The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry wants to remind hunters that shooting from or down a roadway is dangerous.
A Sioux Narrows man pleaded guilty to careless hunting and failing to wear hunter orange after he shot at a deer decoy placed by the side of the road by conservation officers.
On December 1, 2018, conservation officers from the Kenora enforcement unit conducted a deer decoy operation on Maybrun Road. It is a main forest access road from Highway 71 north of Sioux Narrows and is heavily used for both commercial and public travel. There had been many complaints about unsafe hunting in this area.
Conservation officers planned and controlled the operation so there would only be one vehicle in the area at a time. During the operation, a man stopped his truck, got out and discharged his high-calibre rifle down the road at a deer decoy.
On November 6, 2019, in Kenora court, Justice of the Peace Jennifer A. Neill fined Jess Swenson $7,500 for careless hunting and $300 for failing to wear hunter orange. He received a six-month hunting licence suspension for the careless hunting conviction. He will also need to retake the Ontario Hunter Education Program and pass the test before being eligible to buy another hunting licence.
Ministry conservation officers work tirelessly to help make sure we can all enjoy Ontario’s natural resources in a safe and respectful manner. To report a natural resource violation, call the ministry TIPS line at 1-877-847-7667 toll-free, or contact your local ministry office. You can also call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS.
We need your help to solve cases. Please visit ontario.ca/mnrftips to view an interactive, searchable map of unsolved cases. You may have valuable information that can help.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
