October 14, 2020
Manitoba Conservation and Climate Enforcement Update
– – –Aerial Surveillance Supports Enforcement of New Night Hunting Legislation
On Saturday, Oct. 10, Manitoba’s new Wildlife Amendment Act (Safe Hunting and Shared Management) took effect with a goal of protecting the moose population and ensuring a safe hunting environment. Since then, Manitoba Conservation and Climate advises that conservation officers have participated in a number of night hunting enforcement activities, in some cases aided by aerial surveillance. These enforcement patrols have resulted in arrests and educational warnings under the new legislation.
Early on Oct. 13, aerial surveillance was instrumental in locating a vehicle that had been seen leaving a roadway and using a trail or non-maintained road on Crown land west of Bissett. Officers stopped the vehicle as it emerged from the trail and issued warnings to three hunters for hunting at night near built-up areas, which is dangerous.
In the early hours of Oct. 13, as well, aerial surveillance found another vehicle using a spotlight in the bush in Red Deer Provincial Forest near Lac du Bonnet. With direction from the aircraft, officers located the suspect vehicle and stopped it on a road leading out of the area. Three hunters were issued warnings for hunting at night without a permit under the new legislation.
Also early on Oct. 13, officers intercepted four individuals in Nopiming Provincial Park after seeing a vehicle stopping and calling for moose, and sweeping the side of a road with a spotlight along Provincial Road 314 near Cat Lake. Three individuals from Sagkeeng First Nation and one from Winnipeg were issued appearance notices for night hunting and hunting in a moose closure zone. A 2019 Dodge Ram truck, two rifles, spotlights and other hunting equipment were seized.
In addition, officers stopped three hunters in the Swan River area for hunting in a moose closure zone in the early hours of Oct. 10. The individuals were found near Steeprock Lake, and indicated they had been told they could hunt moose in the Porcupine Mountains. No animals had been taken, so officers issued warnings to them.
Anyone with information on illegal hunting activities is asked to call their local Manitoba Conservation and Climate office or the Turn In Poachers (TIP) line at 1-800-782-0076.
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