(a) A person may
not use an aircraft to land and shoot a wolf without first obtaining a permit
from the department.
(b) A person
may not use an aircraft to take a wolf by aerial shooting without first
obtaining a permit from the department.
(c) A person may not use a helicopter for
helicopter trapping of wolves without first obtaining a permit from the
department.
(d) The department may
apply any of the following conditions to a permit issued under this section:
(1) a permit for taking a wolf by land and
shoot, aerial shooting, or helicopter trapping may only be issued consistent
with 5 AAC 92.110 to establish a wolf
population reduction or regulation program for purposes of aiding in the
administration of wildlife management;
(2) a permit may only be issued to a licensed
pilot legally authorized to pilot an aircraft and who possesses a valid
resident trapping license; except that if a gunner is used in addition to the
pilot, a separate permit will also be issued to the gunner, who must also
possess a valid resident trapping license;
(3) a permit issued under this section is not
transferable;
(4) before receiving
a permit under this section, the applicant must acknowledge in writing that the
applicant has read, understands, and will abide by, the conditions specified
for the permit;
(5) a permit is
valid from the date of issuance until the earlier of
(A) the ensuing April 30;
(B) a specified quota of wolves are taken in
the area or subdivision of the area specified in the permit; or
(C) the wolf predation control program is
closed by emergency order;
(6) the department may limit the
(A) number of permits issued during the same
time period;
(B) number of permits
issued in a specified subdivision within the permit area;
(C) type of aircraft, weapons, ammunition,
and trapping equipment that may be used within the permit area;
(D) use of radio communications and cellular
phones by permittees within the permit area;
(E) number of wolves authorized to be taken
under a permit; and
(F) use of an
aircraft to assist or aid a permittee on the ground in the location, tracking,
pursuit, or taking of a wolf;
(7) the department may require an applicant
for a permit to possess minimum qualifications, including
(A) previous experience flying aircraft in
this state that includes low-level maneuvers and off-airport
operation;
(B) knowledge of the
geography of the relevant wolf predation control area;
(C) a demonstrated capability and commitment
to respond to control program goals and department directives or orders in a
timely manner;
(D) no conviction
within the previous five years for a hunting or trapping violation, other than
a non-criminal violation charged under
5
AAC 92.002; and
(E) that the applicant is at least 18 years
old;
(8) a permittee
must
(A) report the number and location, with
GPS coordinates, of all wolves taken under the permit;
(B) make every practicable effort to salvage
for sealing all hides of wolves taken under the permit;
(C) affix a metal locking tag that remains on
the hide until sealed on all wolves taken under the permit;
(D) report the location of a wounded wolf to
the department as soon as practicable;
(E) submit information requested by the
department within the time limit set by the department;
(F) deliver specified biological specimens to
the nearest department office within a time set by the department;
(G) return the permit to the department
office where the permit was issued within five days after the expiration of the
permit, unless otherwise specified by the department; and
(H) have the hides of wolves taken sealed by
a department representative within 30 days after the permit expires;
(9) the department may require a
permittee to
(A) accompany a department
representative to the location where a wolf was taken by the
permittee;
(B) check in and check
out at a location specified by the department.
(e) A wolf taken under a permit becomes the
property of the permittee only if the permittee has complied with all pertinent
statutes, regulations, and the conditions of the permit.
(f) A permittee may use an aircraft to assist
or aid a permittee on the ground in the dispatching of a wounded wolf, or the
retrieval of a dead wolf.
(g) In
accordance with
AS
16.05.783, the methods and means authorized
in a permit issued under this section are independent of all other methods and
means restrictions in AS 16 and this title.
(h) For the purposes of this section,
(1) "aerial shooting" means taking or
attempting to take a wolf by discharging a firearm from an airborne
aircraft;
(2) "helicopter trapping"
means using a helicopter to establish and maintain a trapline using traps and
snares;
(3) "land and shoot" means
using an aircraft to locate a wolf, landing the aircraft, exiting the aircraft,
and immediately shooting or attempting to shoot the wolf.
