Dallas Seavey Didn't Gut His Moose Properly Along The Iditarod Trail, Say Officials

 Seavey Reportedly Spent Only 10 Minutes Gutting Moose He Killed After It Tangled With His Team  

Iditarod Headquarters In Knik. (Journal archive photo) 

Iditarod Fines Him Two Hours Delay 

MARCH 6TH, 2024

In a widely-publicized incident along the Iditarod Trail on Monday, March 4th, Dallas Seavey, who was leading the race, had to shoot and kill a moose that attacked his team. 

Race rules said he had to gut and field dress it before going on so the meat could be salvaged.

However,  on March 6th, Iditarod officials said he only spent 10 minutes on the task, and didn't do it well enough. Other mushers reportedly had to drive over the dead moose's body to continue on. 

As a result, the Iditarod is penalizing him with a two-hour fine, they said. 

IDITAROD PRESS RELEASE 

Dallas Seavey penalized for Rule 34 infraction regarding dispatch of moose

Posted by Iditarod_Staff in Iditarod
Date: March 6, 2024 1:52 pm

 

Iditarod Race Marshal, Warren Palfrey, convened and a three-person panel comprised of race officials today to discuss (bib #7) Dallas Seavey’s encounter with a moose early Monday morning enroute from Skwentna to Finger Lake. 

After further investigation, the details to the event are as follows:  

• A moose was dispatched approximately 14 miles from Skwentna on the trail towards Finger Lake at 01:32 a.m. on Monday, March 5, 2024.
• Approximately 10 minutes was spent at the site of the encounter, to which then the musher and team proceeded approximately 11 miles until 02:55 a.m. where they camped for three hours, departing approximately 05:55 a.m. 
• Musher and team then proceeded to Finger Lake checkpoint arriving at 08:00 a.m. The moose was later retrieved, processed and salvaged and is being distributed by Iditarod support based in Skwentna. 

Rule 51 in part states: Time penalties will be imposed when determined by race officials a rule infraction has occurred and a competitive advantage has been gained. Time penalties require a majority decision of a three-member panel of race officials appointed by the Race Marshal. Time penalties may be imposed up to a maximum of eight (8) hours per infraction and will be added to either the twenty- four (24) hour layover, the eight-hour layover on the Yukon River, the eight (8) hour layover at White Mountain, or after the musher finishes in Nome. 

As per rule Rule 34 – Killing of Game Animals: In the event that an edible big game animal (i.e., moose, caribou, buffalo), is killed in defense of life or property, the musher must gut the animal and report the incident to a race official at the next checkpoint. Following teams must help gut the animal when possible. No teams may pass until the animal has been gutted and the musher killing the animal has proceeded. Any other animal killed in defense of life or property must be reported to a race official, but need not be gutted. As per rule 34, it has been determined that the animal was not sufficiently gutted by the musher. By definition, gutting: taking out the intestines and other internal organs of (a fish or other animal) before cooking it. 

It has been determined by the panel unanimously that a 2 hour time penalty will be assessed at the musher 24 hour layover.