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Published Aug 09, 2026
Man fined $3K for illegal deer hunt, firearm offences | London Free Press
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An Aylmer man has been fined $3,000 after a conservation officer encountered him with a loaded, uncased firearm after legal hunting hours during a controlled deer hunt southeast of London, provincial officials say.
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The man pleaded guilty to unlawfully hunting deer during a controlled hunt, unlawfully possessing a firearm at night and allowing another person to unlawfully use his deer-hunting permit, Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources said in a news release.
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“These actions are illegal and include unsafe firearm practices,” Ron Arnold of the ministry’s enforcement branch said in a video posted to the Ontario Fish and Wildlife Facebook and Instagram accounts.
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The case stems from a Dec. 3, 2025 inspection in Bayham, an Elgin County municipality southeast of London. A conservation officer encountered the man during a controlled hunt limited to muzzle-loading guns, about 20 minutes after legal hunting time had ended, officials said.
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The officer found the gun was loaded and not encased, the ministry said. The man also did not have a valid controlled deer hunt validation for 2025.
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The investigation found his deer tag was back at a hunting camp, where another person had used it one day earlier for a deer taken during the controlled hunt. The deer and the man’s firearm were seized.
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Ontario generally permits hunting from 30 minutes before sunrise until 30 minutes after sunset. Outside those hours, firearms must be unloaded and encased, according to provincial hunting regulations.
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“This upcoming fall hunting season, we want to remind you to hunt safe and unload your firearm and encase it after legal hunting time,” Arnold said.
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The case was heard in the Ontario Court of Justice in St. Thomas on May 13.
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The province asks the public to report suspected natural-resources violations to its tips line at 1-877-847-7667 or contact Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).