Manitoba Natural Resources and Northern Development are reporting that conservation officers, through a variety of enforcement activities, have fined and ticketed numerous individuals for illegal activities during the months of August, 2022 through January, 2023.
On Aug. 18, 2022, a bull moose was illegally killed in the Sarah Lake area of Duck Mountain Provincial Forest. Conservation officers received a tip from the public and opened an investigation, which led officers to discover a kill site within a moose conservation closure area and identify a suspect. A male from Sapotaweyak Cree Nation has been charged with killing a moose within a moose conservation closure area. If convicted, the individual can be fined up to $25,000 or receive up to six months in jail, or both.
On Oct. 1, 2022, a bull moose was illegally killed in the Cowan area. Conservation officers received a tip and located a kill site within a moose conservation closure area. Three individuals from the Cowan area were identified and have been charged with killing a moose within a moose conservation closure area. The moose was seized and donated to a local food bank. If convicted, each person can be fined up to $25,000 or receive up to six-months in jail, or both.
On Jan. 14, a tip was received by conservation officers in the Boissevain district regarding hunters travelling on snowmobiles hunting elk near Hilton. Upon further investigation, a male from the Rural Municipality of Oakland-Wawanesa was issued a ticket for hunting big game without a licence and a ticket for hunting big game during a period of the year when it is prohibited with fines totalling $972. One firearm was also seized and the individual faces a two-year hunting suspension of his game bird and big game licences.
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.
