B.C. man fined $15K for killing 2 grizzly bears on his property

A man living in B.C.'s East Kootenay has been fined more than $15,000 and banned from hunting for 10 years after he shot and killed two bears in his backyard.

In a Facebook post Friday, the B.C. Conservation Officer Service said Dax McHarg pleaded guilty to killing a female grizzly and a cub out of season, unlawful possession of dead wildlife, failing to report the accidental killing of wildlife and mischief under $5,000.

The Conservation Officer Service says the incident happened in Elkford, near the border with Alberta, on Oct. 3, 2021, when the bears were accessing unsecured free-range chickens. 

It says McHarg removed the bears' heads and paws, and buried their carcasses on his property.

The agency says it made the discovery after a wildlife scientist found a severed grizzly bear GPS collar and four tagged grizzly bear ear tips in a remote location near Elkford.

Investigators used the items to track down the bears' last location to McHarg's house.

No electric fencing to protect livestock from wildlife

Fernie-based conservation officer Ryan Gordon says the firearm McHarg used to commit the offence has been forfeited and will be destroyed.

Gordon says there wasn't any electric fencing on McHarg's property to protect the chickens from the bears and other predators.

"All efforts should be made to protect both life, livestock and wildlife," he said.

"That would be night penning, so putting your chickens into a secure building, having electric fencing installed along with proper feeding techniques to limit smells and attractions for bears."

Gordon says the Conservation Officer Service didn't receive reports of bears accessing the chickens on McHarg's property, and asks people to report any wildlife entering their property to the agency.

The agency says most of McHarg's fine will go to the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation.