Released on November 3, 2016
Two Manitoba men recently pleaded guilty to unlawful hunting charges in Yorkton provincial court as a result of a Turn In Poachers call and investigation.In December 2015, Ministry of Environment conservation officers in Duck Mountain Provincial Park investigated a call about three moose shot on posted land near the town of Canora. The landowner observed three moose being loaded into two trucks on his land, which was posted as off-limits to hunters. The landowner provided the officers with a Manitoba licence plate from one of the vehicles.
Officers gathered evidence from the scene and had Manitoba conservation officers speak to the registered owner of the identified vehicle. Officers were able to obtain the names of the other individuals involved in the incident.
Saskatchewan conservation officers, with the help of a Manitoba conservation officer and the RCMP, executed search warrants at two residences on Pine Creek First Nation in Manitoba. DNA samples collected at the kill site and through the searches was sent away to be tested. The results of tests indicated that the samples were a positive match. As well, spent shell casings collected at the scene were determined to be fired from the firearms located at each residence.
In Saskatchewan, individuals exercising Treaty rights to hunt for food require prior permission to hunt on private land.
Pine Creek First Nation residents Charlie Boucher, age 55, and Georgie Lamirande, age 40, were each fined a total of $7,500 for unlawfully hunting on posted land, unlawful possession of wildlife and illegally transporting wildlife to another province.
The Ministry of Environment produced a Saskatchewan Guide for Treaty and Aboriginal Rights for Hunting and Fishing in 2015. The guide is a concise source for information on Treaty and Aboriginal hunting and fishing rights in Saskatchewan and is available online at www.environment.gov.sk.ca/adx/aspx/adxGetMedia.aspx?DocID=ee8fa9cb-45bd-4826-a94b-a90660e1eae8.
If you suspect fisheries, wildlife, forestry or environmental violations, please call your local Ministry of Environment office, Saskatchewan’s toll-free Turn In Poachers line at 1-800-667-7561 or #5555 for SaskTel cellular subscribers, or report a violation online at www.saskatchewan.ca/tip. You may be eligible for cash rewards from the SaskTip Reward Program.
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For more information, contact:
Ron Podbielski
Environment
Regina
Phone: 306-787-6595
Email: ron.podbielski@gov.sk.ca