Manitoba Conservation and Climate announced that conservation officers have been continuing to enforce the Wildlife Amendment Act and have laid charges against multiple hunters in the last two days.
Early Tuesday morning, November 3, 2020, a group of hunters were seen from the air using a spotlight to hunt from a vehicle southwest of Carberry along a hydro right of way.
Ground patrols moved in and arrested four males from Brandon. Officers seized their 2014 Dodge Ram Pickup truck, two rifles and a shotgun, a spotlight and a number of other hunting items.
The next morning, November 4, two more men were arrested from Brandon after the aerial patrol spotted hunters using a spotlight to hunt from a vehicle northeast of Spruce Woods Provincial Park. Officers seized their 2015 Toyota Tundra pickup truck, a rifle, a spotlight, hunting equipment and a boar carcass.
Aerial surveillance spotted another night hunting incident later in the morning, this time near Sidney. Three suspects fled from the vehicle and ran into a nearby forest. Conservation officers used thermal imaging and a K-9 unit to capture two of the suspects. The men from Portage la Prairie were given appearance notices. Their vehicle, a late 1990s-model GMC truck, as well as various pieces of hunting equipment and a white-tailed deer carcass were seized. Conservation officers issued a restitution order for $1,500 for the illegal killing of the deer. Officers are searching for the third suspect.
A third incident occurred on November 4, Officers spotted night hunting northwest of Mafeking. One person was seen using a spotlight from PTH 77 on private land. The individual, from Barrows was arrested his 2002 Cavalier, a rifle, a spotlight and hunting equipment was seized.
Since the Wildlife Amendment Act came into force on October 10, 2020 conservation officers have laid charges or given out appearance notices to 22 people for serious wildlife offences.
© News4.ca 2020
