FAIRBANKS — Sue McCarty came home from vacation last week to a big predicament.

Her puppy, Seymour, ran into the yard, exuberant to be home after staying in the kennel. Seymour stopped in a odd spot in the yard and didn’t come back when called.

McCarty’s husband went out to investigate, and that’s when he found the moose.

The remains of a yearling were in their yard. McCarty said she was perplexed because it otherwise appeared to be in excellent condition.

“You hate to see anything die, especially something so young,” she said.

With no reason for the Department of Fish and Game or the Alaska State Wildlife Troopers to investigate, it was up to the McCartys to get rid of the carcass.

If a moose is struck by a car, troopers handle it, arranging for the meat to be salvaged for charity. But if it dies of natural causes on private property, the onus falls on the landowner.

Moose die more frequently in late winter because they don’t have the fat stores to survive until summer, according to Brad Wendling, a Fish and Game technician. Moose that die are typically young, like the yearling found in McCarty’s backyard, he said.

The appearance of a dead moose is not uncommon, and disposing of them would take too much state-employee time, wildlife Trooper Lantz Dahlke said.

“Once the investigation’s taken care of, the troopers are not into the carcass-removal business,” he said.

So how does one get rid of a moose, anyway?

There’s the do-it-yourself method of dropping the cadaver on state land, allowing it to decompose naturally. Paying someone to do it for you also is an option, Wendling said.

Dahlke said that if someone disposes of a moose, he or she should notify troopers where it is. That way, the same moose isn’t investigated twice.

If the meat is good enough, finding a trapper willing to pick it up is another good way to dispose of a dead moose.

Trappers and dog mushers would need a permit from Fish and Game to use the meat, Dahlke said, and it’s a long shot for a dog musher to receive one.

“Normally, we don’t do that because people could start killing moose and saying, ‘Hey, I found a dead moose. Can I feed my dogs with it?’” he said.

McCarty got in touch with Second Chance League, a foster home for sled dogs. The organization couldn’t take the meat, but it spread the word among the Alaska Dog Mushers Association, Alaska Recreational Dog Mushers and local trappers.

McCarty was surprised by a quick response. She received several offers to remove the moose a few days later and set up a first-come, first-served priority list.

“This is a very good community,” McCarty said. “They were all willing to help us.”

A man, who McCarty would not identify in respect for his privacy, stopped by to salvage the meat Friday night. He deemed it spoiled.

The man disposed of the carcass for free, she said.