https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada...ukon-bears-1.7035889


Instagram's 'Mr. Adventure' accused of illegally killing bears in Yukon

Tristan James Hamm accused of providing misleading information to obtain a Yukon resident hunting licence

Cheryl Kawaja · CBC News · Posted: Nov 22, 2023 9:40 AM CST | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

Tristan James Hamm, 32, goes by "Mr. Adventure" on Instagram, describing himself as an outdoor connoisseur, adventure athlete and an entrepreneur. Hamm is accused of illegally killing two Yukon black bears and a grizzly. (Instagram)



An outdoor social media influencer with millions of followers is accused of lying to obtain a Yukon hunting licence, going on a hunting spree and illegally killing several bears over a single week, according to court documents.

Tristan James Hamm, 32, who goes by "Mr. Adventure" on Instagram, describes himself as an outdoor connoisseur, animal lover, adventure athlete and entrepreneur.

Hamm has over two million followers on Instagram, with photos of him rock climbing, hiking, boxing and riding horseback, though his account became private Wednesday morning.

He's now facing 19 charges including both territorial and federal offences, accused of killing two Yukon black bears and a grizzly.

Court documents allege Hamm provided false or misleading information to obtain a Yukon resident hunting licence. He's charged with illegally killing a black bear on Bove Island, not far from Carcross on May 17. Hamm is accused of killing a black bear later that month on May 19, at Dry Creek, in western Yukon. Then on May 21, court documents say he killed a grizzly bear near Kluane Lake.


Hamm is accused of illegally killing a black bear on Bove Island on May 17, killing a black bear on May 19, at Dry Creek, then on May 21, court documents say he killed a grizzly bear near Kluane Lake. (CBC News)
Hamm is also facing charges related to exporting remains of two black bears and a grizzly outside the country this past summer.

All 19 of the charges have not been proven in court. Hamm is not in custody and the case will come before the Yukon territorial court in January.

CBC reached out to Hamm for comment but did not hear back. CBC also asked Hamm's lawyer if the accused is in Whitehorse and the lawyer said he is not at liberty to say.



Hearing about the charges, wildlife advocate Sue Greetham told CBC she's outraged.

"I just have a sinking feeling in my stomach, my heart just about breaks and I get goosebumps all over me, it's just the saddest thing," she said.

Greetham is the president of Grizzly Bear Protection Yukon, an advocacy group calling for more protection of bears. She says she opposes trophy hunting and hopes for stronger regulation around legal hunting.


As for illegal hunting, Greetham says anyone found guilty of illegal hunting should be made an example — a warning to others.

"I want it to be a significant message sent. I think the fines should be raised, I think there should be jail terms for such egregious criminal activity regarding wildlife, I just don't understand it."

quote:

Hearing about the charges, wildlife advocate Sue Greetham told CBC she's outraged.

Makes one wonder.

quote:

Greetham is the president of Grizzly Bear Protection Yukon, an advocacy group calling for more protection of bears. She says she opposes trophy hunting and hopes for stronger regulation around legal hunting.

Oh boy

yes they are here too ...

You know, the bears have been misunderstood and so have the antis…they are after hunters blood period

Here's hoping she gets eaten by a bear. What an utter lack of understanding these asshats have.

hope he did not move bear parts under cites in usa that will make again a great lacey act issue ...

quote:

Originally posted by p dog shooter:

quote:

Hearing about the charges, wildlife advocate Sue Greetham told CBC she's outraged.

Makes one wonder.

Yes forsure never trust CBC or a leftist liberal - democrats

quote:

Originally posted by sjr:

quote:

Originally posted by p dog shooter:

quote:

Hearing about the charges, wildlife advocate Sue Greetham told CBC she's outraged.

Makes one wonder.

Yes forsure never trust CBC or a leftist liberal - democrats

Sounds like they'll be begging for more of our money again, time to defund them.

Grizz

even with getting more money they re trying to fire some of them ... what an epic battle will it be to be seen from the outside ... vegan eating vegan ...

https://www.yukon-news.com/new...ined-license-7982473



Home News
Social media influencer sentenced for hunting 3 Yukon bears with improperly-obtained license

Tristan Hamm pleaded guilty to illegally hunting three bears and obtaining hunting licenses as a non-resident
Jake Howarth
about 20 hours ago


An Instagram influencer known for producing outdoor-related content was sentenced on May 1 at the Yukon Territorial Court for illegally hunting three bears and obtaining Yukon hunting licences using misleading information between October 2022 and May 2023.

Tristan James Hamm, 29, pleaded guilty to counts one, three and four on the indictment. These charges, brought forward by the Crown, relate to offences committed under the Yukon Wildlife Act.

Justice Katherine McLeod ordered Hamm to pay a $10,500 fine and an equal amount in contributions to the Yukon conservation fund for illegally hunting three bears within a five-day period in May 2023.

McLeod fined Hamm $2,750 and $1,750 for obtaining hunting licences using misleading information on two separate occasions between 2022 and 2023. She also ordered him to contribute a total of $3,500 to the conservation fund for both counts of obtaining Yukon hunting licenses as a non-resident. Additionally, McLeod prohibited Hamm from hunting in Yukon for two years.

McLeod ruled that Hamm must complete an online hunter education and ethics development course before he can obtain a Yukon hunting licence again. She also ordered him to forfeit pelts from the bears he hunted.

McLeod further prohibited Hamm from joining groups out on hunts for three years unless he becomes a Yukon resident. She added in sentencing that if Hamm did become a Yukon resident that the hunter education and ethics development training would need to be completed first.

Hamm’s Instagram account currently has two million followers, while his TikTok account has 97,000 followers. On TikTok, Hamm posts content about his various outdoor activities, ranging from trail running, to jumping from helicopters and exploring abandoned mines.

Defence lawyer Kevin Drolet told the court that Hamm could make the payment immediately and that the necessary funds were held in a trust account. Hamm attended the proceedings virtually from outside the territory.


Crown prosecutor Kelly McGill presented submissions on sentencing, noting that the Yukon Wildlife Act authorizes the courts to impose a fine of up to $50,000 or up to one year in custody for the offences on the indictment.

McGill and Drolet agreed upon sentencing recommendations for the offences on the indictment that Hamm pleaded guilty to, proposing a global fine of $15,000, including an equal amount in contributions to the conservation fund, as well as a two-year hunting ban and a three-year prohibition on joining groups out on hunts.

McGill and Drolet noted in their submissions that Yukon hunting licenses are reserved for Yukon residents and that Hamm had obtained one despite being a non-resident. McGill argued that Yukon wildlife is a public resource and that non-residents can only hunt through a third party, adding that Hamm’s non-compliance with Yukon’s licensing laws was an aggravating factor in sentencing.

McGill said Hamm hunted a grizzly bear near Kluane Lake in May 2023 and that he also hunted two black bears, one at Dry Creek, approximately a three-hour drive north of Haines Junction, and another at Bove Island on Tagish Lake’s Windy Arm.

McGill also noted that conservation officers recovered two black bear hides, a grizzly bear hide and a bear skull from a taxidermist in the Yukon


Drolet argued in mitigation that sustainable harvest numbers for grizzly bears in 2022 were less than one-quarter of the annual sustainable harvest. He also argued that Hamm submitted all the required harvest and biological reports to Yukon Conservation Officer Services after hunting the bears.

Drolet added that Hamm has family connections to Yukon, despite the defence’s characterization of his residence as unusual due to the nature of his employment. McLeod, in turn, said in sentencing that the nature of Hamm’s employment should help serve as a deterrent against future offences.

During sentencing, McLeod said Yukon’s vast, untamed landscapes make enforcing wildlife and conservation laws difficult, leaving the territory vulnerable to violations. She emphasized that denunciation and deterrence should play a role in sentencing for the offences to which Hamm pleaded guilty.

-With files from Matthew Bossons

Contact Jake Howarth at jake.howarth@yukon-news.com

a shame only few years banned for hunting.

His fine was much, much, much less than it would have cost to have hunted those bears legally. Ridiculous that it was so cheap.