Donald Trump
Donald John TrumpSchiff blasts Trump for making ‘false claims’ about Russia intel: ‘You’ve betrayed America. Again.’ Poll: Sanders leads 2020 Democratic field with 28 percent, followed by Warren and Biden More than 6 in 10 expect Trump to be reelected: poll MORE Jr., the president’s eldest child, has won a permit to hunt a grizzly bear in Alaska, a wildlife conservation official confirmed to Reuters on Friday.
Eddie Grasser, who serves as wildlife conservation director for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, told the news agency that Trump Jr. was one of three nonresidents of the state to apply for permits to hunt grizzlies in Seward Peninsula, a northwestern region in the state. There were reportedly 27 spots for such permits designated for nonresidents in that area.
Typically, Grasser told the news agency that the state’s Fish and Game department, which disperse hunting permits for various kinds of animals, receives “thousands of applications” for such permits.
The permits are usually awarded by random drawings in the state in instances where there are more people applying for hunts than permits available. In those cases, the department says on its website that each person applying for “a hunt is entered into the pool and names are selected randomly (like pulling names out of a hat).”
However, over 20 of the grizzly hunting permits that were up for grabs in the Seward Peninsula, which Trump Jr. applied for, have gone unclaimed, according to Reuters.
Trump Jr. is required to pay a fee of $1,000 for a nonresident tag in order to proceed with the hunt. He will also be required to pay $160.00 for a nonresident hunting license, according to the office’s website.
The Hill has reached out to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, as well as a representative for Trump Jr.
Trump Jr. has drawn scrutiny in recent years for his hunting hobby. His father’s administration has worked to expand hunting opportunities in federal wildlife refuges in parts of the country, despite pushback from environmentalists and some Democrats.
Last year, the president’s son came under criticism for a hunting trip to Mongolia last year, during which he reportedly killed an argali sheep and was retroactively given a hunting permit from officials in the country.
At the time, a spokesman for Trump Jr. said he obtained a permit from the third-party outfitter. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) also looked into hunt amid calls from advocates then, but the office later said it found “no basis” to investigate further into the matter.
