Exhaustive Investigation Of 4 Dead Sublegal Moose Near Eureka in 2023 Leads To Wanton Waste Conviction

GLENNALLEN COURT 

Alaska State Troopers, Alaska Bureau of Investigation, Anchorage Police Department, and Alaska Scientific Crime Detection Lab Involved 

Urban hunters in Eureka pulloff, September 20th, 2020. (Photo, Journal archive) 

Inquiry Included The Trooper Helicopter and Fixed-Wing Aircraft, Troopers Say  

Posted by Troopers on Dispatch Site: February 21, 2025

Location: Eureka

Type: Wildlife Investigation

Dispatch Text:

UPDATE 2/6/25: Koua Vang, age 37 of Fresno, California, pled guilty in Glennallen District Court to one count of taking a sub-legal moose and one count of wanton waste. The conviction was the result of a months-long investigation by the Alaska Wildlife Troopers that began in September 2023 in the Eureka area in GMU 13. As part of a plea agreement, Vang was sentenced to 60 days in jail with 53 suspended, fined $10,000 with $7500 suspended for each count, and will lose his hunting license or ability to accompany hunters in the field until 2030, and was ordered to forfeit the equipment used during the unlawful take and wanton waste.

UPDATE 5/3/24: Wildlife Troopers have charged 43-year-old Anchorage resident Kanchiro Lee in connection with this investigation with unlawfully taking a sub-legal bull moose and wanton waste of a big game animal. Additional charges may be filed as the investigation continues. 

Original: On September 7, 2023, the Alaska Wildlife Troopers received a report that multiple moose had been shot and left to waste near Sanona Creek north of Eureka, Alaska. Troopers responded to the area via a DPS helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft and located four sublegal moose that had been shot and left to waste. Over the course of several months, Wildlife Troopers conducted an exhaustive investigation, including the execution of multiple search warrants and interviews with suspects and witnesses. As a result of the investigation, Troopers charged 41-year-old Anchorage resident Kong Vang and 36-year-old Anchorage resident Koua Vang on April 19, 2024, with unlawfully taking a sub-legal bull moose and wanton waste of a big game animal. Wildlife Troopers additionally seized several firearms, ammunition, and a six-wheeled side-by-side Utility Terrain Vehicle (UTV) as part of the investigation. The investigation is ongoing, and additional criminal charges may be filed. The Alaska Wildlife Troopers would like to thank the Alaska State Troopers, Alaska Bureau of Investigation, Anchorage Police Department, and Alaska Scientific Crime Detection Lab for their assistance with the investigation.

The illegal taking of big game animals can result in thousands of dollars in fines, the forfeiture of equipment and vehicles used in the commission of the crime, loss of hunting privileges, and mandatory jail time. The Alaska Wildlife Troopers aggressively investigate allegations of wanton waste of big game animals across the state. If you are hunting and unintentionally take a sublegal animal, you are encouraged to report it to the Alaska Wildlife Troopers as soon as possible and salvage the animal – fines for self-reporting violations are significantly lower than those resulting from investigations. If you have information about the violation of Alaska’s hunting and fishing laws, you can report it directly to your nearest Alaska Wildlife Trooper office or anonymously through Alaska Fish and Wildlife Safeguard by calling 1 (800) 478-3377.

Posted on 4/29/2024 12:47:33 PM by DPS\ajmcdaniel . Edited on 2/21/2025 5:58:19 PM by SOA\jfreeman1