http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-g7Ie0nr2k
Dawn Walton
calgary — From Thursday's Globe and mail
Last updated on Thursday, Aug. 06, 2009 09:35AM EDT
Hunters and outdoor enthusiasts are going frame by frame to dissect a video posted on YouTube, hoping to snare some poachers.
They are also scouring the Internet and monitoring chat groups to find out who was responsible for a video titled duckhunt.
It shows three young men gleefully shooting at ducks in a pond using a single-shot rifle, at times firing from a car, and then bragging about their kills.
“They don't need Mommy any more,” one man says as the gun is turned on a duck with ducklings.
The man blasts away to make sure the bird is dead as his friends laugh before taking aim at other waterfowl.
“Dave, you got him,” one man says as the shooter hits his target, “Oh, see the blood?”
Wildlife officials across the Prairies have been fielding tips since news of the video has spread.
“In no way should these guys be considered hunters. They are poachers,” said Darcy Whiteside, a spokesman with Alberta Sustainable Resource Development.
In an attempt to ferret out those involved, the video was reposted on July 30 after the owner of the footage (Shax1101) closed his YouTube account.
“These individuals will eventually get busted, all thanks to the Alberta Outdoorsmen Forum crew,” wrote the individual who reposted the video, which is just under five minutes long.
Hunting chat groups have been abuzz. A Facebook group, Get The Poachers, has also been set up dedicated to tracking down the men.
“I am absolutely disgusted by what these idiots did. As a waterfowl hunter I hope these guys receive everything the law can throw at them” wrote Chris Benson of Winnipeg.
These amateur detectives are quick to note the Hyundai vehicle being driven, which doesn't have a front licence plate, the type of rifle (possibly a Ruger), and canola crops in the area.
They even attempt to track the original poster of the video through other Internet activity.
The region has been narrowed down to southern Alberta or Saskatchewan. But officials in Saskatchewan say a sign in the video suggests it was shot next door.
The list of potential charges is long, though it's not clear when the video was taken.
If this incident happened in Alberta, charges under the Wildlife Act could include shooting from a vehicle, shooting from along a road, using an improper rifle for hunting, hunting out of season and failing to retrieve the dead birds. Officials would also look at whether the individuals had the proper licences or met bag limits. There's also the possibility they were hunting on private land without permission.
“We feel these guys are going to be caught,” said Duncan Morrison of Ducks Unlimited Canada.
Supposedly they have been caught 