Wrangell Residents Plead Guilty After An Illegal Elk Hunt On Zarembo Island

Per KSTK radio, three men in the Wrangell area, including the city’s vice mayor, must pay fines and have hunting license privileges revoked after an illegal elk hunt on Zarembo Island. Some details from KSTK:

The hunt took place on Zarembo Island in October of 2024. They did not have a permit. State Trooper Alisha Seward wrote the hunters’ citations. The state seized about 28 pounds of elk meat from David Powell and about 76 pounds of elk meat and antlers from Aaron Powell. The state also seized Aaron’s cellphone and GPS.

On Nov. 18, Magistrate Judge Rachel Newport fined Aaron Powell $7000, suspending $3000 of the total. The court revoked his hunting license for two years and placed him on probation for three years. 

The next week, Magistrate Judge Pamela Stahla-Kernin fined Vice Mayor David Powell $7000, with half of that suspended. The court suspended his hunting license for one year. He was placed on probation for the next four years. He told KSTK he had no comment.

Here’s the Alaska State Troopers dispatch, which also determined the penalties for the hunter who took the elk:

AK25059016

Location: Wrangell

Type: Hunting violations

Dispatch Text:

On Dec. 10, 2025, Steven Gile, 36, pleaded guilty to taking an elk in a closed area and unlawful possession and transportation of wildlife. The original charges stem from a June Alaska Wildlife Troopers investigation that revealed Gile, along with 62-year-old David Powell and 41-year-old Aaron Powell, had unlawfully taken an elk from a closed hunting area on Zarembo Island. Gile was placed on probation for five years and ordered to pay $5,000 in fines, $800 in restitution, and had his hunting license suspended for two years. David Powell and Aaron Powell were both cited for unlawful possession and transportation of an elk. They both pleaded guilty in November and were ordered to pay $3,500 in fines. David Powell was placed on probation for four years and his hunting license was suspended for one year. Aaron Powell was placed on probation for three years and his hunting license was suspended for three years.