Roosevelt Elk are not included in open hunting on Vancouver Island, in order to conserve population numbers, however a draw is held each year. (Dreamstime)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

illegal hunting

Man fined and banned from hunting after illegal killing of Roosevelt Elk near Chemainus

Oct 18, 2023 | 2:00 PM

NANAIMO — The illegal capture and harvesting of a large elk proved costly for a Vancouver Island man.

Kyle Emrys Watson-Harley was fined $5,100 and banned from hunting for two years following a sentencing hearing in provincial court in Duncan on Tuesday, Oct. 17. He pleaded guilty to one charge in the Wildlife Act of hunt/take/trap/wound/kill wildlife out of season.

According to an investigation by the B.C. Conservation Officer Service, Watson-Harley illegally killed a Roosevelt Elk in September 2019 in the Copper Canyon area, southwest of Chemainus.

Roosevelt Elk are not generally eligible to be hunted on Vancouver Island, as a conservation measure, however a draw is held every year for hunters.

Conservation officers were alerted to the situation via a tip from the public, which triggered an investigation and subsequent conviction through the court system.

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Meat from the elk was donated to the Stz’uminus First Nation, while a majority of the money from the fine will go towards the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation.

In addition, Watson-Harley is also facing 21 separate charges in the Lower Mainland stemming from incidents in 2017 related to alleged illegal fishing.

He’s due in Surrey court in early December.

Watson-Harley was also found guilty in 2012 for careless use or storage of a firearm.

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