News Releases

Media Bulletin - Manitoba

June 10, 2022

Manitoba Conservation Officer Service Enforcement Update



Manitoba Natural Resources and Northern Development advises conservation officers are continuing enforcement to protect public safety and Manitoba’s natural resources through a variety of enforcement activities across the province.

The department is providing updates on previously reported enforcement activities that have now progressed through the court system.

On Nov. 3, 2020, conservation officers from the Brandon area were conducting an aircraft-assisted night hunting patrol near Sidney. Officers observed a vehicle shining a spotlight into an agricultural area known to be populated with deer and elk. Officers attempted to stop the vehicle, which fled before coming to a stop in a residential area. The occupants abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot. With the assistance of the aircraft and K-9 unit, officers apprehended two men and seized a truck, hunting equipment and a white-tailed deer carcass. On Mar. 24, 2022, one of the men was convicted of hunting at night. He received a $3,000 fine and a one-year hunting suspension. Additionally, his vehicle and hunting equipment were forfeited to the Crown. The second man failed to appear in court and a warrant has been issued for his arrest.

On Oct 31, 2021, conservation officers from the Swan River and Dauphin areas conducted an aircraft-assisted night hunting patrol in the rural municipalities of Ethelbert and Mountain (south). Officers observed a vehicle shining a spotlight into fields along a municipal road and noted hearing a gunshot come from the direction of the vehicle. With the help of an aircraft, officers observed four individuals exit the vehicle, then drag and load something into the vehicle. Officers attempted a vehicle stop but the vehicle fled at a high rate of speed. The aircraft followed the vehicle until it stopped at a river crossing. The four individuals exited the vehicle and fled on foot. With the assistance of the K-9 Unit, officers were able to apprehend all four individuals. Recently, two of the individuals appeared in a Swan River court and were convicted of hunting at night without a permit and each fined $3,000. Various items seized by officers, including a truck, were forfeited to the Crown. Two individuals have failed to appear in court and warrants have been issued for their arrests. 

On Nov. 20, 2021, Dauphin area conservation officers received a report of an individual exiting a vehicle and shooting a white-tailed deer from the road within the Rural Municipality (RM) of Gilbert Plains. The individual discharged his firearm in the direction of the complainant and an occupied home. Officers later located the vehicle matching the description given by the complainant. On March 29, 2022, the passenger of the vehicle was convicted of the following offences: hunt in a manner dangerous to other persons, hunt wildlife on private land without permission, discharge a firearm from a public road and possess illegally taken wildlife. The passenger received a $3,150 fine and a three-year hunting suspension. The passenger must also pay $1,500 in restitution. The driver of vehicle was convicted of hunting from a vehicle and received a $673 fine and a two-year hunting suspension.

On Dec. 5, 2021, conservation officers from the Dauphin area obtained information that an elk may have been killed illegally. During an inspection at a home in the RM of Gilbert Plains, officers found evidence that an elk had been killed and obtained a search warrant. Two days later, conservation officers executed the warrant on the residence and located packaged elk meat. On April 12, 2022, one individual was convicted of hunting on private land without permission, possessing illegally taken wildlife and discharging a firearm from a public road within a municipality. The court imposed $1,300 in fines and a two-year hunting suspension. The individual will also be responsible for $3,000 in restitution. A second person was convicted of hunting from a vehicle and received a $1,296 fine along with a two-year hunting suspension.

Anyone with information on illegal activity is asked to call their local Natural Resources and Northern Development office or the Turn in Poachers (TIP) line at 1-800-782-0076 (toll-free).

- 30 -