Man gets 3-year license suspension for shooting lynx

MNR News Release

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A Cobalt area man has lost all of his Ontario hunting privileges for three years after pleading guilty to shooting and abandoning a lynx.

Robert L. Hearn, 63, was convicted of illegally hunting a furbearing mammal and abandoning the pelt.

Court was told that on November 1, 2008, Hearn was driving on Portage Bay Road in Coleman Township when he saw a family of five lynx. Four of the lynx ran off, but one of the animals stayed on the edge of the road. Hearn took a .410 shotgun from the trunk of his car and shot the lynx, killing it instantly. He then pushed the carcass of the lynx into the ditch and left.

The case was heard by Justice of the Peace T.A. Hodgins in the Ontario Court of Justice, Temiskaming Shores, on March 26, 2009.

Lynx are classified as furbearing mammals and are protected under the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act. Only licensed trappers may harvest lynx under a strict quota system. Lynx are generally quiet, docile animals that pose no threat to humans.

To report a natural resource violation, call 1-877-TIPS-MNR (847-7667) toll-free any time or contact your ministry office during regular business hours. You can also call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

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