Originally Posted by
Gilroy
Deerslayer,
Your circumstance of being charged was rather unfortunate and althought it sounds pretty anal,the previous advice from the MNR is pretty straighforward.
If you find yourself having to track a wounded deer and its getting near end of legal hours.The guns have to be encased period and a phone call made to the nearest MNR office or 800 number after hours.
They have indicated they will entertain permission to allow you to follow up on tracking that deer.
Having done that you take away any allegations about night poaching and so forth.Now your entry onto private land might still have you dropped in ka,ka but at least you have the back up call you made to the MNR.
Had you made that call things may have ended better,the complainant for the trespass could have been informed that the MNR were aware you were out looking and conveyed that to the complainant.
I know in real life there is a good possibility the MNR may not get back to you BUT THE CALL YOU MADE at least covers you for trying to ensure a deer did not spoil.
If the MNR did not show,you phone records the attempt.I would then call the OPP and try via them,as they have direct contact.
UNFORTUNATELY YOU LEFT YOURSELF WIDE OPEN.
Just a little story for you guys and how things CAN work out if you do the right thing.
About 10 years ago on the last day of Moose hunting season I dropped into a friends hunting camp to say hi and goodbye for the season.Its 10am in the morning and 5 guys are milling around the porch looking rather sheepish.I had stopped hunting because early that day it was pea soup fog and real hard to see.
Anyway the story comes out that they see a Cow and Calf cross the road in front of their truck and head towards a small pond.They
jump out (in the fog) and proceed to surround the pond.One hunter see,s what he thinks is a calf and drops it.Its the cow and they have no tag.
The animal has been down for 1/2hr and is not gutted and the camp captain tells me he has made a phone call to a personal number for the local CO.They get no reply and I tell the camp owner that the CO might not be working or even be away on vacation.Doing nothing is not an option.
Long story short I call a local OPP guy I know,tell him whats happened.He tells me to immediately start cleaning the Moose (save spoliage) and he would try for the MNR guys.
So we all go to the BIG COW lying by the pond and we clean it out and put a BIG ORANGE TARP over it.I look around and locate the calf tracks and make sure they are preserved.
Two rookie MNR guys show up from the Minden office with a trailer some 2 hours later.The hunter who make the kill tells the complete story.The Moose gets seized and he gets a $400.00 out of court settlement POT on the spot.
I heard later he set a date for court,there was some error on the ticket and the charge was stayed.