A hunter from Kingston has been found guilty of carelessly discharging a high-powered rifle after it was fired in the direction of two people.
The incident happened nearly four years ago on Oct. 23, 2018 along a logging road between Ear Falls and Red Lake. The man appeared in court during the summer, and was fined $7,000 and was issued a two-year hunting suspension. He must also complete an education program before being eligible to receive another hunting licence.
Dan McMahon, the staff sergeant of enforcement with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, said the individual fired his weapon at a dog that was in front of two other people, and then fired it again in their direction. The two people yelled and were able to get the man's attention. The people and the dog were not injured.
"[He] did not see that the people were there,” McMahon said. “The two people were in blaze orange, upper body. The dog was in between them and [he] was shooting in that general direction towards the dog.”
McMahon acknowledged the hunter should have had a clear line of sight and properly identified the target before firing his weapon.
“Maybe use some binoculars to look at the area. Not just the target, but also beyond the target,” McMahon said. “I think those two steps would have been very helpful in this situation. If you don’t have a 100 per cent clear distinction of what you are shooting at, then don’t shoot at the perceived object.”
McMahon said hunting safety is important.
“Hunter education is mandatory in Ontario for most jurisdictions. Also, to hunt with a firearm you have to be accredited by the Canadian firearms course. In both of those, they talk about firearms safety like identifying your target and beyond. You don’t point your firearm at anything you are not willing to destroy or discharge your firearm at,” he said.
For more information about hunting safety, McMahon suggests following local fishing and wildlife pages on Facebook and the Ontario Federation of Hunters and Anglers website.
