American hunters receive a lifetime hunting suspension

MNR News Release

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Two U.S. residents received $1,500 in fines for bear hunting-related offences, and one also received a lifetime hunting suspension in Ontario.

David J. McCullough of Juliette, Georgia, pleaded guilty and was fined $750 for hunting black bear without a licence. He was fined an additional $750 for making a false statement to a conservation officer.
David Kilgore of Commerce, Georgia, pleaded guilty and received a suspended sentence for hunting black bear without a licence, transporting unlawfully killed wildlife and obstructing a conservation officer. A court order prohibits Kilgore from hunting in Ontario for the rest of his life.

The bear meat, skull and hide were forfeited to the Crown.
Court heard that on August 23, 2009, a Chapleau District conservation officer received a tip that a hunter had shot a black bear in the wrong bear management area. The investigation revealed that on the morning of August 23, McCullough went hunting with Kilgore along the Sultan Industrial Road. Kilgore spotted a bear in a clear cut and instructed McCullough to shoot the bear. McCullough shot the bear with a high-powered rifle and transported the bear back to their camp. After realizing the bear had been shot in a location with no designated bear management area, Kilgore told McCullough to lie to the conservation officer. On two separate occasions, both Kilgore and McCullough brought the officer and the ministry’s canine unit to a false kill site, insisting that the bear kill site was located inside the boundaries of the proper bear management area.

Justice of the Peace Alex Spence heard the case in the Ontario Court of Justice, Chapleau, on January 12, 2011.
To report a natural resources violation, call 1-877-TIPS-MNR (847-7667) toll-free any time or contact your local ministry officer during regular business hours. You can also call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

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