American hunter, Canadian guide fined over Yukon hunt

An American big-game hunter and his Canadian guide have been fined $26,500 for wasting meat and hunting illegally in Yukon.

Brian Tallerrico and Abe Douganpleadguilty in Territorial Court. They were sentenced on Wednesday.

Dougan, the guide, is from British Columbia. He was guiding Wyoming resident Tallerico on the hunt in 2011. Tallerico wanted to bag a Yukon Stone Sheep to complete what is called aNorth American "grand slam." The bragging right is earned after hunting the four different North American wild sheep, which are the Dall, Stone, Bighorn, and Desert Bighorn.

The court heard that Tallerrico and Douganwere on a remote backpack hunt with two other people off the South Canol Road in central Yukon.

The group saw a caribou just minutes after landing by airplane. They killed it less than two hours after landinginstead ofwaiting the required six hours.

Over the next four days the hunters also killed a sheep, a moose and a grizzly bear. Authorities became suspicious when they reported their kills and produced only about 90 kilograms of meat.

All of the caribou meat was wasted as well as some of the meat from the sheep and the moose. Digital photos seized from the hunt also showed the men lied about the date of the caribou killto conceal the fact they hunted within sixhours of flying.

Dougan, the guide, was fined $15,000 and has been prohibited from hunting and guiding in Yukon for 20 years. Tallerico, the hunter, must pay $11,500 to the Yukon's turn-in-poachers tip fund.

The animals' hides and trophies wereconfiscated by the Yukon government.