A B.C. man has been handed a hefty fine and a 10-year hunting ban after shooting and killing a grizzly bear sow and cub out of season, according to the B.C. Conservation Officer Service.
In a social media post Friday, the BCCOS said a resident in the southeastern Kootenay region of Elk Valley is facing a $15,152 penalty and has been banned from hunting for a decade after killing the bears and "removing and keeping the heads and paws and burying the carcasses."
Conservation officers began the investigation in October 2021, after a wildlife scientist discovered a severed grizzly bear's GPS collar and the ear tips of four tagged grizzly bears in a remote area near Elkford.
The BCCOS said officers were able to track down the last known location of the bear to a residence, where they determined the man had shot a female grizzly bear and cub on their property.
"The bears had reportedly been accessing insecure free-range chickens," the BCCOS said. "The head and paws of the bears were removed and kept by the resident, and the carcasses were buried on the property."
Dax McHarg pleaded guilty in a Fernie courtroom this week to killing a grizzly sow and cub out of season, unlawful possession of dead wildlife, failing to report the accidental killing of wildlife, and mischief under $5,000.
McHarg's firearm was forfeited. The BCCOS said he is also required to retake the hunter education course "CORE" and to complete 100 hours of community service.
The majority of McHarg's $15,152 penalty will go towards the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, the BCCOS said.
