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“On March 14, 2022, an on-duty RCMP officer was driving in a fully marked police vehicle on a winter road, returning to Bunibonibee Cree Nation (Manitoba). The officer encountered a caribou and attempted to hunt the caribou illegally.
The constable used his patrol-issued carbine rifle from his police vehicle and discharged two rounds at the caribou. However, the discharged rounds struck the police vehicle. The caribou was uninjured.”
The above was taken directly from an RCMP press release dated February 10, 2023. The officer in question, 34-year-old Karl Tabares-Chevarie, was charged with “Use a Prohibited Firearm in a Careless Manner” and “Hunt Without a Licence”. The charges were levied against our poor-shot cop on February 9, 2023, almost a full year from the time of the, ahem... shooting. According to the press release, Tabares-Chevarie resigned and was discharged from the RCMP in June of 2022.
According to Canadian Criminal Defense and Firearms lawyer, Ian Runkle, the officer should be charged with using a prohibited weapon. Remember, the “patrol-issued carbine rifle” is, in the eyes of Trudeau and his gun-grabbing partners, an assault rifle designed “to kill the largest number of people in the shortest amount of time” (Trudeau’s words), and has been banned in Canada. Because the officer was using the gun outside of his official duties, would it not then become an “assault rifle”, as opposed to a “patrol-issued carbine rifle”? I would think so. Runkle also believes that if it were you or I that did the, ahem... shooting, we would certainly be facing those charges as well.
As for Tabares-Chevarie, depending on the outcome of his charges, there’s a good chance he could show up elsewhere as a police officer, once again, sporting a “patrol-issued carbine rifle”. Let’s hope that wherever he shows up, there aren’t any caribou.
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A recent decision to split up our Fish and Wildlife Department have many in Alberta up in arms. It appears as though Alberta’s Fish and Wildlife Department is being further eroded with responsibilities being taken away and given to other ministries that may or may not have the same conservation values as Fish and Wildlife does.
Alberta’s fish hatcheries will now fall under the umbrella of the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, while fishing and hunting allocations are to be with the Ministry of Forestry, Parks and Tourism, who will now decide where Alberta’s wildlife harvest is allocated, and set fishing limits.
Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but if the distribution of allocations now belong to tourism, could this not put the benefits of tourism ahead of the protection of fish and wildlife species? Is Tourism concerned about big game hunting opportunities for Alberta residents, or would they be more concerned about how allocations benefit the outfitting industry in Alberta? These are legitimate questions that need to be answered, and soon.
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A recent study has concluded that black bears may in fact be the reason for so many Sasquatch sightings. That’s correct, bears could be sasquatches. The study, conducted by Floe Foxon suggests, “A significant positive association was found between sasquatch sightings and black bears such that, after adjusting for human population and land area, one sasquatch sighting is expected for every few hundred bears in a given state or province.
“In conclusion, if Bigfoot is there, it may be many bears.”
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We all heard about the devastation and loss of life caused by the earthquake that pummeled Turkey and Syria. But there are many heroic stories that came to light as well, including four rescue dogs from Korea that were sent to Antakya in southern Turkey to help find survivors under the rubble. The dogs are trained to bark or scratch when they detect a human scent among collapsed buildings... and help they did, rescuing several people. But, as usual, a recent video showing one of the dogs with an injured (bandaged) foot has animal-rights activists up in arms. You just have to wonder about mental state of the animal-rights crowd...
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It is with great pleasure that I announce the resurrection of trapping icon Gordy Klassen, better known as TrapperGord, back to the pages of AO. After a long hiatus, Gordy decided his pen needed to get back to work and so, on page 56, Gordy has returned to enlighten you with his many trapping tips and tales.
Enjoy! ■
For previous Outdoor Pursuits click here.
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