The Ontario government is safeguarding the public against unsafe and illegal hunting practices.

Constantine Boyd of Huron East was convicted of discharging a firearm across a public right of way, careless hunting, having a loaded firearm in a vehicle and failing to invalidate his deer tag. Boyd received $3,050 in fines, a three-year hunting licence suspension and must also retake the Ontario hunter education course before obtaining another hunting licence.

The court heard that on December 2, 2020, a conservation officer on patrol in Huron East encountered Boyd with a loaded firearm in the front seat of his pickup truck and a deer in the truck bed with an un-notched deer tag. With the assistance of a Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry canine unit, the investigation revealed that Boyd fired shots at the deer across Moncrieff Road. It was also determined that he discharged his firearm in an unsafe direction, with barns and farm lanes a short distance away.

Boyd had also been convicted in 2019 of trespassing for the purpose of hunting and unlawfully discharging a firearm in a right of way that resulted in a hunting suspension, which ended in March 2020.

Justice of the Peace Sue Stewart heard the case in the Ontario Court of Justice, Goderich, on January 17 and May 16, 2023.

To report a natural resource problem or provide information about an unsolved case, members of the public can call the ministry TIPS line toll free at 1-877-847-7667. You can also call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS. For more information about unsolved cases, please visit ontario.ca/mnrftips.