The bodies of 142 migratory birds were found on private land near Saskatoon earlier this month, drawing the ire of hunters and wildlife groups across the province.
The criminals have not been found. Conservation officers in Saskatoon released a photo of a truck they say was related to a case reported Oct. 16 on private land about 30 kilometers southeast of Saskatoon, near Patience Lake.
Independent tip line SaskTips is offering a $2,000 cash reward for information leading to an arrest.
“Unfortunately, I would say this happens too often year after year,” said Chris Mayer, a Conservation Service inspector. “It comes down to some hunters not being responsible and then they end up losing animals because they don’t want to deal with them.”
Mayer said the combination of various fines for trespassing, littering and failure to take animals, multiplied by the number of birds and surcharges, would likely result in a fine of more than $20,000.
“It's disgusting,” said Jordan Rowswell, owner of 12 Gauge Outfitting in Battleford, Sask. “It’s an absolute waste of not only meat, but a resource.”
“It gives every hunter a bad name.”
Rowswell also serves on the board of the Saskatchewan Professional Outfitters Commission. He said the province's supply companies that run hunting tours are held to high standards and likely don't risk losing their licenses by dumping animals.
Saskatchewan hunters have many options when it comes to dealing with animals they don't eat themselves, he said. Many freeze the meat for later use, while others donate it to families and food banks.
The bodies of 142 migratory birds, most of them snow geese, were found abandoned on private land near Saskatoon earlier this month, drawing the ire of hunters and wildlife groups across the province.
No restrictions on snow goose hunting
The incident has raised questions among some social media users about freelance hunters who do not hunt with outfitted groups, as well as the ease with which some hunters can harvest snow geese.
Although hunters can only take 20 snow geese in a single day of hunting, there is no limit to the total number. This is because the Canadian government classifies snow and Ross geese as surplus.
For all other ducks, including mallards, pintail ducks or Canada geese, hunters can only collect eight ducks per day and have a total of 24 ducks at one time.
Of the 142 animal carcasses found at Patience Lake, 129 were snow geese, Mayer said. The rest were various ducks and one Canada goose.
Daryl Crabb, executive director of the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation, said he believes there is a growing problem with freelance hunters coming to the province.
“There is sort of a rampant component of illegal rigging in Saskatchewan right now,” Crabb said.
“Due to restrictions that have been placed on temporary licenses in Alberta and Manitoba, this year we are seeing an unprecedented increase in the number of hunters from other jurisdictions, primarily from the United States.”
Alberta and Manitoba have restrictions on the number of days non-Canadian hunters can hunt migratory birds. They finish the tournament with six straight days in Alberta and seven in Manitoba. Saskatchewan has no such term limits.
Crabb said the lack of a time limit allows groups of U.S. hunters to hunt snow geese for weeks on end, collecting hundreds of bird carcasses they can't easily dispose of.
When asked about the non-resident hunter theory, Mayer did not rule it out, but said there was no conclusive evidence that the culprit came from outside Saskatchewan.
“It could be an outfitter. It could be a guide working for an outfitter. It could be a friend of a Saskatchewan resident who is visiting, or it could be a freelancer, or it could be a Saskatchewan resident who has a vehicle with U.S. plates,” he said.
