POACHER CAUGHT BY DEER DECOY
April 2, 2009
A Penetanguishene man has pleaded guilty and was fined a total of $4000 for illegal hunting activities.
John Hewson, 32, was fined $1500 for trespassing to hunt, $2000 and a two-year hunting suspension for discharging a firearm from a vehicle and $500 for having a loaded firearm in a vehicle. He also received a suspended sentence for discharging a firearm from the travelled portion of a road.
Court heard that on November 12, 2008, Ministry of Natural Resources conservation officers set up a deer decoy in Minden Township, Haliburton County. Officers had received several complaints of illegal hunting and trespassing in the area.
During the first half-hour of the decoy set, the officers saw a vehicle slow down as it passed the decoy location. The same vehicle returned a second and a third time before Hewson, the driver, fired three shots from his .30-06 rifle out the window of the vehicle at the deer decoy. Conservation officers stopped Hewson approximately one kilometre down the road and recovered his loaded rifle from the back seat of the vehicle.
Justice of the Peace Diane Jackson heard the case in the Ontario Court of Justice, Minden, on April 2, 2009.
To report a natural resources
violation, call 1-877-TIPS-MNR (847-7667) toll-free any time or contact the
Minden Area office at (705) 286-1521 during regular business hours. You can
also call Crime stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).