Image Credit: The Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation
August 12, 2022 - 2:29 PM
A Kelowna man will pay a $7,000 fine after he lured and shot a mule deer with a crossbow on Lakeshore Drive.
He pleaded guilty to two of his three charges after a B.C. Conservation Officer Service investigation found he shot the deer on Feb. 11, 2021, outside of deer hunting season.
Andre Comeau, born in 1973, baited and shot the buck in a residential neighbourhood, near beach houses and walking trails, according to the conservation officer service.
Although his crossbow bolt hit the deer, it was only injured and ran off.
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It wasn’t until the next morning that a child found the deer near their home, which prompted a report to conservation officers.
Conservation officers did not specify exactly where on Lakeshore Road the deer was shot, nor how far it went before it was found.
According to court documents, Comeau pleaded guilty to hunting out of season and hunting without consideration of nearby life or property, for which he will pay the fine and be prohibited from hunting for six years.
Comeau will also be required to retake a hunter’s training course and write apology letters to several families, including children, impacted by the incident.
A third charge for failing to retrieve wildlife was stayed at his Aug. 11 hearing in Kelowna provincial court.
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“Poaching of any kind, especially in urban areas, is completely unacceptable and in this case endangered the lives and safety of the public,” Kelowna conservation officer Ken Owens said in a media release.
“We hope this notable penalty will deter others from similar activities.”
A majority of the $7,000 fine will go toward the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, an environmental non-profit organization.
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