The Yukon government has levied a heavy fine and hunting prohibition against a man who pleaded guilty to hunting elk in a closed area on two occasions and providing false information relating to both harvests.
Marc Meyer, 36, was fined $11,000 plus an $1,100 victim surcharge for three Wildlife Act offences on March 25. The offences relate to hunting in a closed area in 2020 and 2021.
In October of 2021, conservation officers began an investigation after they were notified about a potential elk kill site in the Mendenhall area.
“Upon investigation, conservation officers determined the elk had been killed in a closed zone and false information was provided regarding the harvest location. Meyer, a resident licensed hunter with an elk exclusion area permit, was charged with offences under the Wildlife Act related to this complaint,” a March 29 notice from the Yukon government reads.
The elk exclusion area permit that Meyer held only entitles the hunter to take an elk outside the core habitat area in the Takhini Valley and the buffer areas where elk seals (tags) are distributed through the permit hunt authorization lottery. The government notice states that Meyer claimed his 2021 elk was harvested in the exclusion zone and re-created a kill site to support this claim.
“Physical evidence found at the scene combined with professional and thorough investigative work determined this was false and that the elk was killed more than 50 kilometers east in the Core (no hunting) zone,” the notice reads.
Along with the elk Meyer plead guilty to killing in 2021, investigators determined that Meyer also killed an elk in a closed zone in the fall of 2020 and failed to provide harvest information after harvesting a moose in 2019.
Along with the fine, Meyer is prohibited from hunting for the next eight years, including accompanying other hunters in the field. He will also forfeit all items seized in the investigation including two firearms and all that remains of the animals that were illegally harvested.
Conservation officers also seized Meyer’s vehicle as evidence. In accordance to the plea agreement his vehicle will be returned when the fine is paid.
Meyer will also be required to take the Hunters Education and Ethics Development course before applying for a hunting licence in the future.
Conservation officers remind the public that Wildlife Act and Environment Act violations can be reported confidentially at any time to the TIPP line (1-800-661-0525) or through Yukon.ca/TIPP.
Contact Jim Elliot at jim.elliot@yukon-news.com