International Borders Foil Sheep Hunt as Three Hunters Charged with Illegally Killing Yukon Sheep

In an incident involving some mistaken identity, at least with regards to international borders, three men have been fined for the illegal taking of Yukon sheep.

Stemming from an incident that took place back in 2022, a trio of hunters embarked on what they referred to in court as a ‘hunt of a lifetime.’ Planning what was intended to be a once in a lifetime Alaskan sheep hunt, the three men found themselves in the middle of an international incident after chasing Dall sheep a little too far off course.

According to court docs, Kenneth and Nathan Ereble, a father-son duo from Florida met up with Justin Nagel, Nathan’s friend from college, at High Culvert Camp in the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve in Alaska. Situated close to the Canadian border, the trio set out in search of sheep and finally got into some animals after a mile or two of hiking. 

According to reports, Nathan shot and killed one of the sheep, while Kenneth took a shot at another sheep, but only hit it in the animal’s hind quarters. As the three men closed in on the injured animal, Nagal then made the call to pull out his firearm and finish the job.

"Unfortunately, he made the decision to finish off the one sheep," his lawyer Greg Dunn told the court.

Once both sheep were on the ground, the three men got to work retrieving the horns, skins and portions of the meat from their sheep before heading back to camp. While spirits were undoubtedly high for these men, something they didn’t know was that they were about 30 feet across an international border when they pulled the trigger on the two sheep.

Without the proper permits to hunt in the Yukon, the three men had unknowingly committed a pretty hefty wildlife crime. In what their lawyers called an ‘unusual and very unfortunate’ event, the Eberles and Nagel were met at base camp in Tok, Alaska by U.S. National Park Service officers upon their arrival. There, officers immediately seized the sheep parts, comms devices and all firearms from the three men.

It was later revealed that Yukon conservation officers flew into the kill site and recovered approximately 18 pounds of meat from one sheep and 11 pounds from the other, which included one full quarter and portions of neck, rib, shank and brisket. Officers also noted that some of the meat remained, but was not ‘recoverable’ because it was bloodshot.

The court documents nor the court proceedings explained just how Yukon officials or the National Park Service learned about the hunt or found the exact site of the kill. Both agencies have declined comment about the incident, citing the on-going investigation.

After having their day in court, Yukon justice of the peace Gord Coffin handed down $10,000 in fines to each of the men for hunting in the Yukon without a valid permit. The Eberles were also hit with an additional $3,500 in fines for meat wastage charges.

Every dollar of the $37,000 in fines is set to be put back into the Yukon’s Turn in Poachers and Polluters (TIPP) line. 

In addition to having just 90 days to pay the fines, the three men have also been levied a five-year-long hunting ban in the Yukon for their role in the unfortunate incident. 

Lawyers for the three men all pointed towards their clients' clean records and stated that the accused were all remorseful and embarrassed by the situation they found themselves in. Nathan’s lawyer, Michael Fontaine, expressed the unfortunate reality his client now finds himself in.

"Obviously, it was memorable at the beginning… And it ends as rather memorable for his involvement in the court of the law with his father and his best friend, so he'll never forget this," Fontaine said.

Fontaine and Dunn mentioned that the situation is far from over for their clients. While they have faced the brunt of the charges in the Yukon, the three men are still facing charges in Alaska relating to bringing sheep parts back across the border and for allegedly making false statements to federal officers regarding the sheep that Nagel finished off. It remains very likely that the three men will be subject to additional legal fees and penalties.

"They've received the end of the sword in both jurisdictions," Dunn said.