sheep poachers fined

[fish_e_o]

In Alberta, outfitters and their guides are only permitted to hunt with their clients in Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) where they have an allocation. An “allocation” describes the licence opportunities that are available to outfitters and guides, which they use to provide contracted guiding services to hunters from outside of Alberta. The amount of allocations available can vary from WMU to WMU and is limited to ensure that any hunting is done sustainably.
In late January, a guide and his client pleaded guilty to offences related to shooting a bighorn ram in an area they did not have an allocation for. The ram, which was not of legal size to be hunted, was then covered in rocks and abandoned.
The guide, Logan Hunt, attended Rocky Mountain House Provincial Court and pleaded guilty to three counts under the Wildlife Act: hunting without a licence, unlawful possession of wildlife and abandoning the flesh of big game. He received fines totalling $25,000 and received a judicial order prohibiting him from hunting and guiding/outfitting for a period of one year. The judicial order also places restrictions on his ability to possess firearms.
Bruce Morgan, the client, also pleaded guilty to two counts under the Wildlife Act: unlawful possession of wildlife and abandoning the flesh of big game. Bruce Morgan received fines totalling $20,000 and received a recreational hunting licence suspension for a period of one year.
During their investigation, Fish and Wildlife Officers took a helicopter up to the location of the abandoned ram. The second picture shows the ram covered in rocks.