Outfitting guide sentenced after Yukon muskox shot
Commercial outfitting guide Karsten Miehe has pleaded guilty to instructing a hunter to shoot a protected species in the Yukon, says Environment Yukon.
Commercial outfitting guide Karsten Miehe has pleaded guilty to instructing a hunter to shoot a protected species in the Yukon, says Environment Yukon.
Miehe entered the plea Dec. 17 in Dawson City.
He had been charged with instructing a client to shoot a muskox after he mistook the animal for a grizzly bear, says an Environment Yukon press release.
The court has ordered that Miehe:
• pay a $4,500 contribution to the Turn in Poachers and Polluters (TIPP) fund within 30 days;
• complete the Hunter Education and Ethics Development (HEED) course;
• be prohibited from hunting in the Yukon for one year;
• be prohibited from guiding and being guided in Yukon for one year;
• pay the TIPP contribution in full and complete the HEED course or the above prohibitions will remain in force; and
• forfeit the muskox seized to the Yukon government.
Miehe is a Quebec resident who worked as a commercial outfitting guide for two hunting seasons in the Yukon.
While doing so, he was subject to the Yukon Wildlife Act and Regulations concerning the supervision of hunting clients and ensuring that they comply with the laws.
Yukon conservation officers received a report from a commercial outfitting business on Sept. 16 stating that one of its guides had instructed a client to harvest a muskox the previous evening, having mistaken the animal for a grizzly bear. There is no licensed harvest of muskox in Yukon.
Under the Yukon Wildlife Act and Regulations, non-resident hunters are required to hunt under the supervision of a guide provided by a registered big game outfitter.
A Yukon conservation officer and an RCMP officer flew to the location of the kill to investigate the incident. On arrival, they met Miehe and his client and found the field-dressed carcass of a mature male muskox.
During an interview with a Yukon conservation officer, Miehe admitted to having instructed the client to shoot the partially visible animal.
Comments (11)
Up 3 Down 1
Mike Grieco on Jan 13, 2020 at 10:54 am
David Griffiths , bang-on!
Up 10 Down 1
stan fordyce on Jan 4, 2020 at 2:09 pm
I have never taken a shot at an animal I cannot see the kill zone on, and that would also be long enough to identify the species, especially if it has horns.
That's almost like shooting at something moving in the bush and finding out what it is once it's down.
Not ethical in any part of hunting protocol.
Up 13 Down 8
Miles Epanhauser on Jan 2, 2020 at 10:33 pm
A muskox and grizzly do look alike if your eyesight is impaired.
Up 61 Down 4
DavyCrocket on Jan 2, 2020 at 10:21 am
Mistaking a Muskox for a Grizzly? He has no business being a guide.
Up 58 Down 2
Ovibos The Avenger on Jan 1, 2020 at 8:11 am
Hmmm, a one year ban is quite laughable. It’s like telling a convicted burglar that they cannot return to the property they broke and entered into for 12 months. At least give the owners a chance to fix the door you smashed in. Then go help yourself again .
Up 54 Down 7
keith Gay on Dec 31, 2019 at 2:09 pm
I was born and raised in Whitehorse and I feel if you are not a Yukoner then you cannot be a hunting guide.
Up 71 Down 31
David Griffiths on Dec 31, 2019 at 11:18 am
Trophy hunting - just another way we are destroying our planet. There is a reason people come to the Yukon to hunt, it's because they have slaughtered all the animals in their part of the world. It is an abhorrently disgusting business and should be banned.
Up 100 Down 4
Jarrit Oosterbaan on Dec 31, 2019 at 6:53 am
Why is a Quebec resident guiding in the Yukon and not in his own province? After instructing a client to shoot a protected species he should lose all hunting and guiding privileges for life.
Up 80 Down 4
Yukon Justice on Dec 30, 2019 at 9:24 pm
....."instructed the client to shoot the partially visible animal".....
That is how people (hunters) get killed.
Up 79 Down 5
Wes on Dec 30, 2019 at 4:49 pm
So why don’t we get to know the outfitters name? It’s their concession, any reasonable person would expect that they are ultimately responsible for their guides actions. In any other workplace, the employer would be held responsible for the actions of their employees.
Outfitters are the Yukon’s sacred cows I reckon.
Up 86 Down 5
2ManySnowflakes4Me on Dec 30, 2019 at 3:50 pm
This fellow should never be allowed to guide or hunt anywhere in Canada again. Grizzly bears don't have horns, Muskox do, if you don't know what you are shooting at, then you don't shoot. Poor decision, but he is paid to make the correct decisions for his clients.