A recent report of over one hundred migratory birds being illegally wasted is ruffling feathers in the waterfowl world. The incident took place in Saskatchewan, which is considered one of, if not the best, Canadian provinces to hunt the prairies. The incident has exposed serious tensions between outfitters and freelancers, as well as residents and nonresidents.
The incident dates back to October 16, when Saskatoon conservation officers received a tip about a pile of dead birds dumped on private land near Patience Lake, according to a SaskTip Facebook post. Officers reported to the scene and found 142 dead waterfowl, and all the edible meat had been left to waste. According to additional reporting from CBC News, 129 of the wasted birds were snow geese, 1 was a Canada goose, and the rest were a mix of duck species.
“Hunters have a moral and legal obligation to harvest the meat from the wildlife they hunt. The waste of over 100 migratory birds constitutes a provincial and federal offence,” explained Sasktip. “It was determined that the violators also did not have permission to access the land where the birds were dumped.”
Conservation officers posted photos of both the dead birds and a truck suspected of being involved in the incident. They have also offered a cash reward of $2,000 for information leading to an arrest or conviction. If convicted, the citations would likely total more than $20,000 Canadian dollars.
It’s not clear if conservation officers have made any headway on the open case, but in the meantime, hunters of all stripes have been pointing fingers at each other on social media. Some folks blamed freelancers, who may not have as stringent oversight as outfitters, while others blamed outfitters. Residents were keen to put the onus on nonresidents.
One thing that many folks pointed out is the fact that, unlike other Canadian provinces, Saskatchewan does not have a “term limit,” meaning non-resident hunters can stay there for as long as they like. While the province does not have a possession limit for snow geese, American hunters must abide by different possession limits when they bring birds back home, possibly creating an incentive to dump birds. On the flip side, though, some people suspect unsavory outfitters or guides of not always “donating” their clients’ unwanted birds in appropriate manners. The truck in the photo may be from the U.S. because it has a front license plate, which is not required in Saskatchewan.
“Because of the restrictions that have been placed on the term licenses in Alberta and Manitoba, we have seen an unprecedented increase in hunters from other jurisdictions, predominantly the United States, this year,” Daryl Crabbe, executive director of the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation, told CBC News.
That said, there’s no sure evidence whether the responsible person or party was a freelancer or outfitter, resident or non-resident. Regardless, the incident is a bad look for waterfowl hunters more broadly, and it could certainly serve as fodder, justifiably so or not, for increasing restrictions on nonresident and freelance duck hunters in Saskatchewan.
“Unfortunately, I would say that it happens all too frequently year to year,” said Chris Maier, an inspector with the Conservation Officer Service. “It just comes down to some hunters that aren’t being responsible, and then they end up wasting the animals afterwards because they don’t want to deal with them.”