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A Loon Lake area outfitter was recently convicted of nine Wildlife Act
offences for illegal white-tailed deer outfitting activities and fined a total
of $57,920 at provincial court in Loon Lake.
A routine audit of 2001 and 2002 white-tailed deer licence sales by
Saskatchewan Environment resulted in an investigation of the outfitter.
Conservation officers discovered he had purchased seven white-tailed deer
licences in excess of his allocation.
Conservation Officer Doug Lucyshyn feels the large fines levied by the court
in this case are warranted. "Wildlife management is, of necessity, a
co-operative effort among wildlife managers and subsistence hunters, sport
hunters and outfitters," Lucyshyn said.
"Unscrupulous white-tailed deer outfitters who ignore their allocation levels
can jeopardize the sustainability of the deer populations that everyone
depends on."
Lucyshyn added that wildlife managers take into account the long-term health
of the herd and the demands of all resource users on it when making outfitting
allocations. A typical white-tailed deer outfitter can make $3,000 to $5,000
U.S. a week per hunter.
Lucyshyn encourages anyone who observes or suspects other fisheries, wildlife,
forestry or environmental abuses to contact the nearest Saskatchewan
Environment office or call the province's toll-free TIP line at
1-800-667-7561.
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