Alaskan father and son sentenced for killing a bear and her shrieking cubs
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'm not sure this father and son were native anything. I kind of doubt it given where they live. I don't think they'd have that protection anyway; they've been trying to get aboriginal fishing rights restored for years, but they signed them away in 1971 as part of the Alaska Native Claims Act.
Last edited by Metlakatla; 01-27-2019 at 04:32 PM..
Someone claiming legality under the "traditional and customary" rule is going to make that defense long and loud to everyone who will listen. This state has lots of case law to demonstrate it. The accused aren't going to dream up some weak fib and destroy the evidence.
More likely this cretin felt he was doing his civic duty...eliminating nuisance bears that deprive citizens of their essential moose meat; the meat that is supposed to be available within a comfortable morning's driving distance from Wasilla. "Everyone knows" (sarcasm so thick I can barely type) the bear overpopulation needs to be culled. When they aren't ravaging trophy moose they are threatening children...and the bears manage this feat even while hibernating or being too young to leave a den.
What we can hope is that in addition to the paltry sentence they end up branded and socially ostracized by people they care about.
Agreed. The "traditional and customary" rule, to my knowledge, is only applicable for subsistence hunters/fishers and doesn't override Fish and Game decisions, such as the case up in the Yukon/Kuskokwim king salmon runs. So they'd have to be in possession of valid subsistence permits in order for that argument to stand a chance.
I'd like to think they'd be ostracized but...considering where they live, they'll likely have at least a small degree of community support if the comments on the ADN are any indication.
Last edited by Metlakatla; 01-27-2019 at 05:16 PM..
That said, fish and game laws are some of the most strict in the US. Very harsh penalties.
That depends on your definition of 'harsh'. In this particular case (in Alaska), I don't think the jail sentence was long enough IMO.... and the fines & forfeitures don't make up for that. People simply are not going to take animal cruelty & illegal poaching/hunting seriously until the punishment itself is serious. I mean years in prison, not weeks or months. And does anyone really believe that suspending their hunting licenses is going to stop them from killing other animals.
3 months in jail...for this kind of crime...its going to seem ALOT longer when they are on the inside! They will be violated and tormented night and day by other inmates.(harming animals is up there with harming children when it comes to 'prison rules')
Ah wonderful, we've reached the part of the thread where people get to cheer about the possibility of other people being violently raped.
I own a business and property in Alaska and make a point of putting as little money as possible back into the local economy. Alaska and Alaskans aren't worth it.
If you're that disturbed by Alaskans, why do you keep that screen name?
If you're that disturbed by Alaskans, why do you keep that screen name?
Been thinking of changing it but I can't seem to find the option in the settings to do so. I know other users have changed their names here. Nonetheless, my screen name on City-Data really isn't that important to me.
This guy a friend of yours? He lives in your area.
This guy a friend of yours? He lives in your area.
Yeah, I'm pretty sure they all know each other up there.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
