Local man fined for deer hunting violations

NEWS RELEASE

MINISTRY OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND FORESTRY

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A Sault Ste. Marie area man has been fined $1,250 for deer hunting offences.

Eric Tuomela, of St. Joseph Island, pleaded guilty and was fined $750 for failing to immediately attach his validation seal to an antlerless deer and $500 for unlawfully possessing a second deer that was killed illegally.

Court heard that on Nov. 13, 2016, while conducting routine hunt camp checks, a conservation officer inspected two deer hanging in Tuomela’s garage on St. Joseph Island.

One was an antlerless deer without any validation seal affixed. Further investigation revealed that Tuomela possessed a valid antlerless seal but failed to affix it to the deer.

He claimed the deer was shot and killed under the Aboriginal harvesting rights of a First Nation member. The investigation proved that the First Nation member claiming the deer was not part of the hunt. The second deer was a small buck that was properly sealed.

However, this deer was harvested by another hunting party member and tagged with someone else’s validation seal, which was not present when the deer was harvested. Both deer were seized and donated.

Justice of the Peace James Bubba heard the case in the Ontario Court of Justice, Sault Ste. Marie, on Apr. 12, 2017.

For further information on hunting regulations, please consult the Ontario Hunting Regulations Summary available at ontario.ca/hunting.

To report a natural resources violation, call the MNRF TIPS line at 1-877-847-7667 toll-free any time or contact your local ministry office during regular business hours. You can also call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).  

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