Dall Sheep Poacher Heading To Jail

A Palmer man will serve 10 days in jail and pay a hefty fine stemming from a 2015 Dall sheep poaching incident, according to KTUU TV in Anchorage, which provided some details of the crime:

After an investigation by Alaska Wildlife Troopers and the Office of Special Prosecutions in the attorney general’s office, James Randall Wyatt pleaded to wanton waste, taking a sublegal sheep, illegal possession, and attempted evidence tampering, according to troopers.

The poaching took place in late August of 2015. A man reported that he and a hunting partner saw another man, later identified as Wyatt, shoot two sheep. The witness later saw Wyatt leaving the area without any animal. It was clear to the witness that the sheep had not been harvested. The killing occurred in a drainage 20 miles back on the east fork of King River. …

“This was one of the most egregious cases I have worked on in almost twenty years and it might never have happened if it weren’t for ethical hunters coming forward to help,” said Trooper John Cyr, a wildlife trooper that worked the case. “They not only reported the kills but provided valuable information which proved critical in identifying the person responsible. Poaching hurts animal populations as well as puts ethical hunters, who put in time and dedication to follow the hunting regulations, at a disadvantage.”

The station reports that Wyatt’s jail sentence included 2 1/2 years suspended, and his fine of $17,200 also carried $35,000 suspended. But he could be on the hook for both if he commits any jailable offense in general or fish and game offense covering the next five years.