An Alaska woman has been charged with obstructing lawful hunting activities in Juneau by honking her vehicle’s horn to frighten a bear away from archery hunters.
Janet E. Lopez faces three counts, one involving each of three archery hunters, for her alleged role in interfering with their June 18 hunt along Glacier Highway.
Charging documents, filed Sept. 22 in Juneau District Court, state that the hunters were stalking a black bear 300 yards from the highway when they were approached by Lopez.
They told her what they were up to and she later returned to make several passes along the highway, sounding her horn and causing the bear to flee. The Juneau Empire reported that the hunters abandoned their hunt because of the interruption.
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The hunters confronted Lopez, according to court documents, and she told them she was trying to save the bear.
Alaska Wildlife Trooper L. John MacDonald stated that he was told by Lopez that she enjoys viewing area bears and had given some of them names.
It’s against the law in Alaska to interfere with legal hunting activities. While there are laws pertaining to hunting near highways – you cannot shoot from or across highways – the hunters appeared to have been stalking the bear in a legal hunting zone north of Peterson Creek.
The matter will be settled in court at an undisclosed date.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Alaska woman charged for using car horn to frighten bear from hunters
