Two Kamsack-area men were fined $3,000 in provincial court after pleading guilty to poaching and night hunting offences.
On October 18, 2015, Ministry of Environment conservation officers received a call to the Turn In Poachers line about hunters using spotlights to hunt at night in an area northwest of Kamsack, said a release from the Ministry. A few days later, the officers were on a night patrol in the same area and observed the occupants of a vehicle shining a spotlight in a field.
The officers stopped the vehicle where the two individuals claimed they were exercising their treaty right to hunt for food, the release said. Through the investigation, it was also determined they were hunting on private land without permission from the landowner.
Persons exercising treaty hunting rights must obtain landowner permission to hunt on private land or occupied Crown land, it said. The use of a spotlight is prohibited in Saskatchewan, except on First Nation Reserves.
Kevin Badger, 35, and Mathew Dubois, 29, of the Cote First Nation, pleaded guilty to unlawful hunting and for illegally using a spotlight to hunt under the Wildlife Regulations. Each was fined $1,500, and had their firearms, ammunition and spotlights forfeited to the Crown.
Safety is a priority when hunting, the release said. Saskatchewan’s regulations regarding night hunting with lights have been in place since 1998 and were developed following consultations with First Nations and Métis groups across the province.
More information on treaty and Aboriginal hunting and fishing rights in the province can be found in the Saskatchewan Guide for Treaty and Aboriginal Rights for Hunting and Fishing. This guide is available online at www.saskatchewan.ca, or at the nearest Ministry of Environment Field office.
Persons who suspect fisheries, wildlife, forestry or environmental violations are asked to call a local Ministry of Environment office, Saskatchewan’s toll-free Turn In Poachers line.
