Northern Ont. crossbow hunter caught using someone else’s deer tag

Caught on camera: Two deer by a Sault stream(2018) Lincoln Louttit came upon two deer hanging out by a stream in the Sault's west end while in the field.

A man from Sault Ste. Marie who was caught crossbow hunting in Aberdeen Additional Township (east of the Sault) with someone else’s deer tag has been fined.

Bradley Charrette was found guilty of unlawfully possessing a deer tag belonging to another person and making a false statement in a hunter report contrary to the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act. He was fined a total of $4,000 and supsended from hunting in Ontario for two years the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry said in a news release Friday.

“His crossbow was (also) forfeited to the Crown,” said the ministry.

The incident took place Nov. 12, 2022. Conservation officers were working along Highway 638 in Aberdeen Additional Township during the white-tailed deer hunting season conducting compliance checks.

“Charrette was found hunting with a crossbow. It was determined that Charrette had already used his deer tag on an antlerless deer earlier in the season and was in possession of another hunter’s deer tag,” the release said.

“Charrette later made false statements on his mandatory year-end deer hunting report.”

The case was heard Nov. 16, 2023, by Justice of the Peace Kathleen Bryant in the Ontario Court of Justice in Sault Ste. Marie.

To report a natural resource problem or provide information about an unsolved case, members of the public can call the ministry TIPS line toll-free at 1-877-847-7667 or contact Crime Stoppers anonymously.

For more information about unsolved cases, visit the ministry’s website here.