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Poachers pay the price
CHRISTOPHER MILLS – Herald-Tribune staff
Posted 19 hours ago
The protection of wildlife – and the reputation of ethical hunters – is a high priority for Fish and Wildlife officers and it seems it’s becoming a high priority for the courts as well.
Last week, Blair Dietzen, 20, of Valleyview received one of the stiffest sentences ever issued for poaching in the province when he was sentenced to 60 days in jail on two separate accounts, to be served concurrently, and was issued a $7,000 fine. He was also given three years of probation in which he was required to turn in his firearms license and given 60 days to get rid of all weapons he owns.
Dwayne Matier, enforcement field services manager for the Fish and Wildlife division of Sustainable Resource Development, said it’s good to see the courts taking such offenses seriously.
“There have been some pretty significant fines levied by the courts as of late; it certainly is a significant penalty in this case and we’re satisfied with that,” he said. “Officers put in a lot of hard work out there and there aren’t a lot of officers around. We have large territories to patrol. A fine like this is certainly a deterrent to others.”
The charges against Dietzen stemmed from an incident where he and Carl Laarakker, 20, of Coldstream, B.C., were driving in a pick-up truck at night and shooting deer in their headlights.
Dietzen, who admitted to drinking and smoking marijuana the night of the incident and who had been facing 13 charges, is also prohibited from hunting or applying to hunt anywhere in Canada during the probation period. A Wildlife Act order was also issued prohibiting him from hunting in Alberta for 12 years.
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Laarakker was charged in January in connection with the poaching offenses and received a lifetime hunting ban in Alberta. He was also fined $7,000 and had to forfeit the firearm involved in the offenses.
Poaching poses safety risks and gives ethical hunters a bad name, not to mention the issues of errant bullets and trespassing, Matier said.
“We have some really good hunters out there that abide by the rules and regulations and they buy the proper licenses, they hunt in the proper time and it’s certainly not fair to them when a serious poaching matter occurs,” he said.
POACHING IS NOT HUNTING
“You have to be careful not to keep calling this a hunting incident, because it really isn’t. It’s a poaching incident; there are some hunters out there that take a lot of pride in what they do and contribute to the management of wildlife in this province and in our opinion, this incident wasn’t a hunting incident.”
Even when it comes to hunting, there are certain rules and a certain respect that must be shown to animals, Matier said.
“Hunting is used as a management tool; it’s a necessary means of wildlife management and at the same time provides recreational opportunities,” he said.
“It’s just not in keeping with what we want to see out there; it’s not in keeping with the fair chase rule. There’s also a respect for animals that certainly was not followed here; it’s something we don’t want to see.”
There is a scientific process involved in determining what animals can be hunted and how many, Matier said.
“We take the known or estimated population and try to figure out what the area can handle as far as animals,” he said.
“Some of these animals are hunted under a special license where there’s a limited amount of licenses available, so when you go beyond that, that sort of upsets that ideal; the target. We feel we can harvest a surplus of animals that are out there for recreational hunting opportunities. When you go beyond that, you could start affecting population.”
Some of the key factors that are looked at when determining the amount of a species that can be hunted are a population estimate, the carrying capacity of the habitat, social goals and hunter success.
“As an example, if we’re talking about antler-less moose and the harvest goal is 500, and there’s a hunter success rate of 50%, then 1,000 licenses would be issued for antler-less moose,” Matier said.
Right now, some examples of species with declining numbers and in danger of being endangered are the grizzly bear and the woodland caribou.
“Particularly woodland caribou,” Matier said. “They’re at numbers so low that any illegal action against them would really endanger the population.”
Matier said he is impressed with Alberta’s track record when it comes to hunting safety.
“There’s certainly a lot of hunting activity up here, but our compliance rate is pretty high,” he said. “We have good hunter education and good government regulation. Albertans cherish their natural resources and wildlife.”
Another case is currently before the courts involving the Shmyr brothers from Spirit River – Blake, 26, and Cordell, 19.
The brothers are charged with multiple counts of wildlife trafficking, stemming from an investigation into a website they created to sell trophy antlers.
Though Matier declined to comment too much on the specific cases, he did say that the Shmyr’s are facing some serious charges and he hopes that the penalties being levied by the courts will help to minimize poaching incidents in the future.
“I don’t know if we’ll ever eliminate it, but our hope is to certainly minimize it so all Albertans in the future can enjoy our wildlife resources.”
Poachers pay the price
CHRISTOPHER MILLS – Herald-Tribune staff
Posted 19 hours ago
The protection of wildlife – and the reputation of ethical hunters – is a high priority for Fish and Wildlife officers and it seems it’s becoming a high priority for the courts as well.
Last week, Blair Dietzen, 20, of Valleyview received one of the stiffest sentences ever issued for poaching in the province when he was sentenced to 60 days in jail on two separate accounts, to be served concurrently, and was issued a $7,000 fine. He was also given three years of probation in which he was required to turn in his firearms license and given 60 days to get rid of all weapons he owns.
Dwayne Matier, enforcement field services manager for the Fish and Wildlife division of Sustainable Resource Development, said it’s good to see the courts taking such offenses seriously.
“There have been some pretty significant fines levied by the courts as of late; it certainly is a significant penalty in this case and we’re satisfied with that,” he said. “Officers put in a lot of hard work out there and there aren’t a lot of officers around. We have large territories to patrol. A fine like this is certainly a deterrent to others.”
The charges against Dietzen stemmed from an incident where he and Carl Laarakker, 20, of Coldstream, B.C., were driving in a pick-up truck at night and shooting deer in their headlights.
Dietzen, who admitted to drinking and smoking marijuana the night of the incident and who had been facing 13 charges, is also prohibited from hunting or applying to hunt anywhere in Canada during the probation period. A Wildlife Act order was also issued prohibiting him from hunting in Alberta for 12 years.
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Laarakker was charged in January in connection with the poaching offenses and received a lifetime hunting ban in Alberta. He was also fined $7,000 and had to forfeit the firearm involved in the offenses.
Poaching poses safety risks and gives ethical hunters a bad name, not to mention the issues of errant bullets and trespassing, Matier said.
“We have some really good hunters out there that abide by the rules and regulations and they buy the proper licenses, they hunt in the proper time and it’s certainly not fair to them when a serious poaching matter occurs,” he said.
POACHING IS NOT HUNTING
“You have to be careful not to keep calling this a hunting incident, because it really isn’t. It’s a poaching incident; there are some hunters out there that take a lot of pride in what they do and contribute to the management of wildlife in this province and in our opinion, this incident wasn’t a hunting incident.”
Even when it comes to hunting, there are certain rules and a certain respect that must be shown to animals, Matier said.
“Hunting is used as a management tool; it’s a necessary means of wildlife management and at the same time provides recreational opportunities,” he said.
“It’s just not in keeping with what we want to see out there; it’s not in keeping with the fair chase rule. There’s also a respect for animals that certainly was not followed here; it’s something we don’t want to see.”
There is a scientific process involved in determining what animals can be hunted and how many, Matier said.
“We take the known or estimated population and try to figure out what the area can handle as far as animals,” he said.
“Some of these animals are hunted under a special license where there’s a limited amount of licenses available, so when you go beyond that, that sort of upsets that ideal; the target. We feel we can harvest a surplus of animals that are out there for recreational hunting opportunities. When you go beyond that, you could start affecting population.”
Some of the key factors that are looked at when determining the amount of a species that can be hunted are a population estimate, the carrying capacity of the habitat, social goals and hunter success.
“As an example, if we’re talking about antler-less moose and the harvest goal is 500, and there’s a hunter success rate of 50%, then 1,000 licenses would be issued for antler-less moose,” Matier said.
Right now, some examples of species with declining numbers and in danger of being endangered are the grizzly bear and the woodland caribou.
“Particularly woodland caribou,” Matier said. “They’re at numbers so low that any illegal action against them would really endanger the population.”
Matier said he is impressed with Alberta’s track record when it comes to hunting safety.
“There’s certainly a lot of hunting activity up here, but our compliance rate is pretty high,” he said. “We have good hunter education and good government regulation. Albertans cherish their natural resources and wildlife.”
Another case is currently before the courts involving the Shmyr brothers from Spirit River – Blake, 26, and Cordell, 19.
The brothers are charged with multiple counts of wildlife trafficking, stemming from an investigation into a website they created to sell trophy antlers.
Though Matier declined to comment too much on the specific cases, he did say that the Shmyr’s are facing some serious charges and he hopes that the penalties being levied by the courts will help to minimize poaching incidents in the future.
“I don’t know if we’ll ever eliminate it, but our hope is to certainly minimize it so all Albertans in the future can enjoy our wildlife resources.”
