The Ontario government is safeguarding the public from unsafe hunting practices by ensuring people do not hunt at night and follow other hunting rules.
Daniel Harder of Vienna, pleaded guilty to careless hunting, hunting at night, having a loaded firearm in a conveyance, abandoning the flesh of an animal and using an unplugged shotgun. He was fined $5,650, had his hunting licence suspended for two years and will have to re-take the Ontario Hunter Education Course and the Canadian Firearms Safety Course.
Jared Driedger of Aylmer, pleaded guilty to careless hunting, hunting at night, discharging a firearm from a conveyance, abandoning the flesh of an animal and hunting without a licence. He was fined $5,650, had his hunting licence suspended for two years and will have to re-take the Ontario Hunter Education Course and the Canadian Firearms Safety Course.
The court heard that on December 6, 2023, a conservation officer received information of night hunting near Godby Line in Bayham. An investigation revealed that Harder and Driedger were driving in the area with a loaded firearm in their truck when they came across a rabbit. Driedger discharged several shots out of the passenger side window as well as from the road, which struck and killed the rabbit. Harder and Driedger left the rabbit to spoil.
Justice of the Peace Gordon Chaput heard the case remotely in the Ontario Court of Justice, St. Thomas, on June 6, 2024.
To report a natural resource problem or provide information about an unsolved case, members of the public can call the ministry TIPS line toll free at 1-877-847-7667. You can also call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS. For more information about unsolved cases, please visit ontario.ca/mnrftips.
