A northern B.C. man was sentenced in provincial court earlier this month after it was determined he was ‘pit-lamping’ while hunting at night.
Justin Thibault has been fined nearly $5,000 and received a five-year hunting ban after pleading guilty to the November 2017 incident when he illegally spotlighted a decoy deer in a field near Farrell Creek in the Hudson’s Hope area.
The ban restricts firearm possession to his home and forbids him from being in the presence of anyone who is hunting.
‘Pit-lamping’ is a common hunting term to intentionally blind wildfire with headlights or a spotlight, the BC Conservation Officer Service (BCCOS) explains.
“Using a firearm in the dark is inherently dangerous, and the Conservation Officer Service hopes this sentence will deter others from this illegal activity,” the BCCOS explains.
In this case, the provincial organization launched a decoy operation in responding to local concerns of night hunting.
On the evening of Nov. 5, 2017, two shots were fired from a truck, which was positioned to have a light bar face the decoy deer, it was hit and Thibault fled from officers when they tried to apprehend him.
An investigation ensued with forensic testing used to match the evidence left behind.
The truck was eventually seized Dec. 11 after it was reported stolen to RCMP and later found, allowing COs to confirm the vehicle belonged to Thibault. The truck will be returned to him a later date.
The near-$5,000 fine is set to go to the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation.
It's not the first time Thibault has been in court for violating the Wildlife Act. He was arrested in June 2020 after RCMP confiscated a caged black bear cub from a Farrell Creek property as part of a theft investigation.
Thibault was also in court last summer for allegedly harassing an elk on the Peace River in Hudson’s Hope in 2019. COs seized his boat as part of their investigation, which remains under a detention order extended by the courts.
The BCCOS is encouraging the public to report all hunting violations to its 24-hour RAPP line at 1-877-952-7277.
- with files from Tom Summer, Alaska Highway News
