The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry conservation officers want to remind everyone that unsafe hunting practices like shooting on or across a road and having loaded firearms in vehicles, pose a serious threat to the public and other hunters.
A Kenora man was found guilty of careless hunting and shooting from a vehicle after he shot four times at a deer decoy placed by conservation officers.
On Saturday, 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 have been many complaints about unsafe hunting in this area, including complaints about individuals placing bait to lure deer onto the road.
On July 17, 2019, before Justice of the Peace Bruce Leaman at the Ontario Court of Justice in Kenora, Roberto Valentini pleaded guilty to using a firearm carelessly to hunt, unlawfully discharging a firearm from a vehicle, and unlawfully having a loaded firearm in a vehicle. He was fined a total of $4,500 for the three offences. He also had his hunting licence suspended for two years and will have to retake the Ontario Hunter Education Program to reapply for any future licences.
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 or if you’ve harvested an animal you don’t have a tag for, call the MNRF TIPS line at 1-877-847-7667 toll-free anytime, or contact your local MNRF office during regular business hours. You can also call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
We need your help to solve cases. Please visit http://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
