Kelowna man fined $13K for poaching ram near Lillooet

Fined $13K for poaching

Photo: Wild Sheep Society of BC

California bighorn sheep ram

A Kelowna man has been fined $13,000 for poaching a bighorn ram near Lillooet.

Heith Proulx killed the sheep in October 2023 northwest of Pavilion Lake, said the BC Conservation Officer Service in a social media post Thursday.

Proulx claimed the ram was killed in an area where hunting of the sheep was legal, but GPS coordinates proved it was shot in a closed area.

Conservation officers said they spoke to Proulx at his home in March 2024, where he admitted to lying about the location that the ram was killed. Officers seized the sheep horns and cape from a taxidermist.

BCCOS said they worked with a provincial wildlife biologist to provide an impact statement to the courts.

“The statement outlined that BC supports the entire Canadian distribution of California bighorn sheep, and the Fraser River supports approximately 50% of the California bighorn sheep in the province,” said BCCOS.

“The harvest of a mature ram from this closed area is contrary to conservation objectives and resulted in an overall harvest that exceeded the annual allowable harvest established to guide sustainable harvest levels.”

Non-resident hunters pay more than $150,000 to hunt a single California bighorn sheep ram in B.C.

Proulx pleaded guilty to making a false statement in a book, record, report or return, a violation under the Wildlife Act.

In addition to the $13,000 fine, he is banned from hunting, or accompanying hunters, anywhere in BC for the hunting of any type of sheep for three years.

The majority of the penalty will go to the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation.