Peterborough conservation officers were tipped off in March that two men were using illegal traps and baiting practices on their property in Havelock.
They went to the property along with the MNRF canine unit and found a bait pile surrounded by suspended cable snares. “The bait consisted of carcasses of white-tailed deer that were killed in vehicle collisions and were brought there by the property owner,” the MNRF says.
One of the dogs from the canine unit got tangled up in one of the snares during the investigation. The MNRF says the dog was not injured.
A man from Havelock pleaded guilty to unlawfully trapping a fur-bearing mammal without a license and unlawfully keeping a white-tailed deer carcass without notifying the MNRF. He was fined $2,000.
A man from Hastings pleaded guilty to using a non-relaxing cable restraint in an area of the province where he is prohibited from. He was fined $1,000 and the 10 cable snares he used, along with the pelt of a fox he had caught, were taken by the Crown.
To report a natural resource violation, you need to call the ministry’s TIPS line at 1-877-847-7667 or contact your local ministry office.