We need some of these in Manitoba... I would generously donate towards this.
Poachers' nemesis
Hunter the dog sniffs out their illegal booty
By CP
FORT FRANCES, Ont. -- He's yellow, furry and friendly -- most of the time. But if you're trying to smuggle illegal fish or game past his wet nose, Hunter is your worst nightmare. The dog and handler, Ministry of Natural Resources conservation officer Mike Buckner, are typically stationed in Pembroke, Ont. But for the next week or so, the duo will be tracking down poachers in northwestern Ontario.
"We've have been getting complaints this year of people taking over their limit," ministry enforcement officer Mark Gadowski said as he, the dog and handler prepared to depart in the ministry's ski-equipped Turbo Beaver for an all-day tour of some remote lakes in the region.
"These people aren't anglers, they're poachers," he said.
A WIDE AREA
The team will be covering an area from Lake of the Woods to Lac La Croix and points north.
Hunter, a two-year-old Labrador/golden retriever cross, has been working for the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources since last July.
Gadowski said people can be quite ingenious when it comes to hiding their ill-gotten booty from the prying eyes of conservation officers. This is particularly a problem in the winter, when people tend to fillet their catch right on the ice and then stash it in snowbanks, under logs and even in their clothing.
And because of the cold weather, there is no tell-tale fishy smell to give them away -- at least not to human noses. But even if the offenders do manage to hide the evidence, Hunter will find it. The dog's keen nose can sniff out walleye, lake trout, brook trout, bass, bear, moose, deer, elk and gunpowder.
Although Hunter is even capable of bringing down a fleeing suspect, that hasn't yet been necessary. Officials primarily depend on the animal to work as a deterrent. The strategy appears to be a good one, if a case last week is any indication.
"We stopped these two tourists, examined their catch, and asked them if they had any other fish to declare," Gadowski recalled.
At first, the anglers denied having anything else, but when the officials brought out the dog, they suddenly remembered they had a few more fillets.
The anglers were fined $200 for having two walleye over their limit.
