Photo courtesy of phass.ca
Four men have pleaded guilty to various illegal hunting charges and have been fined a total of more than $24,000.
The Ministry of Environment says the charges were laid after conservation officers completed investigations in the North Battleford area.
The first investigation goes back to 2013 and involves the illegal harvesting of a bull moose on private land.
Investigators say DNA samples from the moose remains were compared with moose antlers seized in West Virginia by U.S. Fish and Wildlife officers.
Daniel Shriver, a 71-year-old man from West Virginia, pleaded guilty to unlawful hunting, unlawful possession and providing false information to a wildlife officer and was fined $3,260.
Another man, 37-year-old Stewart Baptiste of Cando, pleaded guilty to outfitting without an outfitter’s licence and providing false information to a wildlife officer. He was fined $5,920.
A second investigation began on December 5, 2016 when conservation officers from North Battleford conducted a compliance check.
Various illegal hunting and firearms charges were laid. Officials say 30-year-old Brett Zeis of North Dakota pleaded guilty to having a loaded firearm in a vehicle and to unlawful hunting. He was fined $1,880.
George Keewatin, 32, of Kamsack, pleaded guilty to unlawful guiding and was fined $10,000.
This was Keewatin’s second conviction for unlawful guiding in 2016.