"Here's a great way to undermine political support in Alaska for traditional subsistence hunting: Kill a bunch of caribou, leave many carcasses to waste on the tundra, then claim that the whole thing is just the way subsistence hunting works.

That's essentially the case that an attorney is making for one of the defendants accused in the mass caribou killing near Point Hope. As reported Friday, the attorney decried the state's prosecution as "an attempt to criminalize subsistence hunting."

It's a breathtaking claim, one that may well backfire on legitimate subsistence hunters.

There's little dispute that a group of hunters operating near Point Hope killed many more caribou than they salvaged. At least three dozen caribou were left to rot, according to troopers. In their investigation, troopers say the Point Hope defendants claimed they left behind the animals because the meat was bad."

Get the Story:
Our view: Dubious defense (The Anchorage Daily News 8/11)

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