SWIFT CURRENT — Two Manitoba men found out that wildlife offences are taken seriously in Saskatchewan, as they were handed hunting suspensions and fines totalling $13,980 in Swift Current Provincial Court recently.
Maurice Sala of East Selkirk and Curtis Thunder of Buffalo Point both pleaded guilty to several offences under The Wildlife Act On Nov. 29. Sala pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of wildlife, unlawful export of wildlife and wasting wildlife, and was fined $10,960. Thunder pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of wildlife, unlawful hunting and driving off of trails in a former PFRA pasture, and was fined $3,020. Both men also received two-year hunting suspensions.
On Nov.12, 2022, Shaunavon conservation officers received a tip, including a vehicle description, about Manitoba residents unlawfully hunting south of Cadillac, about 65 kilometres south of Swift Current. Responding officers located a mule deer buck that had been shot and left to waste. Working together, officers from Shaunavon, Assiniboia, Moose Jaw and Regina, along with a K9 unit, quickly located the vehicle pulling an enclosed trailer on Highway 13 west of Assiniboia.
Officers found the three vehicle occupants in possession of numerous wildlife, despite having no provincial hunting licenses. Officers arrested all three individuals and seized the trailer, along with the wildlife, hunting equipment and cell phones. Using DNA, conservation officers were also able to link the three individuals to the wasted mule deer discovered earlier. The three were charged, with Sala and Thunder ultimately pleading guilty. The third individual passed away before the matter was concluded in court.
Illegal hunting steals opportunities from legitimate hunters. It can also put Saskatchewan wildlife populations at risk.
If you suspect wildlife, fisheries, forestry or environmental violations, please call Saskatchewan's toll-free Turn In Poachers and Polluters (TIPP) line at 1-800-667-7561 or report violations online at saskatchewan.ca/tipp. You may be eligible for cash rewards from the SaskTIP Reward Program and you don't have to give your name.
