2 men plead guilty to multiple hunting offences in Williams Lake: BCCOS

A stock photo shows a mule deer doe near Small Meadows, California.

Two men from Williams Lake, B.C., are each facing three-year hunting bans and fines of $3,450 after pleading guilty to multiple hunting offences stemming back to 2022.

The B.C. Conservation Officer Service says a decoy hunting operation was launched that November in response to public concerns over illegal hunting and trespassing, resulting in the arrests of Matthew Marianne and Darcy Williams.

According to a BCCOS post on social media Tuesday, the pair’s arrest led to a search of their vehicle and the discovery of a mule deer that had been killed that morning.

“Using forensic DNA analysis, conservation officers were able to link that deer to a kill site located on private property nearby,” the post reads.

Court records show that Marianne, 31, pleaded guilty to charges of hunting without consideration and hunting from a vehicle on Feb. 14, 2024.

William, 30, pleaded guilty to the same charges, plus the offence of possessing a firearm while prohibited, on March 20.

On top of the fines and hunting suspension, William has been issued a six month conditional sentence and a lifetime firearm ban.