Yukon man fined $11K, banned from hunting for 8 years after illegally killing elk, lying about it

A Yukon man was fined $11,000 and is banned from hunting for eight years after shooting elk in a no-hunt zone and falsely declaring them as legal kills two years in a row. 

Marc Meyer, 36, pleaded guilty to two counts of hunting elk in an area where he wasn't permitted to and one count of making false or misleading statements about the kills — offences under the territorial Wildlife Act — in a Whitehorse courtroom on March 25.

According to an agreed statement of facts submitted to the court, Meyer, in 2020 and 2021, had a licence that permitted him to hunt elk in the exclusion zone, a large block of land in southern Yukon encircling the core and buffer zones where virtually all elk in the territory reside. 

Elk hunting is not allowed in the core zone, while elk hunting in the buffer zone requires a different kind of permit. 

Meyer, however, knowingly hunted cow elk in the core zone on both Sept. 30, 2020, and Oct. 11, 2021 — specifically, in the Mendenhall area west of Whitehorse, near Kusawa Lake Road and the Alaska Highway.

Yukon elk hunters are required to submit written reports on any harvest to Environment Yukon; Meyer lied on his reports both years, claiming he'd killed the animals in the exclusion zone. 

In 2021, he took extra steps to conceal his illegal kill, field-butchering the elk and driving its skeleton and entrails 50 kilometres west into the exclusion zone. He then dumped the elk's remains to make it appear like he'd killed it there. 

Conservation officers received a tip about a potential elk kill site in Mendenhall the same month and gathered evidence at the scene and at the dump site in the exclusion zone. They also obtained warrants to search Meyer's home, vehicle and electronic device, and conducted forensic analysis of Meyer's guns and of DNA samples. 

While Meyer initially claimed he'd hunted the elk legally, he later admitted he'd killed it in the core zone and also confessed to his illegal 2020 harvest. As well, he admitted that while he legally hunted a moose on the South Canol in October 2019, he failed to report the kill to conversation officers by the mandatory deadline.

'Everything that I'm getting, I deserve'

Territorial Crown David McWhinnie and Meyer's defence lawyer, Luke Faught, provided Judge Peter Chisolm a joint submission for sentencing, seeking a $3,500 fine for each count of hunting in an area where not permitted, a $4,000 fine for lying on the written reports, and a handful of other requirements.

McWhinnie argued that Meyer's deceptive behaviour was a serious aggravating factor in the case, noting that, due to the vastness of the Yukon and the impossibility of conservation officers being everywhere all the time, it's crucial that hunters are truthful on their harvest reports. 

Faught said his client didn't object to the sentence, noting that he'd already faced "a series of embarrassments" and professional setbacks —  a mining lands officer with the territory's Department of Energy, Mines and Resources, Meyer had his temporary assignment with the territory's Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods unit terminated after he was charged under the Wildlife Act.

Addressing the court directly, Meyer said he deeply regretted his actions. 

"Words can't even describe how upset and mad I am at myself for what I've done," he told Chisholm, adding that it had "blown up" his career and ruined friendships. 

"Everything that I'm getting, I deserve."  

Chisholm ultimately accepted the joint submission, noting that while Meyer was remorseful and had "learned his lesson," there was still the need to send a deterrent message to other hunters who might consider breaking the law. 

Meyer must pay a total fine of $11,000 plus a $1,100 victim surcharge, and is also banned from hunting in the Yukon for eight years, including accompanying other people on hunts. As well, he must complete the Yukon's Hunter Education and Ethics Development (HEED) course and forfeit all evidence conservation officers seized during their investigation — including elk meat and two guns — with the exception of his truck, which will be returned after he pays his fine.

Chisholm dismissed three other Wildlife Act charges against Meyer.