Illegal hunting incident near Dawson Creek results in $10K fine

DAWSON CREEK, B.C. — Rory Daniel Friesen was fined $10,000 for hunting without consideration and out of season in 2020 near Dawson Creek.

The Hudson’s Hope man was sentenced in a Dawson Creek court on November 29th. He was also given a forfeiture order for the animal he killed and is also prohibited from accompanying hunters anywhere in BC for three years.

A forfeiture allows the government to seize property and assets “tainted” by crime.

The Conservation Officer Service (COS) was notified of the incident through the poachers and polluters hotline on September 29th, 2020, at approximately 4:30 p.m.

Conservation Officer Rob Groeger, based out of Dawson Creek, said Friesen was about two kilometres down the Berry Road, just outside of Pouce Coupe, when he shot a moose crossing the road.

A witness saw the incident transpiring and said Friesen took one shot with his rifle, and then he had to get a different rifle because his firearm jammed.

“He fired two more shots in the moose while the witness and her child were in a vehicle,” Groeger said.

The conservation officer said he arrived on the scene at approximately 5 p.m. while Friesen was still on site. The property owner and the witness’s spouse also arrived around the same time.

Groeger said the COS took the antlers as evidence because even though the moose wasn’t legally obtained, it remains the property of the province.

The moose was donated to a First Nations member in the area.