Two Saskatchewan men were found guilty of wildlife offences and fined $6,220 after a moose hunting video was posted on social media.
Two Saskatchewan men were found guilty of wildlife offences and fined a total of $6,220 after a moose hunting video was posted on social media.
In January 2023, a Greenwater conservation officer watched a video posted on YouTube of a moose hunting trip that had taken place in the Hudson Bay area two months earlier. According to the provincial Ministry of Environment in a news release, officers believed that a large bull moose had been harvested during the trip “without a valid license and subsequently tagged using another person’s game seal.”
Following a further investigation, officers on March 9, 2023 executed a search warrant at a residence near Prince Albert and collected evidence, including a firearm, electronic media devices, moose meat and antlers.
According to the province, “a forensic analysis of the electronic devices led officers to the kill site.” In May 2023, officers “conducted an extensive search of the area and managed to locate expended rifle cartridge casings. The casings were a forensic match for the firearm used in the offence.”
David Ostapiw of Prince Albert recently pleaded guilty to unlawfully hunting, unlawfully possessing wildlife, failing to wear hunting colours, using another person’s game seal, and providing false information to an officer. He was fined $4,570.
Steven Ostapiw of Saskatoon pleaded guilty to allowing his game seal to be used by another person, providing false information to an officer, and falsifying a hunter harvest survey. He was fined $1,650.
Both men received hunting suspensions of one year.
The Saskatoon Star Phoenix has created an Afternoon Headlines newsletter that can be delivered daily to your inbox so you are up to date with the most vital news of the day. Click here to subscribe.
With some online platforms blocking access to the journalism upon which you depend, our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark thestarphoenix.com and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed. Click here to subscribe.