Two Saskatchewan outfitters and two American hunters have been fined thousands of dollars for either illegal outfitting or illegal hunting in two separate cases in the North Battleford area.
Conservation officers launched the first investigation in November 2013 after a bull moose was shot on private land in the Eagle Creek area east of Struan.
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The outfitter, a First Nations man, and the hunter then obtained an export permit for the antlers, stating it had been shot on First Nations land.
Conservation officers took DNA samples from the moose they said was poached on private land and compared it to DNA samples from the antlers that had been seized by U.S. Fish and Wildlife officers.
Testing confirmed the antlers were from the same moose.
Daniel Shriver, 71, an American hunter from West Virginia, pleaded guilty to unlawful hunting, unlawful possession and providing false information to a wildlife officer and fined $3,260.
His outfitter, Stewart Baptiste, pleaded guilty to outfitting without a licence and providing false information to a wildlife officer and fined $5,920.
Baptiste, 37, who is from Cando, was also fined $3,000 after he was caught guiding an American in the Sonningdale area in September 2016.
READ MORE: Illegal outfitting sting operation results in $55K in fines for 6 Sask. men
The second investigation started on Dec. 5, 2016 when conservation officers stopped a vehicle for a compliance check.
Brett Zeis, 30, who is from North Dakota, pleaded guilty to having a loaded firearm in the vehicle and for unlawful hunting. He was fined $1,880.
George Keewatin, 32, who is from Kamsack was fined $10,000 after pleading guilty to unlawful guiding. It was his second conviction for unlawfully guiding in 2016.
Both Baptiste and Keewatin were also ordered from being in the company of anyone involved in any aspect of hunting in Saskatchewan, unless on First Nations land or in the company of another treaty person hunting for subsistence.
They must also provide all details and information of all animals killed while outfitting, ensure their clients go to a Ministry of Environment office and swear affidavits that all the hunting details and information are true, along with signing any required export permits.
The conditions have been imposed for a period of five years.
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