ATHABASCA – A local couple had to face the music after they were caught illegally shooting and then disposing of a deer this summer.
In the Athabasca Court of Justice on Oct. 28, co-accused Nathan Reuben Turkstra and Taya Margaret Turkstra each pleaded guilty to single counts of hunting wildlife during a closed season and wasting edible flesh as part of a joint submission with Crown prosecutor Andrew Dirgo.
“Thank you for your honesty, and for clearly taking responsibility and accountability for circumstances,” said Justice Gordon Putnam, who accepted the joint submission.
Additional charges for possessing wildlife, wasting edible flesh, and hunting wildlife in a closed season were dropped.
The Turkstras will each pay a $1,000 fine and will have to wait a year before they can hold a recreational hunting licence. The couple have until Nov. 25 to pay the fines.
Court heard that on Aug. 23, a fish and wildlife officer received a complaint that two individuals, later identified as the Turkstras, shot a deer in a field near the complainant's residence.
Upon arrival, the officer found where he believed the deer had been shot. He was able to observe where the deer had been shot and where it ran before falling dead.
After receiving directions to the Turkstras' residence from the complainant, the officer asked the pair for a native status card, which they did not have.
The Turkstras said they had made a mistake shooting the deer, and had disposed of the carcass down the road because they were afraid of being caught.
