The last of three men charged for illegally chasing and hunting a woodland caribou has now been sentenced in La Ronge Provincial Court.

Zane Layman pleaded guilty to unlawful hunting and chasing wildlife with a vehicle at Russell Lake, 450 kilometres north of La Ronge. He was banned from hunting for four years and fined $14,000.

The two other men involved had their cases resolved in July of 2022. Both men were banned from hunting for one year and received fines of $1,800 and $2,800.

On April 28, 2022, La Ronge conservation officers received independent reports that a caribou had been unlawfully killed the day before on Russell Lake. The investigation pointed to the violations being committed by employees of a local drilling company, who had been working in the area behind the Key Lake mine site gates that day. The Ministry of Environment says the company is owned by Zane Layman.

Seven days later Conservation officers interviewed two employees who provided statements. A news release from the government indicates cell phone video and photos obtained from the pair showed two woodland caribou being chased by three snowmobilers for approximately 13 kilometres. The footage also showed one animal falling through the ice, recovering, then being chased to exhaustion.

One of the snowmobilers, later established to be Layman, then killed the animal with a knife. On May 9, 2022, officers executed a search warrant for Layman’s residence in the resort subdivision of Napatak south of La Ronge and collected additional evidence, including knives, clothing, equipment and electronic devices.

The woodland caribou is a federally listed threatened species and is protected under the Species at Risk Act.