3 Wainwright hunters fined $9K for illegally shooting musk oxen

Three Wainwright men have been convicted and ordered to pay $9,000 for illegally killing three musk oxen and removing only a hindquarter from one of them.

Thomas "TJ" Tazruk and Billy and Willie Bodfish were sentenced in court in Utqiaġvik, formerly known as Barrow, on Wednesday, each on single counts of taking an animal during a closed season and failing to salvage meat, Alaska State Troopers said.

The trio pleaded guilty to the charges in June.

Wildlife troopers started their investigation into the shooting of the musk oxen back in March 2016, when they responded to the scene near the headwaters of Colville River in a ski-equipped state plane, troopers said.

Once there, the wildlife officers "discovered three female musk ox had been shot multiple times and left to waste," according to an account of the case posted online. Two weeks later, according to the post, the troopers found the carcass of a freshly skinned wolverine near the musk oxen.

Troopers did not say how the suspects were identified, only that through interviews with the three hunters, it was determined that they intended to use the unsalvaged herd animals as bait for wolves and wolverines.

Tazruk and the Bodfishes also stole plane fuel from a cache used by the Department of Fish and Game and the National Park Service for conducting game surveys in the area, troopers said.

The location of the incident was remote – the Colville River's headwaters are located in the western Brooks Range, about 170 miles northeast of Kotzebue. The hometown of the three men rests on the Chukchi Sea coast and is home to about 560 residents.

Wildlife troopers said they hope the case "serves as a deterrent to poachers. Cases, regardless of their remoteness, are investigated thoroughly to deter such crimes and protect Alaska's fish and wildlife resources."

The case was handled by the Office of Special Prosecutions. An attorney with the state did not immediately return a request for comment.

In addition to the restitution totaling $9,000, the men were each fined $500 and ordered to forfeit firearms connected to the case. They also received suspended monthlong jail terms and one year of probation.