CALGARY — UFC star Brock Lesnar has pleaded guilty to one of the hunting charges he faced, paid a $1,725 fine and said he looks forward to coming back to Alberta for another hunt after last year’s “misunderstanding.”
A lawyer representing the ex-heavyweight mixed martial arts champion entered the plea in a courtroom in Medicine Hat on Tuesday.
Lesnar had been facing three charges laid by Alberta Fish and Wildlife officers. Those were: unlawful possession of wildlife (a whitetail deer), wastage of edible flesh (of a mule deer) and failure to immediately affix a tag to an animal.
The first two charges have now been dropped.
In a statement, Lesnar said he was participating in a filmed hunt guided by Trophy Hunters Alberta in November 2010. As an American hunting in Alberta, he needed to hire a guide to hunt legally.
“The outfitter is there to make sure you follow the rules. I had two deer tags for the trip which meant I could legally shoot two deer. On the first day of the trip, I shot a mule deer,” he said.
“On the second day, I shot a white tail. Video from the hunt has been on the Internet for over a year. After I shot the mule deer, I failed to immediately tag it. As far as I was involved, that’s all there is to it.”
In reference to the spoiled meat charge, Lesnar said he could not bring meat across the border and trusted the outfitter to handle it appropriately.
Lesnar said the fine has been paid and “it’s the kind of thing that happens to hunters all the time.”
He is suspended from hunting in Alberta for six months.
“I want to thank the Canadian authorities for their co-operation in resolving this misunderstanding. I love Canada and I can’t wait to go back to Alberta for a hunt,” said Lesnar through his agent Brian Stegeman.
“I’m glad to put this behind me, so I can focus on my fight against Alistair Overeem at UFC 141 on Dec. 30.”
A representative from Trophy Hunters Alberta declined comment when reached by phone.
Lesnar’s guide, Chad Stryker, was also charged with the same three counts. He will appear in court in January.
smassinon@calgaryherald.com
- Biggs
