05/02/2006 01:00 PM House RESOURCES

HB 501-POSSESSION OF BIG GAME HORNS OR ANTLERS                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR SAMUELS announced that the  only order of business would                                                               
be HOUSE  BILL NO.  501, "An  Act relating  to the  possession of                                                               
horns or antlers of big game animals."                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR RAMRAS moved to adopt  the committee substitute (CS) for                                                               
HB  501, labeled,  24-LS1839/Y, Kane,  5/1/06, as  a work  draft.                                                               
Hearing no objections, Version Y was before the committee.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
TIM BENINTENDI, Staff to  Representative Ralph Samuels, presented                                                               
the  CS  to  the  committee  on behalf  of  the  House  Resources                                                               
Standing Committee.   He said the  bill evolved from HB  464, and                                                               
it creates  the civil penalty  of forfeiture of horns  or antlers                                                               
if  a  hunter  cannot  prove  that all  possible  meat  has  been                                                               
salvaged from  his or her kill.   This penalty is  in addition to                                                               
current  wanton waste  laws, which  require full  salvage of  the                                                               
meat,  he  said.   The  thrust  of  HB  501 is  that  enforcement                                                               
personnel will  have greater ability  to intervene  in situations                                                               
where  it may  not  be clear  that wanton  waste  laws have  been                                                               
violated.    HB  501  clearly  raises  the  deterrent  factor  in                                                               
circumstances  where hunters  wish to  possess horns  or antlers,                                                               
but might not be aggressive enough in salvaging game meat.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
MR. BENINTENDI said the salient change  in the CS is the addition                                                               
of subsection (d)  to emphasize that the committee  does not want                                                               
to reduce existing  salvage laws.  There  are situations, spelled                                                               
out in law, where it is not  possible to salvage all the meat, he                                                               
noted.  The  CS also makes two  minor changes, he said.   On page                                                               
1, line  12, the CS replaces  "Board of Game in  regulation" with                                                               
"law", at  the request of the  Alaska Department of Fish  & Game.                                                               
On  line 14  "minimum amount  of  meat" is  replaced by  "salvage                                                               
requirement", a more common term, he noted.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
1:05:34 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  GATTO  asked about  lines  5  and  8.   One  says                                                               
"minimum amount" and  the other says "all edible meat".   He said                                                               
that  "all  edible  meat"  is  100  percent  of  the  animal  and                                                               
unobtainable.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE ERIC  CROFT, Alaska State Legislature,  said there                                                               
are  two   different  terms  because  there   are  two  different                                                               
concepts.   "There is the  general wanton waste concept  that you                                                               
must  take all  edible  meat.   And  that's  just  copied out  of                                                               
AS16.30.010."  He  said there is a general obligation  to get all                                                               
edible meat but not "scraping every  little off."  He stated that                                                               
the point of the bill is to empower  the Board of Game to set the                                                               
minimum amounts with the penalty of forfeiting horns.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
1:08:30 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GATTO said that "all  edible meat" doesn't allow a                                                               
hunter to leave behind "even a molecule."                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
MATT ROBUS,  Director, Division of Wildlife  Conservation, Alaska                                                               
Department  of  Fish  &  Game, said  "all  salvageable  meat"  is                                                               
defined in  regulation and doesn't  mean "scraping  every digit."                                                               
The definition  for moose, for example,  is the meat of  the four                                                               
quarters above  the hock and the  meat of the neck,  backbone and                                                               
ribs.   He said it is  an achievable standard that  works well in                                                               
the field.   There is a very high standard  for proving the crime                                                               
of  wanton waste,  and this  legislation would  provide a  lesser                                                               
penalty for a  lesser crime.  It  gives the Board of  Game a tool                                                               
in areas lacking ethical hunter behavior, he stated.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  GATTO  asked if  leaving  a  carcass without  the                                                               
quarters and neck but with meat on the ribs is a crime.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
MR. ROBUS said it may be, and enforcement should be notified.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
1:11:16 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GATTO said rib meat  probably won't be edible if a                                                               
hunter is days into the field.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
MR.  ROBUS said  there  have been  many  discussions between  the                                                               
hunting community, the  Board of Game, and ADF&G.   In some parts                                                               
of the state the  meat must be attached to the  ribs, and it will                                                               
stay in good condition in that manner, he stated.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
1:12:39 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GATTO said  some hunters use backpacks,  and it is                                                               
a tough standard to meet.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR SAMUELS  said, "If  you're not willing  to take  the rib                                                               
meat,  don't  take   the  horns."    That's  the   point  of  the                                                               
legislation,  he stated,  and he  added that  the amount  of meat                                                               
required to be salvaged has not been changed by this bill.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
MR. ROBUS agreed.   If a hunter  is too far away,  "you ought not                                                               
be  pulling the  trigger in  the first  place."   In response  to                                                               
Representative Gatto,  he said  law requires  that the  trophy is                                                               
brought out on the last trip if there is multiple trips.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
1:14:18 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR RAMRAS  moved to report CSHB  501, labeled, 24-LS1839/Y,                                                               
Kane,  5/1/0, out  of committee  with individual  recommendations                                                               
and the accompanying  fiscal notes.  Hearing  no objections, CSHB
(RES) moved out of the House Resources Standing Committee.