The Ontario government is safeguarding Ontario’s deer population by ensuring hunters are harvesting deer lawfully with a licence and within the correct Wildlife Management Unit (WMU).
Sylvain Bernard of Dubreuilville pleaded guilty to unlawfully possessing illegally killed wildlife and was fined $1,300.
Chantal Bernard of Dubreuilville pleaded guilty to hunting big game without a licence and was fined $1,800.
Felix Bernard of Dubreuilville pleaded guilty to unlawfully invalidating a tag to an animal killed that was not the same species type specified on the tag and was fined $1,500.
Sebastien Bernard of Dubreuilville pleaded guilty to failing to immediately invalidate a tag with respect to a deer killed by another person and was fined $800.
The court heard that on November 20, 2022, Sylvain Bernard, Chantal Bernard, and Sebastien Bernard were party hunting in WMU 10 in Nestor Falls. During the investigation, conservation officers determined that Sylvain Bernard and Chantal Bernard were hunting together when they shot and killed two deer which they did not have adequate tags for.
The deer were brought to a separate location where they were field dressed, and one deer was tagged. Sylvain Bernard, in an effort to conceal the extra deer, placed the whole deer in a garbage bag and put it in the back of an enclosed trailer. He then placed the internal organs of the same deer in a garbage bag which was later disposed at the Nestor Falls landfill. Upon returning to their accommodations Felix Bernard validated his antlerless WMU 9A tag for the deer shot in WMU 10.
Justice of the Peace Daphne Armstrong heard this case remotely on July 19, 2023, in the Ontario Court of Justice in the District of Kenora.
To report a natural resource problem or provide information about an unsolved case, members of the public can call the ministry TIPS line toll free at 1-877-847-7667. You can also call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS. For more information about unsolved cases, please visit ontario.ca/mnrftips.
