$1,500 in fines for illegal hunt

February 17, 2016

A Coe Hill man has been fined $1,500 for hunting offences under the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act.
Thomas A. Spatafore pleaded guilty to possessing wildlife that was killed unlawfully. He was fined $1,000 and given a one-year provincial hunting suspension. Spatafore also pleaded guilty to using a component of a licence that was issued to someone else and was also fined $500.

Court heard that in March 2015, a conservation officer from the Bancroft District enforcement unit obtained photos of Spatafore and another male posing with two bucks in the town of Coe Hill, Hastings County. Further investigation revealed that while one buck was taken legally, the buck which Spatafore posed with was taken illegally. After Spatafore shot the buck, it was left in the bush.

He then contacted an individual, who was never part of the hunt, to tag the buck for him. Spatafore kept the buck’s head and gave the rest of the deer away to the individual.

A search warrant was conducted in June 2015 at Spatafore’s business in Coe Hill where officers seized the illegal deer mount. It was permanently forfeited to the Crown.

Justice of the Peace Ernie Parsons heard the case in the Ontario Court of Justice, Bancroft, on Feb. 2.

For further information on hunting regulations, please consult the Ontario Hunting Regulations Summary available at ontario.ca/hunting. If you are not local to Ontario, you must consult with your own hunting regulator (for example, the MI DNR if you are from Michigan), because regulations differ between countries, states, and territories.

To report a natural resources violation, call the MNRF TIPS line at 1-877-847-7667 toll-free any time or contact your local ministry office during regular business hours. You can also call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).