By Sarah Rae

Conservation officers rely on your help to stop illegal hunting

Jun 23, 2016 | 7:00 PM

Everyone has a part to play in sustaining the environment, according to one conservation officer.

Rich Hildebrand said with the amount of space Saskatchewan’s roughly 140 conservation officers have to cover, it’s important for the public to step up and report any possibly illegal activity they witness.

Hildebrand said the Turn in Poachers, or TIP, line gets about 1,000 calls per year some of which lead to charges.

“We depend on the public throughout the province to help our officers out and the TIP line, it’s just one means of the public being able to contact our officers and report things,” he said.

The TIP line accepts any reports of fishing, wildlife or environmental violations. Hildebrand said there are also other ways to report violations, including calling a local conservation office or reporting online.

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From April 2014 to April 2015, Hildebrand said conservation officers in Saskatchewan completed 13,110 hunter and trapper checks and most people were following the rules. Of those who weren’t, he said officers issued 531 charges and roughly 1,200 warnings.

Three people recently prosecuted serve as a reminder to follow the rules. A guide and two American hunters were collectively fined $9,800 in North Battleford Provincial Court on June 8 after they were caught illegally hunting outside their licensed area.

Hildebrand said officers take hunting outside of authorized areas very seriously. He said it hinders other hunters and guides who are actually following the rules.

To help monitor hunting numbers, wildlife populations are measured to determine how many of a species can be sustainably hunted without affecting the environment too much. Hunting licenses issued only for certain areas and animals are meant to manage populations, so if people hunt outside their licensed areas it’s more difficult to monitor and populations can be seriously damaged, Hildebrand said.

“It’s basically designed to try and provide effective management of wildlife populations and used to ensure hunting opportunities are there for not only today, but also in the future as well,” he said.

Hildebrand said the public should be well educated about hunting regulations, through public and school talks and all the resources available online. He encouraged the public to access the online guides and to report any violations they witness to the 24-hour TIP line.

sarah.rae@jpbg.ca

@sarahjeanrae