A Woodslee resident has pleaded guilty to unsafe and illegal hunting practices.
The charges include guilty to hunting deer with a centre-fire rifle in an archery-only season, hunting without a license, possessing a counterfeit tag and using a rifle greater than a .275-calibre while hunting small game.
The man was fined $5,500.
According to a news release, the court heard that on Dec. 31, 2023, a conservation officer was working in the vicinity of Leamington when the man was contacted while returning home from his hunt.
“[The man] was in possession of a cross bow and 30-06 calibre rifle, which he had been using to hunt coyotes,” read the release.
“Through an investigation, it was determined [he] had also hunted deer without a license.”
The man got a counterfeit deer tag and gave it to the officer. The Ministry of Natural Resources said the original tag was used the day before on a white-tailed deer.
The case was heard in Windsor on July 15.