Outdoor writer Paul Dewitt Atkins agreed to a plea agreement for illegally harvesting a musk ox from Kotzebue on a subsistence permit. The 56-year-old claimed Alaska residency when he was a resident of Oklahoma and he failed to destroy the trophy value of the animal in the field, according to the Alaska Department of Law. The incident happened on July 28, 2022.
Atkins pled guilty to one count of failure to comply with hunt permit conditions, one count of false information, and one count of illegally transporting game, all of which are misdemeanors. Atkins has been ordered to pay $12,000 in fines and $3,000 in restitution with $23,000 in other fines suspended. Magistrate Pamela Smith in District Court in Nome accepted the three guilty pleas.
His Alaska hunting license is revoked for three years, and he is on probation for three years. Atkins also forfeited 20 taxidermy items that were seized during the investigation.
Magistrate Smith said:
“Mr. Atkins, I appreciate you taking responsibility for this. You are an experienced hunter and understand the consequences, I doubt I will be seeing you here again.”
In August 2021, the Alaska Office of Special Prosecutions charged Atkins with 12 counts of hunting regulation violations.
Assistant Attorney General Ronald Dupuis, who prosecuted the case, said:
“Wildlife is a vital Alaska resource. Our office will pursue and prosecute those who violate wildlife laws. The investigation, prosecution and sentencing of Mr. Atkins sends a warning to others who may not consider the severity of illegally taking an Alaskan’s opportunity for a subsistence harvest.”
In March 2020, the Alaska Wildlife Troopers received an anonymous complaint that Atkins had illegally harvested a musk ox. The Wildlife Investigation Unit launched an investigation, during which they found that he harvested nine musk oxen on Alaska resident only Tier II subsistence permits. On several occasions, he also failed to comply with the permit’s requirements, which required destroying the trophy value of the animal or cutting the horns within two inches of the eye level prior to leaving the site. A further investigation uncovered that he claimed residency for hunting purposes in both Alaska and Oklahoma, despite his primary residency was determined to be in Oklahoma.
Alaska Wildlife Troopers found that Atkins harvested at least 29 different animals in the state with an Alaska resident hunting license.
The Department of Law adds that a tier II subsistence permit is rare to get awarded as it’s a limited number of permits based on a point system that prioritizes rural Alaska residents.
This incident was investigated by the Alaska Wildlife Troopers with the assistance of the Cherokee Nation Marshal Service and Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.