Man gets lifetime hunting ban for illegal outfitting

A 36-year-old Langham man has been given a lifetime hunting ban after pleading guilty to a list of hunting, fishing and firearms charges.

The charges come after an investigation conducted by the Ministry of Environment and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, according to a government news release.

The investigators determined that in fall 2016 Steven Bullock provided illegal outfitting services to a U.S. client to hunt black bears along the North Saskatchewan River near Langham.

He also facilitated fishing at Blackstrap Reservoir south of Saskatoon, the release indicates.

He pleaded guilty in Saskatoon provincial court to seven charges under The Wildlife Act, Fisheries Regulations, Natural Resources Act and the Criminal Code. Charges included outfitting and advertising without a licence, exceeding the possession limit for fish, breaching a 10-year firearms prohibition order, possession of firearms without a possession acquisition licence and two counts of falsifying hunting/outfitting licences.

The investigation followed the 2016 discovery by the Ministry of Environment of a possible illegal outfitting company called In The Stix Bear Camp, the release states, noting an inactive hunting camp was being used as a front to advertise outfitting services.

Along with a lifetime hunting ban, Bullock was given probationary conditions and a three-year ban from owning or possessing a firearm. He must contact a conservation officer prior to accompanying anyone who will be hunting, the release states.