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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Field Reports

The Spokesman-Review

HUNTING

Elk waste nets fine, jail time

An Idaho man has pleaded guilty to leaving behind the meat of a bull elk he killed and neglected to tag near Afton in western Wyoming.

According to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Gaylen Monsen, 22, of Victor, Idaho, was hunting Oct. 7 east of U.S. 89 when he killed a five-point bull. The animal traveled 30 yards after being shot and fell down a steep hillside.

Officials said Monsen considered the meat bruised after the fall and did not retrieve it. But he did collect the antlers and cape. Monsen was stopped for speeding by a state trooper, who tipped the agency about the violations, according to the agency.

“The department takes intentional waste of game meat very seriously,” warden Tim Fuchs said.

Monsen was sentenced to 10 days in jail, put on probation and ordered by a Lincoln County circuit judge to pay a $570 fine and $4,000 in restitution. His Wyoming hunting and fishing privileges were revoked for six years.

Associated Press

PREDATORS

Aerial wolf hunts start

Wildlife officials have begun issuing permits for aerial hunters to kill wolves in parts of Alaska where moose and caribou numbers are low.

Officials want to cull about 500 wolves in various parts of the state to control their numbers this winter. Alaska’s wolf population is estimated at 8,000 to 11,000 and hunters and trappers kill an average of 1,500 a year, officials said.

The aerial hunting program is being met with protests by several wildlife advocacy groups.

Associated Press

SNOWMOBILING

Dixie fire a setback

Locals in Dixie, Idaho, a prime snowmobiling area, are looking for assistance after a Nov. 13 fire destroyed the Lodgepole Pine Restaurant and bar.

“We’re an old gold mining town at the end of the road and we’re looking for a portable kitchen or some way to feed all the people who come up here to snowmobile,” said John Graham, restaurant manager.

Dixie is about 90 miles southeast of Grangeville and 30 miles from Elk City.

“We grow from a permanent population of about 15 to more than 500 on weekends,” Graham said, noting that there’s 18 inches of snow on the area’s 270 miles of trails.

The local hotel has six rooms, but losing the bar and restaurant is a catastrophe for this little town that generates most of its income from snowmobilers, he said.

Anyone with cooking facilities for donation or rent can call Graham at (208) 842-2636. Donations of money also are being accepted through Sterling Bank in Grangeville.

Rich Landers

NORDIC SKIING

Beginner clinics offered

Free basic cross country skiing lessons are being offered this month by members of the Spokane Mountaineers and Selkirk Nordic Ski Education Foundation.

Two groups will cover either basic classic or skating techniques in an evening classroom session on Dec. 15 followed by an on-snow session at Mount Spokane on Dec. 19.

The lessons are free for members of the clubs, or newcomers who would like to join, said co-organizer Jane McDonald.

Paricipants must pre-register by calling Lou Slak, 455-8109, or McDonald, 926-5484.

Rich Landers