Four Canadians charged with spotlight hunting in Manitoba

Four men have been charged under Manitoba’s new spotlight hunting laws.

Two of the men from the Lake Manitoba First Nation were nabbed in December, when they were also charged with carrying a loaded firearm in a pickup and hunting on private land without permission.

In the other case, officers arrested an Albertan man along with Manitoban near Inglis and charged both with hunting at night with lights.

Spotlighting involves using high-powered light to hunt animals, such as moose, elk and deer.

The bright lights help hunters spot animals at night. Since animals don’t see the light as a threat, and instead stare at it, hunters are able to follow the eyeshine and precisely target their prey.

Manitoba Sustainable Development Enforcement Update https://t.co/w2Y7io1EtY pic.twitter.com/Fzxf4Dn0mk

— Manitoba Gov News (@MBGovNews) January 15, 2019

Manitoba passed the law banning spotlight hunting last year, despite protests from some Indigenous groups that said banning spotlight hunting infringes on their constitutional rights.

In B.C., spotlighting is illegal except for status Indians.

With files from the Canadian Press.