Two men from Manitoba have pleaded guilty to illegal hunting on private land in Saskatchewan in a case that raised First Nation hunting rights.
Charlie Boucher and Georgie Lamirande, both from the Pine Creek First Nation in Manitoba, were charged with unlawfully hunting on posted land, unlawful possession of wildlife and illegally transporting wildlife to another province.
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The investigation into the two men started in December 2015 when Saskatchewan conservation officers received a Turn in Poachers call from a landowner who said three moose were shot on posted land.
He stated the moose were being loaded into two trucks on his land that was posted off-limits to hunters and gave officers the licence plate number from one of the trucks.
A search warrant was eventually executed by Saskatchewan and Manitoba conservation officers, along with RCMP, at two homes on the Pine Creek First Nation.
Officials said DNA samples from the kill site in Saskatchewan and from the homes were sent for testing, which came back positive.
Spent shell casings from the kill site were also matched to firearms at both residences.
Boucher, 55, and Lamirande, 40, were each fined a total of $7,500 each after pleading guilty to the charges in Yorkton provincial court.
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At the time, the chief of Pine Creek First Nation, Charlie Boucher, said the case raised hunting rights of indigenous people on their traditional territory, which crosses the Manitoba-Saskatchewan boundary.
The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs wrote a letter to Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall accusing the province of harassing indigenous hunters.
In Saskatchewan, individuals who are exercising their treaty rights to hunt for food requires prior permission from landowners before hunting on private land.