Piles of dead deer have been turning up on out-of-the-way roads near Sitka in recent days and state officials are trying to find out who is responsible.

A total of 10 Sitka black tail deer were found at two sites on the fringes of town, five days apart. The animals were partially salvaged, mostly of the choice cuts, but were left to waste with significant edible meat, according to state wildlife officials.

Officials were first called to a gate along Green Lake Road last Friday to a report of six deer dumped off the side of the road. It appeared as though a pickup had backed up and its driver pushed them out, said Phil Mooney, Alaska Department of Fish and Game wildlife biologist for Game Management Unit 4.

The most recent pile of four carcasses was discovered Wednesday by a woman walking her dog off Harbor Mountain Road. She noticed a congregation of eagles and ravens picking the bones of the snow-dusted carcasses, Mooney said.

Alaska Wildlife Troopers say they think the kill sites are the work of two different groups. Mooney said similar cases have popped up before in years with plentiful deer, but recent hard winters have taken a toll on the population.

Anyone with information about the cases is asked to call Alaska Wildlife Troopers at 747-3254 or, to remain anonymous, Wildlife Safeguard at 800-478-3377.

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