A resident of the town of Kamsack, Sask, has plead guilty in North Battleford Provincial Court to guiding without a license after being caught with two American hunters in the Grand Cheviot Pasture, located north of Paynton.
The trio were stopped by conservation officers back in November of 2015 while present at the site. During the compliance check conducted by the officers, it was discovered that the guide and hunters were in violation of provincial hunting laws and regulations.
According to the provincial government, the hunting guide was only authorized to provide guiding services on Mosquito First Nation reserve land and the American hunters produced deer licenses that were only valid on First Nations reserve land. The nearest, Mosquito First Nation, was more than 70 kilometres away.
The guide, George Keewatin, aged 31, was fined $7,000 for illegally guiding without a license, and each of the American hunters paid a voluntary fine of $1,400 for illegally hunting without a license and received a one year hunting suspension. The fines were handed down on June 8.
“Outfitting and guiding in unauthorized areas is a serious issue,” Ministry of Environment’s Chief of Enforcement and Investigations Ken Aube said, in a press release.
“This type of activity hinders other outfitters who are following the rules. Our laws to manage outfitting, outfitter allocations and areas are designed to provide effective management of wildlife populations to ensure hunting opportunities are available now and into the future.”
Provincial residents wishing to report wildlife, fisheries, forestry or environmental violations are asked to call your local Ministry of Environment office, Saskatchewan’s toll-free Turn in Poachers line at 1-800-667-7561 or #5555 for Sasktel cellular subscribers, or report a violation online at www.saskatchewan.ca/conservation. You may be eligible for cash rewards from the SaskTip Reward Program.