‘It’s disgusting’: Hunters, wildlife groups react to dumping of migratory birds in Sask.
The bodies of 142 migratory birds were found on private land near Saskatoon earlier this month, sparking outrage from hunters and wildlife groups across the province.
The culprits have not been found. Conservation officers in Saskatoon released a photo of a truck they said is related to the case that was reported on October 16 on private land near Patience Lake, about 30 kilometers southeast of Saskatoon.
SaskTip’s, an independent tip line, is offering a $2,000 cash reward for information leading to an arrest.
“Unfortunately, I would say this happens quite frequently from year to year,” said Chris Mair, an inspector with the Conservation Officer Service. “It’s just caused by some hunters who are not being responsible, and then they destroy the animals later because they don’t want to deal with them.”
Multiplying the various fines for trespassing, littering and not euthanizing animals by the number of birds and the surcharge, the fine is likely to exceed $20,000, Mair said.
“It’s disgusting,” said Jordan Rowswell, owner of 12 Gauge Outfitting in Battleford, Sask. “It’s a complete waste not only of meat, but of a resource.”
“This gives every hunter a bad name.”
Rowswell also serves on the board of the Saskatchewan Commission of Professional Outfitters. He said the province’s outfitting companies, which organize hunting trips, are held to a higher standard and likely would not risk losing their licenses by dumping animals.
Saskatchewan hunters have a variety of options for dealing with animals they don’t consume themselves, he said. Many people freeze the meat for later use, while others donate the meat to family and food banks.
The bodies of 142 migratory birds, most of them snow geese, were found on private land near Saskatoon earlier this month, sparking anger from hunters and wildlife groups across the province.
Lack of limits on snow geese hunting
The incident raised questions among some social media users about freelance hunters who do not hunt with outfitting groups, and the ease with which some hunters can harvest snow geese.
While hunters can only collect 20 snow geese in a day of hunting, there is no limit on the number they can have in total. This is because Snow Geese and Ross’s Geese are classified as extremely abundant by the Canadian government.
For all other ducks, including mallards, pintail ducks or Canada geese, hunters may collect only eight ducks a day, and may possess up to 24 ducks total at any one time.
Meier said that of the 142 animal carcasses found at Patience Lake, 129 were snow geese. The rest were various ducks and a Canada goose.
Darryl Crabbe, executive director of the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation, said he believes the problem of freelance hunters coming into the province is growing.
“We now have a somewhat large-scale illegal outfitting component built up in Saskatchewan,” Crabbe said.
“Due to the restrictions placed on term licenses in Alberta and Manitoba, we have seen an unprecedented increase in hunters from other jurisdictions, primarily the United States, this year.”
Alberta and Manitoba have restrictions on how many days non-Canadian hunters can hunt migratory birds. They stay for six consecutive days in Alberta and seven days in Manitoba. Saskatchewan does not have similar term limits.
Crabbe said the lack of period limits has enabled groups of American hunters to hunt snow geese for weeks, collecting hundreds of bird carcasses that they cannot easily dispose of.
Asked about the theory of non-resident poachers, Mair did not dismiss it, but he said there is no definitive evidence the perpetrator is from outside Saskatchewan.
“It could be an outfitter. It could be a guide working for an outfitter. It could be a friend of a Saskatchewan resident who came forward or it could be a freelancer or it could be a Saskatchewan resident who has a U.S. plated vehicle,” he said.
