Alaska DLP Question

[Kevin Dill]

Suppose you're moose hunting as a nonresident in AK. You've bought one (expensive) moose tag and that's it. During the hunt you encounter a troublesome bear...and for the heck of it let's say it's a black bear. You end up killing the bear in a DLP situation. So now you have a dead bear and a moose tag which theoretically can be applied to the bear...but it's moose hunt over if you do that. Now....

1) You have a Harvest Ticket for black bear but elected not to buy the locking tag. Are you automatically required to use your moose locking tag on the bear? Can you just report this as a DLP incident and keep moose hunting?

2) You have only your moose Harvest Ticket and locking tag (nothing for black bear). Is this an automatic DLP? Is there any way you could be required to use your moose locking tag on the bear?

I'm interested to hear mainly from those with solid understanding of the AK law in this regard. The right-or-wrong opinions really don't figure into this. Does anyone know how the AK regs would be applied?

 

[jhm2023]

I'm pretty sure in situation 1 the hunter could elect to either use his/her moose tag or DLP the bear. Obviously depending if it is a justifiable DLP situation. In situation 2 it would have to be a DLP as the hunter does not have a harvest ticket, again given the fact that it was justifiable to kill the bear under DLP such as not provoking the attack or the attack being due to hunter negligence. This really has me thinking and I'm going to double check with fish and game to make sure I'm not crazy.

 

[KJH]

I know someone who encountered that situation last fall in AK. He chose to go the DLP route, and continue hunting moose. He skinned it out and had the hide and skull ready to surrender to the State. He sent a satellite text message and a Wildlife trooper who arrived a couple days later via cub to his camp. The trooper determined that the DLP was justifiable. The hunter continued to hunt for another week and harvested an excellent 65" moose. Once the hunter was out of the field, he met up with the troopers in the village and finished up the paperwork for them and did the sworn statements. The troopers were professional and pragmatic. Everything ended well, except for the problem bear.

I was present for the events with the trooper after the hunter came out of the field, so I can personally say that the law was applied this way. He was not required to use his moose locking tag for the bear.

 

[Nick Muche]

Keep hunting moose, turn the bear in (hide/skull) as DLP once you return to civilization.

Are you automatically required to use your moose locking tag on the bear? No, it was a DLP.

Can you just report this as a DLP incident and keep moose hunting? Yes

You have only your moose Harvest Ticket and locking tag (nothing for black bear). Is this an automatic DLP? Yes, you don't have a bear ticket or locking tag.

Is there any way you could be required to use your moose locking tag on the bear? No, you'd need the bear harvest ticket to legally tag and keep him as a non-DLP.

 

[Stid2677]

I agree with the above except,,,, I believe the issue would arise if you wanted to KEEP the DLP bear. If you wanted to keep it then I do believe you would have to use the moose non res locking tag and tag it as a "downgrade" and you would be done hunting because you no longer have a moose locking tag. Now I believe you could buy another moose locking tag and be back in the hunt. I do think you would still need a harvest ticket on hand as well as I think the harvest tag and locking tag are two separate deals, meaning you need both.

 

[Kevin Dill]

Well....I suppose if I defeated him in hand-to-paw combat I just might want to keep him badly enough to use my moose tag. Ha!

Thanks everyone for your intel on this. I'm basically right in line with your thoughts, but wanted to put it out there. I did definitely wonder whether a person would be lawfully required to tag an animal they killed (DLP) for which they had a valid tag and ticket...even if they don't want that animal. I hope none of us ever has to experience it.

 

[VernAK]

I suspect a few are just left in the bush!

 

[Nick Muche]

I did definitely wonder whether a person would be lawfully required to tag an animal they killed (DLP) for which they had a valid tag and ticket...even if they don't want that animal.

I too have wondered about this, specifically while hunting bears on Kodiak. I've had some close calls with bears there that I wouldn't even consider harvesting or using my permit on. Should it ever happen, I 100% would continue hunting after taking care of the DLP. Hopefully it doesn't.

 

[AK Troutbum]

I suspect a few are just left in the bush!

I would suspect that more than just a few are left in the bush. Several years ago I was talking to a native guy up in Kotz that said it was common practice to shoot bears as they were boating up and down the Noatak. He said they would kill them on the river bank and keep on going, "Just one less bear to worry/deal with." He said it happened all the time, and I believe him. I'd be willing to bet that Kotz is not the only place that is practiced.