Moose meat was an important topic of discussion at the Wrangell Fish and Game Advisory Committee meeting on Mon., Jan. 7. The process by which meat from a forfeited moose is distributed through town is somewhat disorganized, said Committee Chair Chris Guggenbickler. The committee, and others around Wrangell, is interested in seeing a better system of distribution set up, one with more local control.
As many Alaskans know, there are some
tight restrictions on moose hunting. Alaska Wildlife Trooper Cody Litster, stationed in Petersburg, said that only certain moose are available for hunting during the season. In theory, a hunter should be able to tell if a moose is legal or illegal by their antlers. However, Litster said, in this part of Alaska moose tend to have rather scraggly, oddly shaped horns. This means there are a fair number of illegal moose that are killed in both Wrangell and Petersburg each hunting season. When an illegal moose is killed, to ensure the creature does not go to waste, it is common for the meat to be distributed through the local community.
"One moose is a significant animal," Litster said. "It's anywhere from 200 to 500 pounds of meat."
Guggenbickler said that Wrangell's current system of distributing meat needs improvement. Wrangell does not currently have a wildlife trooper on the island. As such, when an illegal moose is shot, a trooper has to travel to Wrangell and then drive through town with the dead moose in their truck, looking for someone willing to take it for processing and distributing. There is a list of people who have said they want moose meat, Guggenbickler said, but more often than not an entire moose is more than they're willing to handle.
"We want to form a committee that handles how the meat will get distributed," he said. "We're working with the troopers to try and come up with a method of equitable distribution."
Guggenbickler added that they are taking notes from the system Petersburg has in place. In Petersburg, Litster explained, the Salvation Army and Rotary Club handle the distribution. The butchering of a forfeited moose is handled by two businesses: Tonka Seafoods and Hammer & Wikan Grocery. Once butchered, the cost of which is paid for by court fines from the hunter who shot the moose, the meat is then put into a
Community Cold Storage freezer. About half of the meat goes to Petersburg's senior home and the school district's hot lunch program. The rest is made available to other nonprofits to use as they see fit.
Loni Upshaw, with the Salvation Army
in Petersburg, said that they received about 1,800 pounds of meat last hunting season. They
gave 900 pounds to the school, and distributed the rest through 10 local organizations. Upshaw
added that there was some talk in Petersburg of altering the system, to make the meat available to any individual who wanted some. She
disagreed with the idea, however, saying that the current system ensures lots of the meat goes to people in need through churches and feeding programs.
"It [the system] works really good, I think," Upshaw said.
The plan for Wrangell, according to Guggenbickler, is to try to organize a local committee to handle moose meat distribution. The committee would include about six people, he said, and would represent various organizations such as the Salvation Army, the senior center, the native community, local hunters, and other community members. Currently, they are working with the wildlife troopers and court systems to get things put into place, including finding a business willing to handle the butchering.
Litster added that the Department of Fish and Game is looking to fill the wildlife trooper position in Wrangell, which would also help establish a more regular protocol for handling a forfeited moose. With luck, he said, the position will be filled by next moose season.
Guggenbickler said that the plan for a "moose meat committee" is still in its early stages and would probably not be put together until the spring.
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