COLD LAKE, Alta. — One man has been charged after four moose were shot and killed on private property in northeastern Alberta.
Police say they got a call about shots fired around 4:40 p.m. on Monday in the municipal district of Bonnyville.
When they arrived, they found four dead moose.
RCMP say the property owner did not give anyone permission to hunt on his land.
Dwayne Gerald Nest, 59, Cold Lake First Nations has been charged with unauthorized use of a firearm.
An outraged neighbour posted the following status to Facebook:
Alberta Fish and Wildlife officers investigated and no charges have been laid.
"In order to proceed with charges related to hunting on occupied land without permission, officers need an official statement from the landowner saying that permission was not, in fact, granted. In this case, it was the landowner's decision not to provide an official statement,'' Brendan Cox, spokesman with Alberta Justice, said in a statement.
"There was no evidence of any other offences.''
Cox says First Nations people with treaty status have a constitutionally protected right to hunt big game for food and are not subject to bag limits. He added the hunters in this case showed officers proof of their treaty status and the landowner granted the hunters access to retrieve the moose.
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Police say they got a call about shots fired around 4:40 p.m. on Monday in the municipal district of Bonnyville.
When they arrived, they found four dead moose.
RCMP say the property owner did not give anyone permission to hunt on his land.
Dwayne Gerald Nest, 59, Cold Lake First Nations has been charged with unauthorized use of a firearm.
An outraged neighbour posted the following status to Facebook:
Alberta Fish and Wildlife officers investigated and no charges have been laid.
"In order to proceed with charges related to hunting on occupied land without permission, officers need an official statement from the landowner saying that permission was not, in fact, granted. In this case, it was the landowner's decision not to provide an official statement,'' Brendan Cox, spokesman with Alberta Justice, said in a statement.
"There was no evidence of any other offences.''
Cox says First Nations people with treaty status have a constitutionally protected right to hunt big game for food and are not subject to bag limits. He added the hunters in this case showed officers proof of their treaty status and the landowner granted the hunters access to retrieve the moose.
Also on HuffPost:
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