New Fairbanksan shortlisted among "hardcore" hunting women: A recent Arkansas transplant living in Fairbanks is one of 12 finalists for the 2013 Prois Award, an annual honor for the "hardcore female hunter" given by Prois Hunting & Field Apparel, the Fairbanks Daily-News Miner reports. Fifty-five-year-old Sheri Coker told the News-Miner she moved north in April but is well-versed in what is many Alaskans' favorite pastime. She grew up hunting small game like duck and rabbit. "My dad, who engrained in me the love for the hunt, impressed upon me that any woman worth her salt should be able to hit her target with any weapon," Coker wrote in her entry essay to the hunting company. She's the only woman from Alaska on the list of finalists this year, and although she's new to the state, she hopes Alaskans support her like they did for last year's winner, Chugiak resident Ruth Cusack.
Game Board to consider hunting and trapping changes: The Alaska Board of Game is meeting in Kotzebue Jan. 10-13, 2014 to consider nearly 40 proposals concerning changes to hunting and trapping regulations in the state's Arctic and Western regions, which include game management units 18, 22, 23 and 26A. Many proposals have already been submitted by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and the general public, most of which concern the hunting and trapping season dates and bag limits. The meeting will begin with presentations from Fish and Game, including a report on the Western Arctic and Teshepuk caribou herds (the Western Arctic caribou herd, North America's largest, continues to drop at a rate of 4 to 6 percent per year since the population peaked in 2003). After the presentations, the board will take comments from anyone who signs up before 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 11, 2014. Submitted proposals include: reauthorizing the antlerless moose season in GMU 18 near Bethel; extending the wolf hunting season in GMU 22 near Nome; and allowing the sale of caribou antlers harvested in GMU 23 near Kotzebue. Purchasing and selling or even bartering for caribou antlers within GMU 23 is illegal unless the antlers are naturally shed or made into a handicraft. The board's upcoming Kotzebue meeting is open to the public, and all of the proposals can be found on Fish and Game's website. Written comments will be accepted on specific proposals during the meeting up until the time that proposal is deliberated.
Arson arrest in Anchor Point: Alaska State Troopers say they've arrested a 33-year-old Anchor Point man after finding him walking away from the scene of a fire. Troopers and volunteer firefighters in Anchor Point, a community of about 2,000 14 miles north of Homer on the Kenai Peninsula, responded to reports of a residential fire on Chakok Avenue. When responders arrived, they found a "live-in style travel trailer" fully engulfed in flames. Troopers were unable to locate anyone on the property and attempts to contact the owner were unsuccessful. After firefighters extinguished the blaze and troopers were leaving the area, property owner Trevor Cole was spotted walking away from the fire on North Fork Road. Cole had a rifle and a concealed handgun that he refused to willingly hand over to troopers, and he was arrested for weapons misconduct. During a search, troopers also found marijuana on Cole. An investigation found the trailer belonged to someone else, who had parked on Cole's property with his permission. Troopers believe Cole started the fire after a falling-out with the trailer's owner. Cole allegedly hid in the woods until the fire department left. He's being held in the Homer jail on charges of arson and misconduct involving weapons and controlled substances.
Dragging incident under investigation: A 38-year-old man from Togiak, a small Southwest community of about 900, had to be flown from that village to the Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage after his clothing got stuck on the hitch of a truck and he was dragged for 1.7 miles along an icy road with patches of gravel. Alaska State Troopers say they got a call from Togiak's Village Public Safety Officer late Monday evening. The VPSO told troopers an "intoxicated and injured male was found partially naked in the middle of the road." Troopers' investigation found that Rodney Gosuk was fully clothed when he grabbed the back of a truck driven by a woman, but his shirt got caught on the hitch. He suffered abrasions and bruises due to the unintended drag down the road, troopers say. The incident is still under investigation.