Justice and Public Safety
September 16, 2015

Unsafe Hunting Practices Lead to Charges

With the big game hunting season now open in many parts of the province, officers with the Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Division are again reminding the public to follow safe hunting practices after a number of concerning incidents occurred last week.

On Friday, September 11, the night before the first official day of the hunting season, Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Officers from the Gander detachment were busy responding to complaints of possible night hunting along the Trans-Canada Highway. As well, a number of complaints of vehicles that were impeding traffic were referred to the RCMP.

After midnight on Saturday, September 12, officers apprehended two adult males from Wareham, Bonavista Bay who had allegedly shot a moose on the side of the TCH a few kilometres east of Gander. The men are facing charges for hunting during a closed time, use of an artificial light to hunt big game and shooting from a highway. As a result of the investigation, the moose, two rifles and ammunition, two big game licences and tags, and a knife were seized. The men were released and will appear in Provincial Court in Gander at a later date.

Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Officers from the Grand Falls-Windsor detachment also investigated several violations which allegedly occurred on opening day. A man from Harbour Breton is facing charges for killing a wrong sex moose near the Bay d�Espoir Highway, and a man from Twillingate was also charged for killing a moose in the wrong management area. In these separate incidents, two moose, rifles, an ATV and various other hunting paraphernalia were seized.

Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Officers in Clarenville, Stephenville and Roddickton detachments also laid a number of charges for firearms violations. These include transporting a loaded firearm in a vehicle and discharging a firearm from a roadway.

With the big game hunting season upon us, the Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Division is encouraging the public to follow the regulations related to big game hunting including the proper storage, transport and use of firearms.

The public can play a significant role in assisting officers in protecting the province's natural resources and in ensuring the safety of everyone enjoying outdoor activities by reporting any suspicious activity. This can be done anonymously and toll-free at any time of the day, by calling 1-877-820-0999, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS. Anonymous online reports can also be submitted at www.stoppoaching.ca or www.nlcrimestoppers.com .

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Media contact:
Luke Joyce
Director of Communications
Department of Justice and Public Safety
709-729-6985, 725-4165
lukejoyce@gov.nl.ca

2015 09 16                              3:00 p.m.