The provincial government has issued fines totaling more than $11,000 to two local hunters for killing a rabbit with a gun at night.
Two Elgin County men – Jared Driedger from Aylmer, and Daniel Harder from Vienna, south of Tillsonburg – were hit with fines of $5,650 each after an incident that left a rabbit dead, officials with Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources say.
“Two male individuals have learned the hard way that hunting at night is illegal,” Ron Arnold, a conservation officer, said in a recorded statement.
Provincial officials say it was Dec. 6, 2023, when a conservation officer received information of night hunting near Godby Line in Bayham, a rural municipality east of St. Thomas. An investigation revealed that two men were driving in the area with a loaded firearm in their truck when the pair came across a rabbit, Arnold said.
“One of the males discharged several shots out of the passenger side window as well as from the road, which eventually killed the rabbit,” Arnold said. “It was left to spoil and the two males drove away.”
As well as the fines, both men pleaded guilty to all charges they faced, Arnold said, including hunting at night and abandoning the flesh of an animal.
Harder also pleaded guilty to charges of having a loaded shotgun in a vehicle and using an unplugged shotgun.
Driedger pleaded guilty to discharging a firearm from a vehicle and hunting without licence.
Additionally, both men had their hunting licences suspended for two years and will have to re-take the Ontario Hunter Education and Canadian Firearms Safety courses, officials said.
Arnold reminded Ontario residents to “hunt safe” and “respect Ontario’s natural resources.”
To report a natural resources violation or provide information about an unsolved case, members of the public can call the ministry tip line at 1-877-847-7667. Citizens can also call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
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