DENAIL HIGHWAY -- Three men have been charged with hunting offenses stemming from the killing of 12 caribou along the Denali Highway, Alaska State Troopers said Wednesday.

Troopers say the three Delta Junction residents -- Vladimir Doroshuk, 30; Andrey Medyanikov, 29; and Grigoriy Rybak, 43 -- parked a truck and trailer along the highway on Dec. 7 and left the federal subsistence hunting area on snowmachines.

They proceeded to kill 11 bull caribou and one cow a half mile or more outside the subsistence area, troopers said. The cow carcass was dragged from the kill site and buried in snow, then left to waste, troopers said.

During the investigation, conducted by troopers and Bureau of Land Management rangers, a moose illegally killed was to have been butchered in one of the men's yards earlier in the winter, troopers said.

Investigators seized as evidence the carcasses, several rifles, three snowmachines, a sled and a dual axle trailer.

The men were charged in Delta Junction on Jan. 20. All were charged with unlawful possession and transportation of illegally taken game and taking caribou in an area in which they were not permitted.

Doroshuk was also charged with wanton waste, taking a cow caribou during closed season and taking a moose in a closed area.