These guys give all hunters a bad name. Throw the book at them.
The law lands on copter hunters
INGRID PERITZ
Globe and Mail Update
May 2, 2007 at 10:28 PM EDT
MONTREAL — From stalking moose by helicopter to snaring wild animals with fish hooks, a raft of charges have been levelled at a group of well-to-do hunters.
The provincial Justice Department has announced charges against 12 men, all Quebec residents, who were nabbed last fall when wildlife officers broke up a shooting party on Quebec's remote North Shore.
The dozens of offences range from making false statements to unlawful possession of moose.
Two men have pleaded guilty and 10 not guilty.
Enlarge Image Quebec wildlife agents clandestinely took this photo of hunters removing a moose carcass last fall on the province’s North Shore. (Ministere des Ressources naturelles et de la Faune du Quebec)
Seasoned observers described the ring busted by Quebec wildlife agents as brazen and cruel.
The shooters set out in helicopters from the upscale Lac Matonipi outfitting lodge, north of Baie Comeau. According to the wildlife officers, the hunting party would illegally stalk moose by helicopter until the animals were dazed and ragged, then descend from the copter and pick them off with powerful guns.
Among those charged is Clément Guérin, director of the Lac Matonipi outfitting lodge. Mr. Guérin is charged with illegal possession of a moose and a black bear, and using a fish hook topped with meat to trap an animal — a method that brings excruciating death as the creature unsuspectingly bites into the lure and slowly bleeds to death.
Wildlife officers say the animals trapped were wolves.
Mr. Guérin, a retired businessman who lives in the Montreal suburb of St. Lazare, pleaded not guilty and said yesterday he expects his name will be cleared. He said the hunters were set up by wildlife officers, and while the helicopter took off from his hunting lodge, the shooting took place outside his outfitting reserve.
André Martel, whose $1.5-million helicopter was seized after the operation, faces 15 charges that could bring fines of a minimum $27,375. Mr. Martel, president of Panorama Helicopters, is charged with numerous counts of chasing moose and firing on a moose from a helicopter. He refused to comment when he was reached at his company in Alma, Que.
Hunting is a multimillion-dollar industry in Quebec, and about 20 per cent of the customers drawn to the province's 700 fish-and-game outfitters are Americans.
Marc Plourde, director-general of the Quebec Federation of Outfitters, said Americans are especially concerned these days with the notion of “fair chase” – the idea of a sportsmanlike, ethical approach to hunting in which “the animal has a chance,” Mr. Plourde said.
“Those who respect the rules have very little tolerance for cheaters and people who don't respect animals,” he said. “If an animal has no chance to escape a hunter, that's not real hunting. It's slaughtering game, which we don't tolerate.”
He said the description of the allegations “makes me think of the Far West.”
Wildlife officials said the shooting party had been bagging moose from helicopters for three years; after the animal was felled, it was attached by nylon cable to a helicopter that transported it out of the woods.
Working on tips from law-abiding hunters, wildlife officers hid in the woods and documented the alleged illegal activities.
The length of the operation underscores the difficulty in prosecuting such cases, experts say.
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Re: Poaching - Throw the book at them
. Remove all their tools used for poaching only seems fair.
Re: Poaching - Throw the book at them
Originally Posted by Chuck
Hunt to live-live to hunt! 
