Three men from Southern Ontario have been fined a total of $9,000 for multiple hunting violations spanning several hunting seasons.
A Grey County man pleaded guilty to enabling another person to unlawfully use his deer hunting licence and to possessing a deer without a tag attached. He was fined $1,500.
A Chatham-Kent man pleaded guilty to unlawfully hunting deer in a controlled deer hunt, possessing another person’s deer tag while hunting, possessing a deer without a tag attached, possessing a void licence and making a false statement in a document. He was fined $4,000.
A second Chatham-Kent man pleaded guilty to unlawfully hunting deer in a controlled deer hunt, failing to invalidate a deer tag immediately after harvest, possessing another person’s deer tag while hunting, possessing a deer without a tag attached and two counts of making a false statement in a document. He was fined $3,500.
The Ontario Court of Justice heard that conservation officers began investigating a deer hunting group from Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh in Huron County on Sept. 18, 2025. A review of wild game records turned up inconsistencies when compared with mandatory hunter reporting to the Fish and Wildlife Licensing Service.
The investigation led officers in November 2025 to a hunt camp west of Lucknow, where they found an untagged deer in a barn. Through cautioned statements, officers determined the group had numerous violations spanning the 2023 to 2025 hunting seasons.
Justice of the Peace Karl McNamara heard the cases in Goderich on April 21 and July 21.
To report a natural resource problem or provide information about an unsolved case, people can call the ministry TIPS line toll free at 1-877-847-7667 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477. More information on unsolved cases is available at ontario.ca/MNRTips.
