Quebec poachers nailed in Sask!! 45K in fines!!

[TheTooner]

I have a question for the Sask. DNR folks, if you had enough evidence of wrong-doing and what was likely to happen to get a tracking warrant, why did it take them two weeks to make a check on those boys, letting a hundred birds & game animals perish unnecessarily. As far as I'm concerned they were just as stupid as the culprits and deserve the same clout up the side of the head.

There aren't enough conservation officers to effectively patrol the province, let alone to dedicate a team to conduct constant surveillance of a hunting party for weeks.

The warrant was to authorize a tracking device on the suspect vehicle. This may have allowed conservation officers to locate the vehicle at any time so that if they weren't too busy doing the rest of their job they could find it quickly to make spot checks (don't know whether they actually did this.) It would certainly have allowed a record to be made of the vehicles movements so that if they wanted to check the areas where the miscreants had been hunting they might find evidence like bird carcasses left to waste - certainly sounds like that happened. Once they caught the party doing anything wrong (e.g. they were homeward bound with game taken and not properly documented for inter-provincial transport) they had reason to devote more resources to investigate what had been going on the whole time.

 

[philhut]

these fines don't even equate to likely 25% of the legal and court costs required to charge these people with these offenses.

where is the lifetime or 10+ year hunting ban....
where is the community service (required in Saskatchewan)
People that think shooting everything that moves is hunting don't quite understand the concept that in principle you are hunting because you want something to eat or to feed others.

 

[HuskyDude]

I'm glad they got caught.
But I'm with member fingers on why they let so many birds and animals perish before an arrest was made.
Very sad really!

 

[silverfoxdj]

“I present my apology to the court about my clients who got a little enthusiastic about the nature in Saskatchewan,” said Masson

They should of been tossed in jail.
The lawyer makes the apology for the dirty rotten scoundrels?
The fines funds are already in a trust fund?
So money is of no concern for these folks?

You noticed that so do I, very few Quebec hunters can afford a trip like that..

 

[saskbooknut]

SERM enforcement officers are very thin on the ground in Saskatchewan.

Clearly they had cause to be able to get a warrant for a tracker on the vehicle. The lead individual must have had a history that led them to this surveillance. I am surprised they do not list big game rifles or shotguns among the seized items - just a .22 rifle.

I think that scum are just that, scum - where they come from is not so relevant.

I cannot say that I have met Quebec hunters in the field, but I have met quite a few from B.C., Alberta and the US while hunting in Saskatchewan, and have found them to be good guys, getting permission and following the rules.

 

[Emgz]

Seems way too lenient. Incredible

 

[bbobie]

I would have have liked to to see a life time ban from hunting fishing in the province

 

[Dogleg]

I'm glad they got caught.
But I'm with member fingers on why they let so many birds and animals perish before an arrest was made.
Very sad really!

Oh, come on, you know the answer to that. They wanted the big news story.

 

[Ridersfan]

I think that they should have had forfeitures imposed as well... they should have had their trucks, ATVs, rifles, and all hunting equipment seized permanently. They knew they were doing wrong and they did it in a go big or go home manner. In fact they did it big and then went home. They should have sat in a jail for a few days while it all got sorted out.

 

[tigrr]

First lets not paint all quebec hunters with the same brush. I know some who are stand up guys. 2nd I think the fines where too small.
The big story is meant to discourage any who try this in the future.

 

[1963beretta]

these fines don't even equate to likely 25% of the legal and court costs required to charge these people with these offenses.

where is the lifetime or 10+ year hunting ban....
where is the community service (required in Saskatchewan)
People that think shooting everything that moves is hunting don't quite understand the concept that in principle you are hunting because you want something to eat or to feed others.

Exactly. I cant fathom allowing jerks like this to own firearms. People like this dont just act like this when they are hunting in the remote bush. These people lack respect in all aspect of life and this behaviour is usually an indication of a way of life. People like this are terrible fathers, terrible husbands, terrible friends, terrible employees.....terrible everything.

Makes me sick....

 

[Dogleg]

9000 bucks apiece is a bargain for a combination whitetail, mule deer, antelope and waterfowl hunt in an area where two out the four are strictly draw for residents only, and one is a low percentage draw for non residents.


It's a pretty good scam when you can get caught and still turn a profit on the deal. I'm surprised that everyone doesn't do it .

 

[MINI-30]

Truly pathetic

 

[scott_r]

9000 bucks apiece is a bargain for a combination whitetail, mule deer, antelope and waterfowl hunt in an area where two out the four are strictly draw for residents only, and one is a low percentage draw for non residents.


It's a pretty good scam when you can get caught and still turn a profit on the deal. I'm surprised that everyone doesn't do it .

You are right....that's a heck of deal on a combo hunt.

 

[mbogo3]

Had a goof a few years ago in Red Deer city limits arrow a bull moose on an island smaller than a house 1/4 mile from the mall.No license ,no draw in city limits.His escape vehicle was a bicycle.F+W showed up to save the day and shot the bull which turned out to have only a superficial wound from the arrow.Also from Quebec.

 

[oilman28]

Huge issues here in NE Sask for years. Got a bit better when they went to a draw so they can’t illegally outfit as easily. The new trick is to apply for an easily drawn forest zone and hunt the adjacent farmland. A group was busted last week doing this. Guys in the background piping up en francais to the group leader being questioned. Investigating CO is fluent in French.

Yeah it seems every few years a group of Quebecers gets busted for poaching around Zenon Park. You don't see many CO's out that way though.

 

[scott_r]

We get alot of them from the base south of MJ. They made a bunch of trouble at the Dirt Hills range in Avonlea. Just not very considerate.

 

[coyoteking]

9000 bucks apiece is a bargain for a combination whitetail, mule deer, antelope and waterfowl hunt in an area where two out the four are strictly draw for residents only, and one is a low percentage draw for non residents.


It's a pretty good scam when you can get caught and still turn a profit on the deal. I'm surprised that everyone doesn't do it .

You should email that to SERM.

 

[DVXDUDE]

Just imagine how many moose these slobs have taken back in Quebec since they started hunting.

The fine and punishment is laughable. Should be jail time and 50k per person

 

[rkr]

Just imagine how many moose these slobs have taken back in Quebec since they started hunting.

there are hundreds of them everyday, it's a network.
Not sure what is worse, these QCers or the special people of SK that can hunt year round and sell what they hunt for next to nothing. It is a reality but COs don't dare to do anything so will pick up a fight with suckers that can't fight and people hate them anyway because are french.