Sask. outfitter receives lifetime hunting ban

A Saskatchewan hunter has been banned from hunting for life after pleading guilty to seven charges including outfitting without a licence.

Steven Bullock, 36, of Langham, Sask., ran an illegal outfitting company called In The Stix Bear Camp,advertising bear hunts on social media since 2015.

Conservation officer Kevin Harrison says Bullock is the first person in the province to receive the lifetime suspension under the new regulations that came into effect in July 2015.

Ministry of Environment conservation officers in Saskatoon became aware of the activity in March 2016 when they saw Bullock's advertisements online.

They found Bullockhad provided outfitting services to an American client in 2016, using an inactive outfitting camp in northern Saskatchewan.The Ohio Department of Natural Resources provided the investigation with statements from some of Bullock's American clients.

Charges included "outfitting and advertising without a licence, exceeding the possession limit of fish, breaching a 10-year firearms prohibition order, possession of firearms without a possession acquisition licence, and two counts of falsifying hunting/outfitting licences."

In addition to the ban on hunting, Bullock was fined $16,080, given a three-year firearms prohibitionand must contact a conservation officer prior to accompanying anyone who will be hunting.

The lifetime ban means he can't apply for or obtain a big game licence, game bird licence or fur licence. The ban works on a three strikes system those convicted on three separate occasions for wildlife offences automatically receive a ban.