Conservation checks result in fines, moose seizure

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This article was published 25/03/2023 (1268 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It was an expensive snowmobile ride in Duck Mountain Provincial Park for a rider who was intercepted by Manitoba conservation officers as they conducted regular patrols earlier this month.

Conservation officers patrol Manitoba’s lakes, trails and back roads throughout the province, to investigate illegal hunting and fishing to protect natural resources.

From Jan. 21 to March 12, conservation officers from the Swan River district conducted patrols on Snoman trails in Duck Mountain Provincial Park, located about four hours north of Brandon.

There are more than 13,000 kilometres of trails in Manitoba that are groomed and maintained by snowmobiling clubs that belong to the Snoman organization. Anyone riding on the trail system must purchase a Snopass for $150, and all snowmobiles must be registered.

During their 15 patrols, conservation officers checked 95 snowmobiles, including a warm-up shelter in Duck Mountain.

One person was issued a ticket for $174 for operating an unregistered off-road vehicle and a ticket for $486 for operating a snowmobile on a designated snowmobile trail without a valid Snopass.

In the same area, two Saskatchewan anglers experienced a costly fishing trip after they were issued tickets for fishing without a Manitoba licence in the Porcupine Provincial Forest, which is about four and a half hours north of Brandon.

While making rounds on Pickerel Lake, Swan River conservation officers conducted a recreational angler patrol on their snowmobiles, when they encountered four ice fishing anglers from Regina.

When officers asked for proof of a non-resident angling licence, two members of the group could not produce theirs and were issued tickets under the Fisheries Act, with total fines of $348.

In early January, conservation officers received reports that a cow moose was being hauled down the shoulder of the highway in the northeast community of Manigotagan, located about two hours northeast of Winnipeg.

Officers from Pine Falls located a kill site in an area that is a moose conservation closure where there is no hunting allowed.

Further investigation led to the seizure of the moose at a residence in Manigotagan with charges laid against three residents who have been charged with killing a moose within a moose conservation closure area.

If convicted, each person can be fined up to $25,000 or receive up to six months in jail, or both.

The conservation officer service is Manitoba’s third-largest law enforcement agency, after the RCMP and the Winnipeg Police Service according to the Manitoba government website.

Officers have the authority to enforce the province’s acts and regulations in the interest of public safety and to protect the province’s natural resources.

» The Brandon Sun