Four North Battleford-area men have been fined over $71,000 for illegal outfitting.
According to the province, Charles Meechance, 59, pled guilty last November to unlawfully acting as a guide, unlawful hunting and providing false information. He was fined $10,920.
Three other individuals were tried and found guilty in provincial court in Leader on May 18:
Gerald Meechance, 37, was fined $33,800 for unlawfully acting as a guide, unlawfully aiding and abetting, providing false information and unlawfully falsifying and applying for an export permit.
Neal Meechance, 43, was fined $15,820 for unlawfully acting as a guide, unlawfully aiding and abetting and providing false information.
Steven Pritchard, 47, was fined $10,920 for unlawfully acting as a guide, unlawfully aiding and abetting and providing false information.
Including the Victim of Crime Surcharge, the total fines amounted to $71,460.
In addition to the fines, the individuals were also issued a five-year court order with conditions that include: not being in the company of anyone involved in any aspect of hunting other than on the lands of a First Nation in the Province of Saskatchewan or in the company of another treaty person hunting for subsistence; to provide any details or other information as requested by the Ministry of Environment on all animals killed while outfitting; ensuring all clients attend a Ministry of Environment office in person and swear an affidavit that all information and details of the hunt are true; and obtaining an export permit for every animal harvested by his or her client.
Pritchard as well as Neal and Gerald Meechance also must follow an additional condition: not be in any vehicle in which there is an un-encased firearm except on the lands of a First Nation in the Province of Saskatchewan or in the company of another treaty person hunting for subsistence.
The charges were laid against the outfitter and guides in October 2016 and follow a two-and-one-half year investigation by conservation officers with the Ministry of Environment.
The activities took place near Hazlet, 64 km northwest of Swift Current.
Conservation officers encountered four individuals during a patrol in Oct. 2014, and discovered soon after thatd the individuals had been outfitting and guiding two American clients.
The investigation involved conservation officers from Leader, Spiritwood, North Battleford, and the ministry’s Investigation Unit, as well as help from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Wisconsin Conservation Officer Service, forensic analysis experts, and witnesses from Wisconsin.
Investigators finally determined that a mule deer buck had been illegally shot and eventually exported to the United States.
According to the environment ministry, outfitting and guiding in unauthorized areas is a serious issue and hinders other outfitters who follow the rules.
