Robotic deer snare 9 poachers in northern Alberta hunting sting

Alberta wildlife officers used a robotic deer to catchnine poachers northwest of Edmonton in an effort to rescue mule deer populations hit hard by illegal hunting.

Over the past few years,officers have received a growing number of complaints about mule deer being shot and abandoned in theGoose Lake area, near Fort Assiniboine.

Officers believe that in many cases, hunters wereincorrectly identifying mule deer as white-tailed deer, a newsrelease said Wednesday.

Mule deer populations in the Goose Lake area have seen a significant decline in the past decade, leading to a reduction inthe number of hunting licences available.

Ten years ago, there was a general season for mule deer. Now there is a draw for only 25 licences per year.

"Draws for special licences are used to help conserve animal populationsand it is very important for a hunter to know the species of the animal the he or she is shooting at," the release said.

Two years ago,fish and wildlife officers in the arealaunched aprojectinvolving the use of antlered robotic mule deerto help catch thepoachers.

Over the two years,officerscaughtnine people shooting the robot, leading to convictions on charges includinghunting an antlered mule deer without a licence, discharging a firearm from a vehicle and having a loaded firearm in a vehicle.

Total fines tallied$15,000.

Goose Lake is about 200 kilometres northwest of Edmonton.