Philip Cahoon, Outfitter from Sherwood Park Convicted and Sentenced in Ponoka Courtroom

[Jim Blake]

I attended the Ponoka Courthouse on October 11, 2019 to observe the joint submission by the Crown Prosecutor and the Defence in the Case of Philip Mitchell Cahoon and Mud Lake Waterfowl Adventures. This was the seventh trip I had made to observe this case.

There were 28 charges listed on the docket. When the case began to get heard there was some preamble from Cahoon's Lawyer, some of the charges were dropped including all the charges related to the company Mud Lake Waterfowl Adventures.

The Crown Prosecutor read the circumstances which were a page and a half long. I will highlight some of the ones I could get written down as she was rattling through them quite fast.

-multiple wastage charges. I will give only two examples from many read out including geese.

64 ducks shot and only 8 retrieved, the rest left floating in the water
58 ducks shot and 25 left floating in the water

-multiple hunting guiding non resident hunters without landowner permission and telling landowners he was not guiding but just hunting with some friends.

-multiple over limit

-shooting at game through an open window in his truck

-exporting furs to the USA with no CITES Permit

Honestly there was so much content to the circumstances read out I could only write down so much. I am in the process of getting a complete copy of this document. The above is just a snippet of what was read out.

The Judge indicated his disgust and the Public's disgust for this type of behavior.

The Judge asked if Cahoon had anything to say and his reply was a curt "no".

The sentence as jointly proposed by the Crown Prosecutor and Defence was a ten year ban from Guiding and Outfitting in the Province of Alberta, a two year ban on recreational hunting in the Province of Alberta, a $25,000.00 fine which Cahoon asked for a years time to pay and was granted.

There were also some firearms transportation restrictions regarding his personal firearms.

Most items seized were forfeited to the Crown with the exception of his cell phone which the Judge ordered the RCMP to return to him.

I toned this down quite a bit and hope this thread does not get locked down.

If anyone wishes to obtain documents relating to this case or any other the best phone number is 1-855-738-4747. They will either help you directly or steer you to someone that can. Waiting time can be long and they ask a few personal questions.

IN ADDITION TO THE ABOVE I WOULD LIKE TO POINT OUT THE INVESTIGATION FISH AND WILDLIFE EXECUTED ON THIS CASE WAS JUST A FEW MONTHS OF CAHOON'S ACTIVITY !!

jIM