The former host of a hunting television program in Maine, called "Outback with Jack," has agreed to plead guilty to federal misdemeanor charges of illegally obtaining a resident Alaska hunting license to kill an Alaska black-tail deer, moose, bear and a Dall sheep.

John Downing III of Chesuncook, Maine, pleaded guilty to three misdemeanor violations of the Lacey Act, which prohibits the possession of wildlife taken in violation of state or federal laws, according to federal prosecutors. In exchange, prosecutors agreed to dismiss felony charges and other misdemeanor charges pending against Downing

Downing, 59, was convicted of a felony in 1989 for making false statements on a disability check application. Convicted felons cannot possess firearms, however, it is legal for them to hunt with muzzle loaders or bows.

Downing is scheduled to be sentenced in March. He agreed to pay a $10,000 fine and serve five years' probation. He also agreed to not hunt for five years. If he had been convicted of the gun possession charge, he would have faced up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Carl Gunn, Downing's attorney, said Downing was "pretty transient" after retiring in 1985, but did spend time at a lodge he owns in Maine.  "He was only there during the deer season, the ice fishing season, the salmon season in May and June," Gunn said. "He honestly believed he was an Alaska resident under the state standards. He recognizes now it wasn't reasonable to think he was a resident."

Downing was indicted by a federal grand jury a year ago on suspicion of hunting on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and on Kodiak Island with the illegally obtained license.

Alaska residents pay from $25 to $55 for a hunting license, and get free tags to hunt most big game. Nonresidents are charged $85 for a license then pay $200 to $500 per tag for various big game animals, and must hire a guide to hunt certain species.

Update 3/15/98:  A former TV host and outdoor writer has been ordered to pay $10,000 and serve a month in home confinement for committing a number of wildlife violations in Alaska, U.S. Attorney Robert Bundy said.

Downing of Pearce, Ariz., was sentenced after pleading guilty to buying a hunt for an illegally taken deer on Kodiak Island in 1993 and unlawfully taking a sheep and transporting an unlawfully taken grizzly bear and moose in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in 1994, Bundy said.

The guilty pleas were part of a settlement with federal prosecutors in which six other charges were dropped. Downing also will be on probation for five years, during which he will not be permitted to hunt anywhere in the nation.

Downing falsely represented himself as an Alaska resident when buying licenses and tags, Bundy said. He avoided more than $1,500 in fees, which made the hunts illegal, authorities said.

Downing was host of an outdoor-related television show broadcast from New Hampshire, featuring some of his Alaska hunting trips, Bundy said.

Reference:

Anchorage Daily News