Poachers have been very active in West Central Alberta over the past month, including during the final week of the general hunting season, with dozens of animals illegally killed and left to rot, says Sundre-Olds Fish and Wildlife officer Adam Mirus.There have been a variety of poaching incidents, including shooting without licences, shooting off the roads, and shooting on land without permission, he said.“We've had some shooting at night, with people shooting at midnight and at one o'clock in the morning,” said Mirus. “All the districts are having the same issues.“It's been busier compared with last year, with heavier file loads and definitely more animals seized.”For example, during one day last week, on Nov. 26, officers in the Sundre-Olds area responded to seven illegal harvest incidents.In several cases over the past month, only parts of the shot animals, such as the antlers or rib cages, were taken, with the rest left to rot, he said.Although he could not say exactly how many poaching incidents officers have investigated over the last month, Mirus would say, “it would be dozens for sure.”Many firearms and at least one vehicle have been seized over the past month, he said.As well as responding to public reports of illegal harvesting incidents, officers have also conducted a number of decoy operations over the past month, where an artificial deer is placed off a roadway and officers snare people who shoot at the decoy from the road.Fish and Wildlife officials are encouraging anyone with information about any poaching incidents in the region to call the Report-A-Poacher hotline at 1-800-642-3800.Although the general hunting season ended on Nov. 30, officers are expecting to receive public tips for weeks and months, he said.“A lot of what we see when people have done an illegal harvest, is over a period of time they will talk about it,” he said. “It's pretty common to get calls after Christmas parties and New Year's parties and stuff like that because ultimately somebody has too many cocktails and they start talking about who shot what and how many.”Underthe Wildlife Act officers have up to two years to lay charges, he noted.Asked if he sees any solution to the poaching problem in the district, Mirus said: “I think educating the public on how to prevent it makes a difference.”“Whether it is rural crime watch patrols or citizens on patrol, people reporting suspicious activities is going to put a damper on it,” he said. “I don't know if you'll ever stop it 100 per cent, but I tend to think the fines and the seizing of vehicles and firearms is a deterrent.“A lot of times when we do talk to people, they say, ‘Don't take my truck or don't take my guns or don't suspend me. I'll pay a high fine but don't suspend me because I live for hunting'.”Many of the individuals charged with poaching incidents over the past month will make first appearances in Didsbury provincial court on three selected days in January and February, he said.Under the Report-A-Poacher system, tipsters are eligible for rewards of up to $2,000.
