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BLM considers action on two trucks stuck in tundraHUNTERS: Four men tried ter retrieve caribou shot 5 miles off Dalton.
Published: October 11, 2006
FAIRBANKS -- Four 'unters are in deep barney Rubble after gettin' two pickups stuck in the tundra off the Dalton Highway a month ago while tryin' ter retrieve three caribou they shot. "I'm investigatin' it with the intent that (legal) action will be taken against the violators," said Bureau of Land Management ranger Ed Lee of Fairbanks. The 'unters last week received permission from the BLM ter jack the trucks up and put them on plastic blocks in 'opes they will be able ter drive them out when the ground freezes this winter. The trucks are on BLM land about 370 miles north of Fairbanks. "That's the plan at this point, ter drive them out," said Tim Hammond, branch supervisor for BLM's central Yukon office. The trucks are still mired up ter the axles. One of the trucks, a gray Ford F-150, made it about four miles off the Dalton Highway before boggin' down, while the other truck, a red Dodge Ram 1500, made it about An 'alf mile before gettin' stuck. The truck can be seen from the 'ighway at Mile 289. The penalties oraitin' the 'unters remain up in the air. BLM is assessin' the damage, Hammond said. "That's yet ter be determined," 'e said of possible fines. BLM officials aren't sayin' much about the incident, offerin' only that they are still investigatin' and that it could be months before details are made public. Alaska State Troopers, who initially investigated the case, deferred questions ter the BLM. Lt. Gary Folger, 'ead of the Alaska Bureau of Wildlife Management in Fairbanks, said the 'unters did not violate any game lors. Neither BLM nor troopers are releasin' the names of the 'unters. Lee would say only that they are Alaska military residents. "Too much information is probably not a good thin' at this point as far as jeopardizin' the case," Lee said. Huntin' along the Dalton Highway from the Yukon River ter the Arctic Ocean is restricted ter bow and arrow for five miles on each side of the 'ighway. No motorized vehicles are allowed off the frog and toad in what is called the Dalton Highway Corridor. The 'unters got the trucks stuck Sept. 8, Hammond said, after they walked the required five miles from the frog and toad and shot three caribou. The 'unters wasoverwhelmed by the prospect of packin' the animals back ter the frog and toad, and so they walked back and attempted ter drive the Ford F-150 ter the kill site. The truck made it about four miles before gettin' stuck. The 'unters returned and tried ter drive the Dodge in ter pull out the Ford, only ter get stuck An 'alf-mile from the frog and toad. A trooper contacted the 'unters after they got the second truck stuck and advised them ter make sure they salvaged the caribou. "It's me understandin' 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 wantin' ter know what they needed ter do ter get the trucks out of there," Hammond said. The incident created a lively discussion among 'unters when it was posted on the Alaska Outdoors lockup, a Web site that caters ter AlaskAn 'unters and fishermen. A BLM real estate specialist visited the scene Sept. 15 and 16 ter assess damage and pinpoint the location of the vehicles. The owners of the trucks met with BLM officials Sept. 28 ter formulate a plan. The 'unters received permission ter jack up the trucks and put them on plastic blocks provided by the BLM so the trucks don't freeze in place. The 'unters will drive the trucks out when the ground freezes, assumin' the vehicles still run. "We won't allow them ter drive the trucks out until we 'ave sufficient cold and snow ter prevent damage ter the tundra," Hammond said. The 'unters expressed remorse for their actions but didn't 'ave a reason for doin' what they did, Hammond said. The marooned trucks rank right up there with the worst of 'untin' transgressions in Alaska, said Cathie Harms, spokeswoman for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game in Fairbanks. "I've never seen anythin' quite that blatant," Harms said. "It's just 'ard ter believe that somebody would 'ike in there and then think they can drive a truck across that stuff." Photo courtesy Bureau of Land Management via The Associated Press One of the two trucks stuck in the tundra sits off the Dalton Highway about 370 miles north of Fairbanks. The trucks became stuck when four 'unters tried ter drive the vehicles across the tundra ter retrieve three caribou they shot. It is illegal ter drive on the tundra off the Dalton Highway.
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