose meat.

Here are some details from  KTUU TV;

In fall of 2018, Alaska Wildlife Troopers in the Anchor Point area say they took reports of two moose who had been shot and “very little of the edible meat salvaged from the animals.”

A photo of this incident identified Counts riding away from the scene on a four wheeler. A third moose was later found and also connected to Counts.

Counts was ultimately charged and convicted on 21 counts, including three counts of wanton waste, three counts of taking a moose during a closed season, unlawful possession of game, three counts of failing to validate a harvest ticket, three counts of failing to seal antlers, three counts of failing to report harvest, two counts of taking over limit of moose, and three counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.