October 1, 2021
Manitoba Conservation Officer Service Enforcement Update
October 1 is Conservation Officers Recognition Day in Manitoba, to acknowledge and appreciate the hard work and vital role these officers play in the protection of wildlife and fisheries resources and the safety of citizens across the province.
Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development advises that conservation officers are continuing enforcement to protect Manitoba’s natural resources, including compliance checks for fisheries, addressing illegal hunting and additional officers are now in the field.
On Aug. 20, a conservation officer from Swan River was conducting a wildlife enforcement patrol in the Duck Mountain Provincial Forest, when he encountered an individual with a deer in an SUV. The officer determined the deer was shot within the 300-metre wildlife refuge that runs along each side of the road in the provincial forest. As a result, the individual was charged for killing the deer within a wildlife refuge and issued restitution of $1,500. The deer was seized and donated to a local organization.
On the morning of Sept. 12, Boissevain conservation officers responded to a report of a group of hunters entering private land in the Rural Municipality of Boissevain-Morton to retrieve an elk without permission. Officers attended the scene and determined the group had entered private property to retrieve a bull elk that had originally been shot on Crown land. No attempt was made to identify or contact the landowners for permission before retrieving the elk. A male from Winnipeg, a male from the Rural Municipality of Hanover and a male from the Rural Municipality of Emerson-Franklin were each charged $486 for retrieving wildlife on private land without permission. The bull elk was also seized and will be donated to a family in need.
On the morning of Sept. 14, Boissevain conservation officers received a report of a large bull elk that had been killed in Game Hunting Area (GHA) 31 with a compound bow. GHA 31 does not have an archery elk season, but a possible suspect was identified through witness information and officers confirmed the individual had been issued a 2021 Archery Draw Elk Licence and tag for GHA 31A. Officers attended the location and identified where the elk had been killed. Officers determined the elk had been killed by a firearm on private land, without landowner permission, and then dragged to a parcel of Wildlife Management Area where it was field dressed and loaded into a vehicle. Throughout the day, conservation officers from three different districts continued to investigate, and in the evening hours of Sept. 14, the suspect was located and arrested in possession of one bull elk head and antlers, elk meat and hunting items. When confronted with the evidence, the suspect provided officers with a .30-06 Center fire rifle he had used to kill the bull elk. The firearm, all portions of the elk and the Manitoba draw elk tags were seized. A male suspect from the R.M. of Springfield was served with an appearance notice for three offences under the Wildlife Act, with fines totalling $2,454, as well as a $5,000 restitution notice for the killing of a trophy-class bull elk. One suspect has been charged in this incident, but the investigation continues.
If anyone has further details regarding this offence or any other offences, call your local conservation office or Manitoba’s Turn in Poachers (TIP) line at 1-800-782-0076.
On Sept. 18, the Shoal Lake District received a Turn In Poachers call about shots being fired near the caller’s property during the early morning hours of that day. A conservation officer met two RCMP members and a park warden from Riding Mountain National Park at the location. Officers took a suspect into custody and determined that a bull moose had been shot from a public road. Officers seized the moose and a rifle. The suspect was charged for shooting from a public road within a municipality and issued restitution of $2,500.
On Sept. 27, Pine Falls conservation officers received a report of a cow moose being harvested in the bulls-only season in GHA 17A. Officers met with the hunter in question, and after taking his statement, determined the hunter had shot a bull moose and a cow moose. The hunter admitted that he fired one shot at what he thought was the bull moose before it went into the bush, then the bull reappeared and he fired 2 more shots. After the second round of shots, both the cow and bull moose died. The hunter also admitted that he could not confirm whether the first shot was fired at the bull because its head was in the bush before he fired. The cow moose was seized and the hunter was issued tickets for shooting a cow moose in a bulls-only season and shooting more moose than permitted. Officers also issued a restitution notice for the cow moose that will result in an additional charge of $3,000 to the hunter after conviction. The cow moose was donated to the local First Nations High School hot lunch program.
On Sept. 27, a conservation officer from the Dauphin area encountered a vehicle in the ditch along PTH 5. The officer stopped to ensure everyone was alright and activated his emergency lights to slow traffic. Witnesses at the scene reported the vehicle was swerving on the highway before it drove into the ditch. The officer contacted the RCMP and talked to the individual identified as the driver, who displayed obvious signs of impairment. The driver was placed under arrest for impaired driving and then released into RCMP custody.
On Sept. 27, eight minutes after the incident above, a conservation officer from the Roblin area was also travelling east on PTH 5. A vehicle passed the officer at a high rate of speed and was swerving in and out of the westbound traffic lane. The officer stopped the vehicle, and on approach, could smell alcohol and saw an open bottle of vodka between the legs of the passenger. The driver displayed obvious signs of impairment and was placed under arrest for impaired driving, before being released into RCMP custody.
Anyone with information on illegal 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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