Manitoba Natural Resources and Northern Development are reporting that conservation officers, through a variety of enforcement activities, have fined and suspended numerous individuals for illegal activities during the months October through December of 2022.
On Oct. 31, conservation officers from the Carberry area received information about an elk harvested outside of the elk hunting season. Officers investigated and determined that a bull elk had been taken and tagged under the authority of a mule deer licence. The antlers and meat were seized. The hunter was charged under the Wildlife Act with fines and restitution totaling $4,486.
On Nov. 18, a conservation officer was patrolling a road west of Grandview, following reports about road hunters travelling that road in search of deer. The officer observed drag marks coming off of privately owned land beyond a “no trespassing” sign, indicating someone had shot a deer from the road and dragged it out. At approximately 1:50 p.m., the officer observed a slow-moving vehicle travelling west and stopped the vehicle to investigate. A loaded firearm was located in the vehicle and seized. The driver admitted the firearm belonged to him and was issued a ticket. Travelling with a loaded firearm in a vehicle is dangerous to occupants and is an unethical hunting practice. If convicted, the individual will receive a one-year hunting suspension and a $487 fine.
On Nov. 19, conservation officers from the Winnipeg district received information that an individual shot a deer with a rifle in an archery-only zone near Elie. Officers investigated the complaint and identified a suspect. A rifle and white-tailed deer carcass were seized. The suspect was charged with possessing illegally taken wildlife and faces a fine of $1,296. If convicted, the individual will be required to pay $1,500 in restitution to the Fish and Wildlife Enhancement Fund and will be suspended from hunting big game and game birds for two years.
On Nov. 22, conservation officers in Carberry and Boissevain received a report that a vehicle had been used to chase after a male white-tailed deer, and that the deer had been struck by the vehicle and then shot from the road. Officers investigated, identified two suspects and executed search warrants. A vehicle, white-tailed deer carcass, antlers and rifle were seized. Both suspects were charged under the Wildlife Act for chasing or harassing big game from a vehicle, hunting or retrieving wildlife on private land without permission, and possessing illegally taken wildlife. One of the suspects was also charged for discharging a firearm from a municipal roadway.
On Nov. 26, conservation officers from the Interlake compliance areas were conducting a night hunting patrol near Hodgson. At approximately 11:45 p.m., officers observed a truck using a spotlight to illuminate privately owned fields. Officers stopped the vehicle to investigate. The driver was arrested and issued an appearance notice for illegally hunting at night with lights. There were two minors in the back seat of the vehicle. When the vehicle was searched, a loaded, unsecured firearm was seized from the back seat where the two minors were seated. The firearm had a bullet in the chamber and the safety off. The vehicle, three spotlights, the firearm, ammunition and a knife were seized.
On Nov. 27, a conservation officer in the Manitou district located a white-tailed deer that had been killed in a wildlife management area that only had its head and a small portion of meat removed. The officer investigated and identified a suspect. An investigation completed by the officer identified a suspect from Winkler. The suspect was interviewed by the officer and admitted to wasting a majority of the white-tailed deer he had killed on Nov. 26. The suspect was issued a ticket for abandoning edible portions of a big game animal. If convicted, he faces a $672 fine and a two-year suspension of his big game and game bird hunting licences.
On Nov. 28, a conservation officer from the Dauphin district observed a side-by-side off-road vehicle travelling on a road in the Rural Municipality (RM) of Ochre River. The driver was found to be in possession of a loaded rifle and was charged for having a loaded firearm in a vehicle and warned for operating an off-road vehicle on a roadway. The firearm and ammunition were seized as evidence.
On Dec. 3, a conservation officer from the Dauphin district observed a truck travelling on a road in the RM of Ochre River. The passenger was found to be in possession of a loaded rifle and was charged for having a loaded firearm in a vehicle. The firearm and ammunition were seized as evidence.
Anyone with information on illegal activity is asked to call a local Natural Resources and Northern Development office or the Turn in Poachers (TIP) line at 1-800-782-0076.
