Fairbanks Snow Travelers

If you haven't seen today's News Miner, you need to

I'd hate to be those guys.

Of course if you need parts for a pick up truck, it's only fours miles off the road

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) -- Four hunters are in deep trouble after getting two pickup trucks stuck in the tundra off the Dalton Highway a month ago while trying to retrieve three caribou they shot.

"I'm investigating it with the intent that (legal) action will be taken against the violators," said Bureau of Land Management ranger Ed Lee of Fairbanks.

The hunters last week received permission from the BLM to jack the trucks up and put them on plastic blocks in hopes they will be able to drive them out when the ground freezes this winter. The trucks are located on BLM land about 370 miles north of Fairbanks.

"That's the plan at this point, to drive them out," said Tim Hammond, branch supervisor for BLM's central Yukon office. The trucks are still lodged in the tundra, mired up to the axles. One of the trucks, a gray Ford F-150, made it approximately four miles off the Dalton Highway before getting bogged down, while the other truck, a red Dodge Ram 1500, made it only about a half mile before getting stuck. The truck can be seen from the highway at Mile 289.

The penalties awaiting the hunters remains up in the air. BLM is still assessing the damage, Hammond said.

"That's yet to be determined," he said of possible fines.

BLM officials aren't saying much about the incident, offering only that they are still investigating and that it could be months before details are made public. Alaska State Troopers, who initially investigated the case, deferred questions to the BLM. Lt. Gary Folger, head of the Alaska Bureau of Wildlife Management in Fairbanks, said the hunters did not violate any game laws.

Neither BLM nor troopers are releasing the names of the hunters. Lee would say only that they are Alaska military residents.

"Too much information is probably not a good thing at this point as far as jeopardizing the case," Lee said.

Hunting along the Dalton Highway from the Yukon River to the Arctic Ocean is restricted to bow and arrow for five miles on each side of the highway. No motorized vehicles are allowed in what is called the Dalton Highway Corridor.

The hunters got the trucks stuck on Sept. 8, Hammond said, after they walked the required five miles from the road and shot three caribou. The hunters were overwhelmed by the prospect of packing the animals back to the road, and so they walked back to the road and attempted to drive the Ford F-150 to the kill site. The truck made it approximately four miles before getting stuck. The hunters returned and tried to drive the Dodge in to pull out the Ford, only to get stuck a half-mile from the road.

A trooper contacted the hunters after they got the second truck stuck and advised them to make sure they salvaged the caribou. "It's my understanding they salvaged the caribou," Hammond said. It wasn't until the next week, though, that BLM officials found out about the incident.

"We got a call the week of Sept. 11 from the owners of the trucks wanting to know what they needed to do to get the trucks out of there," Hammond said.

The incident created a lively discussion among hunters when it was posted on the Alaska Outdoors Directory, a Web site that caters to Alaska hunters and fishermen.

A BLM real estate specialist visited the scene Sept. 15 and 16 to assess damage and pinpoint the location of the vehicles.

The owners of the trucks met with BLM officials on Sept. 28 to formulate a plan. The hunters received permission to jack up the trucks and put them on plastic blocks provided by the BLM so the trucks don't freeze in place. The hunters will drive the trucks out when the ground freezes, assuming the vehicles still run.

"We won't allow them to drive the trucks out until we have sufficient cold and snow to prevent damage to the tundra," Hammond said.

The hunters expressed remorse for their actions but didn't have a reason for doing what they did, Hammond said.

The marooned trucks rank right up there with the worst of hunting transgressions in Alaska, said Cathie Harms, spokeswoman for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game in Fairbanks.

"I've never seen anything quite that blatant," said Harms. "It's just hard to believe that somebody would hike in there and then think they can drive a truck across that stuff."

I read that those dummies should have there hunting privelege revoked for ten years.

Actually they didn't violate any hunting regs, just trespass laws.

Of course if they can't drive them out and have to pay for a couple of big helicopters to fly them, I'll bet you no one else tries it for a lot of years

as far as i know you have to walk five miles from the road until you can shoot and no powered vehicles are allowed of the haul road.

From what I read in the News Musher, they did walk the 5 fives before they shot their Caribou, then the lights came on and they realized it was way to far to pack them out. Thus the bright or Not So Bright idea to drive over the tundra.

I still can't image what they were thinking after walking in the tundra to think they could drive over it. Even if it was legal, how could anyone be so dense as to think they could drive a pick up over all that mud and muck with regular street tires.

You got that right John very dense! We hope to see you and Trish this winter.

I'll be making some Cantwell runs, Trish won't be riding till after the 1st of the year, if then. She mending from surgery and may not be able to ride this season.

Sorry to hear that. Neva is recovering from surgery too.

Give Neva our best, hope she recovers soon.

While what they did was dumb it isn;t quite aganst the law;;;;;;riding off road vehicals is ......but they were in licensed vehicals .
just a neat loop hole . O and not to point fingers or anything..... they do have a local airforce base window sticker on BOTH trucks
the one is visable from the road as it is only 1/2 mile from the road ....so I wonder if my honda 90 would make it out there ,,,mmmm
has current tags,,,,,
lol

Now your splitting hairs, licensed vehicles, I'd like to hear that one in court :Shappy: