Alberta poachers fined $10,000 each after leaving 2 injured moose to die

THE CANADIAN PRESS

Published Saturday April 19th, 2008
CAROLINE, Alta. - Wildlife officials in Alberta used sophisticated detective work to nab a pair of hunters who shot two moose and left them to die.

Darcy Whiteside of Alberta Sustainable Resource Development says the men were shooting gophers with .22-calibre rifles near Caroline last month when they spotted the moose. Whiteside says they shot the moose multiple times, and both animals were still standing when they drove away.

A landowner was later able to provide information about the two men, and brass casings from the rifles were matched to the two individuals.

Matthew Nicholson and Cody Dipchuk, both of Caroline, pleaded guilty on April 18 to hunting during closed season, using a prohibited calibre of rifle to hunt moose, and wastage.

Both were fined $10,000 each, and they cannot hunt for five years.

Whiteside said it was a disturbing case for investigators because it was clear the moose had suffered.

Whiteside said one of the moose was pregnant with twin calves.

"Our fish and wildlife officers join the force because they love animals - they love the work they do. This is the last type of thing that they want to stumble on. It's why they take investigations on these things so seriously," Whiteside said.

Whiteside said investigators learned of the incident through the Report-A-Poacher tipline.

"Hunters are one of the best users of the Report-A-Poacher line. Some of Alberta's hunters are some of the best stewards in the province," Whiteside said.

"These two individuals give hunters a bad name."

Right on!! Sumbitches like that reduce the moose for us regular guys that rely on the draw and legitimate hunting methods.

the chef

$10K? That'll leave a mark.

Damned glad to hear it.

KG

Love it! Nothing I hate more than poachers.

Bastards.

I think $10 K is cheap how about take all there possesions then gut shoot them with 22 shorts and leave them to die OH i forgot we are supposed to be nice to criminals

I am soooo pissed! Wonder how old these "men" are.
If one of those was my son-even though he is much larger than me-I would kick his A$$ all over the country, make him appear at schools and such to explain why ETHICS are so important in life in general and hunting in particular!! Does that last piece make sense? I'm sure you all know what I mean.
Senseless, bloody senseless.......

archdlx

Not a bad start. I like the idea of gut shooting them and leaving them to suffer. Those are the kind of guys anti-hunting bleeding hearts use to describe all hunters.
On second thought, instead of gut shooting them, shoot them in the face with a ball of their own sh**. Then drag them through a cactus feild for several hours.

Oh, wait....that wouldnt clog up the courts as much.

People like that makes me sick. What a disgraceful waste of moose. My hat is off to the Landowner for reporting it.

Fropm the local paper, here are the culprits.
Grizz

They give everyone a bad name. I say chain em to a wall naked and have at them with hi-powered pelletguns. Then just beat the living S$%t out of them.

Well I am impressed the local paper had the guts to put their pictures in. That will mean more in a small town than the fine, even if ya did not know them now ya can recognise them for what they are. I wish they put all poachers, drug dealers, sexual offenders etc in the paper for all to see. Maybe that would stop some of it from occurring, as the justice system is not deterring any of it. It is interesting though, ever hear of that high a fine for a drug dealer who was selling to kids, or even a sex offender. Not including time in jail of course.
I have personally witnessed a druggy get a 1000 fine for an ounce of Meth on his person. But of course he was trying to turn his life around.

$10,000! To me that is a good chunk of cash! But what if the pukes in question are the typical oil riggers. $10K isn't very much! I say a copy of their income be used, to give as much of a crippling fine as possible.
And I'll echo Jetboater in that all criminals should have pics, names and aliases published!!

I like the fine for $10,000.00 but the hunting restriction should be for life. That way they can't teach their children their stupid ways. Stop the cycle in its tracks.