Outdoor Notes : Federal Agents Arrest 17 for Illegal Hunting

A four-year undercover investigation into the illegal hunting of bears and other big game, mainly in Alaska, led to the arrests of at least 17 of 24 suspects across the United States, federal officials said Wednesday.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said 12 arrests were made in Virginia, and the others were made in California, Florida, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, North Carolina, Texas and West Virginia.

In Alaska, five airplanes used in illegal hunting were seized in Anchorage, and special agent Wally Soroka of the Fish and Wildlife Service said some of Alaska’s best- known big game hunting guides allegedly engaged in illegal activities to guarantee their clients a trophy.

The Alaska guides were not among those arrested, but Soroka predicted charges will come later when the investigation is completed.

“We infiltrated the guide business to find out who was legitimate and who wasn’t,” Soroka told United Press International. “We received cooperation from the vast majority of guides who were appalled by the illegal activity of their competitors. I think we have put out of business several major violators, but I think big game violations will continue.”

Hunters, with help from their guides, illegally took numerous brown bears and caribou from the Alaska Peninsula southwest of Anchorage, Soroka said.

The operation included the setting up of the bogus Abrams Creek guide service in Purcellville, Va., as a cover. The undercover service was advertised in national magazines, sporting shows and by “word of mouth” in an effort to trap illegal hunters, the spokesman said.

The extent of the illegal taking of black bear in Virginia and parts of North Carolina and West Virginia was not expected by the service, the spokesman said. He said poaching occurred in and around the Shenandoah National Park and that at least 100 black bears were taken illegally over the past two years.

In some cases, the violations included the illegal hunting of game from the air.

In an ongoing effort to enhance California’s bighorn sheep population, the Department of Fish and Game hopes to capture 20 wild California bighorn sheep from Sawmill Canyon in Inyo County and transplant them 85 miles north to an area roughly six miles west of Lee Vining.

If weather and the sheep cooperate, the early March release of the sheep would mark the 14th capture and relocation project since 1979.

According to DFG biologist Vern Bleich, the sheep would augment a population already existing in the rugged Sierra Nevada mountain location. In 1986, 27 bighorn sheep were transplanted there, but nine died in a severe storm soon after their release, and just 18 animals are known to remain.

The latest restoration project--similar relocations were also conducted in the eastern Sierra in 1980 and 1982--will be funded by the DFG Wildlife preservation fund at a cost of about $2,000 per animal.

Insomniacs take note: The DFG is looking for volunteers to count sheep, of the bighorn variety, when it conducts a census of the animals March 13 in the Lytle Creek area of the San Gabriel Mountains.

“If you can count sheep without falling asleep, it is a good chance to contribute first-hand to wildlife conservation efforts right in your own backyard,” biologist Tom Paulek said.

An estimated 600 Nelson bighorn sheep inhabit the San Gabriel Mountains. The population has been subjected to relocation efforts from time to time.

A March 12 orientation is mandatory for all participants, who should contact the DFG office in Long Beach for further details.

If Assemblywoman Doris Allen (R-Cypress) has her way, tougher penalties will be in store for animal rights activists who disrupt legal hunts.

Allen recently introduced legislation (AB3156) whereby interference would be a misdemeanor, with tougher penalties facing repeat offenders.

The bill would also make convicted persons liable for any damages suffered by hunters or fishermen due to such interference.

Briefly

The 1988-89 California Duck Stamp Contest--hosted by the DFG and California Waterfowl Assn.--will be held Feb. 29 at the California Resource Agency’s Auditorium in Sacramento, and will be open to the public. . . . The DFG’s Sportfishing regulations booklet for 1988--which features changes highlighted in blue--is available at no charge for licensed fishermen at sporting goods dealers and retail outlets statewide. . . . The Society for the Conservation of Bighorn Sheep and the Orange County chapter of Safari Club International will host a fund-raising banquet/auction March 12 at the Irvine Hilton Towers. For more information call (714) 632-7921. . . . Don Bullock’s Gun/Knife & Collectors Show will be held March 5-6 at the Anaheim Convention Center. . . . Flyfishing: The San Gabriel Valley Flyfishers are offering a 13-week beginning flytying class at Sorenson Park Auditorium in Whittier starting March 8 at 7 p.m. . . . Snowboarding: The world’s top snowboarding professionals will be on hand this weekend at Snow Summit to demonstrate their sport and give free instruction.