In Manitoba, 14 vehicles and a grand total of 44 long barrel rifles and shotguns were seized by conservation officers in 2016.

49 cases of night hunting or dangerous hunting are headed for prosecution as enforcement efforts are stepped up in an attempt to ensure both public safety and the protection of our vulnerable wildlife populations.

"It was an extremely busy year, our officers were very active this fall with wildlife, night hunting patrols and the amount of illegal hunting activity in the area is on the rise," said Chief Conservation Officer with Manitoba Sustainable Development Jack Harrigan.

Enforcement focus on night hunting and dangerous hunting saw a dramatic increase with 44 night-hunting and five dangerous-hunting charges in 2016. This is a huge climb when reflecting numbers from 2015, when 25 night-hunting and zero dangerous-hunting charges were pursued in court.

In addition, vehicle seizures increased from the previous year to 14 in 2016 from five in 2015.

"Every year we have been putting extra effort into foot patrols, what we did differently this year was change the day-to-day workload of the officers. Instead of regular work, like checking on crown land permits or forestry operations, we simply put night hunting and wildlife patrols as a major priority. It did work better than previous years but did not make a huge difference," said Harrigan.

Harrigan went on to say that he's currently reviewing the details from last year in hopes it will shine some light on how they can reign in criminal activity. He also noted that there are many difficulties they face trying to address the situation including low staff numbers.

Tips from the public through the Turn In Poachers (TIP) line is essential to identifying unsafe and unsustainable hunting practices. if you have information for a Manitoba Conservation Officer more details are provided on the site below.

http://residents.gov.mb.ca/reference.html?d=details&program_id=344

Manitoba Sustainable Development is running a contest for those that apply to be a Conservation Officer in Manitoba. Harrigan strongly encourages those who enjoy the outdoors and are looking for a challenging but rewarding career to give it a try.

Visit http://www.gov.mb.ca/sd/regoperations/resofficer/pdf/conservation-officer-posting.pdf for more details.

"Our officers really rely on tips and information from the general public.  Our tip line is one way you can report illegal activity or just something that doesn't seem right. You can also call the local Conservation Office. Often seeing ravens or crows out in a field suggests they are feeding on something. Strange tracks from unknown vehicles, damaged fences or gates left open have all been indicators of illegal activity in the past. Rural folk are often good at recognizing these things," explained Harrigan.

A public awareness campaign will be launched in the first quarter of 2017 using formal consultations with interested parties about what more can be done to ensure public safety and to protect wildlife.