The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) says it has concluded its snared deer investigation in the Redbridge area.
Roch Leduc, a local hunter, had been frustrated trying to find a solution for a deer snaring problem as he found three dead deer snared on a portion of crown land in Redbridge which he says was set up right along a deer trail or what he calls a "deer run away."
The MNRF met with Leduc to investigate in the late fall but Leduc continued to see the snares up until early February. Only days after Leduc's story was published on BayToday, the snares were removed from the area.
See related: Illegally snared deer case settled thanks to BayToday story
The MNRF did not offer a comment at the time, but today they released a statement, but implied weather may have played a factor.
"MNRF Conservation Officers found that the snares, though set up legally, were accidentally affecting deer due to changing snow levels," the MNRF told BayToday in an email.
"The trapper removed the snares voluntarily. During a follow-up visit on February 7, 2024, officers noticed that snow conditions again made the snares less effective for the targeted species. The trapper is cooperative and receptive to feedback. MNRF will keep an eye on the situation and act as needed."
Leduc says he has been hunting for 40 years including the past 20 in the North Bay area but he has never seen what he has been finding in the woods near Redbridge the past few months.
