Félix Bouchard and Martin Beauregard of La Baie, Québec, pleaded guilty on April 18 in the Québec courthouse for contravening the Migratory Birds Regulations. They hunted Snow Geese outside agricultural land, and Mr. Bouchard also hunted using a 12-gauge shotgun with a magazine that had not been plugged.
On April 25, 2009, Environment Canada charged the two individuals with contravening paragraph 15(1)(d) and subsection 5(4) of the Migratory Birds Regulations. The Regulations stipulate that it is prohibited to hunt migratory birds using a shotgun with a magazine that has not been plugged with a metal, plastic or wood filler. It is also prohibited, in the targeted region, to hunt any species of migratory bird, except during the hunting season indicated for the region and species at issue.
The allegations against Mr. Bouchard and Mr. Beauregard follow a complaint from a citizen who noticed two individuals engaged in springtime hunting activities behind a shop in Château-Richer, close to the St. Lawrence River. A verification of the permits and guns revealed the use of an unplugged shotgun and the shooting of nine Snow Geese that had been flying over the river outside agricultural land.
Both men are barred from hunting migratory birds for one year.
For further information on the Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994, and its related regulations, consult the following site: http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/M-7.01/index.html.
