Three Individuals Fined for Unlawful Deer Hunting Practices

Three individuals from Southern Ontario have been fined a total of $9,000 for multiple hunting violations across multiple hunting seasons:

Harry Vandiepenbeek of Grey County pleaded guilty to enabling another individual to unlawfully use his deer hunting licence and to possessing a deer without a tag attached. He was fined $1,500.

Chad Gill of Chatham-Kent pleaded guilty to multiple offences, including unlawfully hunting deer in a controlled deer hunt, possessing another person’s deer tag while hunting, possessing a deer without a tag attached, possessing a void licence and making a false statement in a document. He was fined $4,000.

Blake Wilson of Chatham-Kent pleaded guilty to multiple offences, including unlawfully hunting deer in a controlled deer hunt, failing to invalidate a deer tag immediately after harvest, possessing another person’s deer tag while hunting, possessing deer without a tag attached and two counts of making a false statement in a document. He was fined $3,500.

The Ontario Court of Justice heard that, on September 18, 2025, conservation officers began investigating the activities of a deer hunting group from the Municipality of Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh in Huron County. A review of wild game records revealed inconsistencies when compared to the Fish and Wildlife Licensing Service mandatory hunter reporting.

This investigation led conservation officers to a hunt camp west of Lucknow in Huron County in November 2025, where officers located an untagged deer in a barn on the property. Through cautioned statements, officers determined that the deer hunting group had numerous violations spanning the 2023 to 2025 hunting seasons.

Justice of the Peace Karl McNamara heard the cases in the Ontario Court of Justice, Goderich on April 21, 2026 and July 21, 2026.

To report a natural resource problem or provide information about an unsolved case, members of the public can call the ministry TIPS line toll free at 1-877-847-7667. You can also call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS. For more information about unsolved cases, please visit ontario.ca/MNRTips.