KOTZEBUE -- The trial for five of the eight men accused of wasting caribou near Point Hope will take place in Point Hope the week of Feb. 1, a state judge said Wednesday.

Three of the defendants are set to change their not guilty pleas at a hearing Nov. 27. They will be sentenced in Point hope the week of the trial, Superior Court Judge Richard Erlich said at a status hearing Wednesday.

The eight men have been charged with wanton waste, failure to salvage edible meat, or both in connection with a July 2008 hunt. Alaska State Troopers say they found at least 37 caribou rotting on the tundra outside Point Hope.

The defendants have denied troopers' claims.