A Star City area man recently pleaded guilty to several wildlife offences and was fined $15,000 in Melfort provincial court, according to a press release from the province.
On January 7, Ministry of Environment conservation officers in Melfort received a report of a dead deer found on the laneway of a rural property west of Star City.
Officers investigated and discovered 10 dead white-tailed deer on the property. The owner of the property was interviewed and admitted that he had shot multiple deer between January 1 and January 6, 2021.
The property owner stated that he shot the deer because they were damageing trees and shrubs on an adjacent property. All 10 deer were shot at night as they came in to feed.
On January 10, officers responded to a second call in the same area and they located two more dead white-tailed deer. The investigation confirmed that all had died of gunshot trauma.
Ivan L. Beuker, age 67 of Star City, was fined a total of $15,000 in relation the offences which included: illegal hunting, waste of edible game, hunting within 500 m of occupied buildings, hunting big game with a rim fire rifle and night hunting.
The court also imposed a three-year hunting suspension.
The province reported that Beuker did not contact the ministry to report that he was experiencing damage to his property.
Residents concerned about wildlife-related property damage are encouraged to visit the Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporations webpage to learn more about prevention techniques and compensation programming.
If you suspect wildlife, fisheries, forestry or environmental violations, please call Saskatchewan’s toll-free Turn In Poachers and Polluters line at 1-800-667-7561, or call #5555 for SaskTel cellular subscribers.
