B.C. man fined for attracting wildlife, shooting two black bears

A Pitt Meadows, B.C., man has been ordered to pay a fine of more than $7,000 for attracting wildlife to his property and shooting two black bears out of season.

Christian Hall was sentenced Friday in provincial court in Port Coquitlam for one count of killing wildlife not in open season and another for attracting wildlife.

The B.C. Conservation Officer Service opened the case in May 2022 after getting a report of a dead black bear in a Pitt Meadows field. An officer spoke to the resident who admitted to shooting the bear in his yard.

After investigating further, “the man admitted to shooting a second black bear in his yard two days prior,” said the conservation service in a statement on Tuesday.

“A large pile of waste honey boards and beehive debris on the man’s property was found, which is an attractant to bears.”

Black bears are considered dangerous along with grizzlies, coyotes, wolves and cougars. Under the Wildlife Act, there is no open season on wildlife within 100 metres of a residence, including one’s own.

It is also against the act to leave an attractant in a way that could attract and be accessible to dangerous wildlife.

Hall pleaded guilty to the offences in December of last year. On Friday, he was ordered to pay a fine of $7,360 and is prohibited from hunting for a year. He must also retake a conservation and outdoor recreation education program that spells out hunter safety and ethics.

The conservation service said $6,000 of the fine will go to B.C.’s Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation.