Man fined and given hunting ban for wasting caribou meat

A man who shot caribou near the DempsterHighway in Yukon and left most of the meat to rot has been finedand given a three-year hunting ban.

According to Environment Yukon, Bradley Mitchell was seen by witnesses hunting caribou near Rock River, Yukon, in July 2013. The following day, those same witnesses found several abandoned caribou carcasses, and reported the matter to conservation officers.

The officers then interviewed Mitchell, who admitted to killing the caribou and only taking a bit of the meat. Mitchell was then charged under the Yukon Wildlife Act.

When Mitchellfailed to attend his court date, a warrant was issued for his arrest. WhitehorseRCMPfinally caught up tohim last month and Mitchell pleaded guilty in Yukon Territorial Court this week.

JudgeJohn Faulkner ordered Mitchell to pay a $2,000 fine to Yukon's Turn in Poachers and Polluters (TIPP) fund. Mitchell isalso prohibited from getting a Yukon hunting licence for three years, and must complete a hunter education and ethics course before again being eligible for a licence.

Under Yukon's Wildlife Act, it is an offence for edible game meat to be"left in the field without being properly dressed and cared for to prevent the meat from being scavanged or spoiled."

Wildlife officials have investigated several cases of wasted caribou meat near the Yukon/N.W.T. border in recent years.

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