After shooting four deer while having only two tags, two Melfort men attempted to cover up that fact by doing a bit of a switcheroo. They’ve been fined a combined $10,500.
Nathan Cherkowski and Wyatt Martin, both 21, had each shot a deer in November 2017. They used the proper tags. Later, they had each shot another deer and used the same tags.
When they took all four deer to the meat processor with only two tags, they were asked for the missing tags. The two said they forgot them and would bring them in the next day.
That evening, the men contacted two other individuals and had them each purchase white-tailed deer tags. These new tags were then taken to the meat processor and attached to the deer.
Conservation officers discovered this happened while inspecting a meat processor in November 2017. They concluded that all four white-tailed deer had been shot by the two men and charges were laid.
Cherkowski and Martin pleaded guilty to the unlawful possession of white-tailed deer, as well as unlawful hunting. Cherkowski was fined $5,600 and Martin received $4,900 in fines.
Both men also received a one-year hunting and trapping suspension.
In addition, two other Melfort residents voluntarily paid fines totalling $500 for unlawfully allowing a licence to be used by another person, and each received a one-year hunting and trapping suspension.
