Yukon poacher gets 6 month community sentence, $20K fine

A Whitehorse man, convicted for poaching an unprecedented number of big game animals in Yukon, has been handed a 20-year hunting ban, a $20,000 fine, and a sixmonthjail sentence.

But Yukon Territorial Court judge Micheal Cozens granted JonathanEnsor's wishtoserve his sentence in the community, so he cankeep his construction supervisor job in Whitehorse.

• Convicted poacher offers extra $30K to stay out of jail

• Wildlife officials urge jail time for Yukon poacher

Ensor, 34, was charged after conservation officersraided his home in 2015, seizinga bison, an elk, a mule deer, a Dall sheep, a caribou, an eagle and other game birds. The animals had been hunted in Yukon and Northern B.C. over the past couple of years, without proper permits.

Earlier this month he pleaded guilty to a string of wildlife charges.

Ensorinitially misled authorities about the origin of the animals seized, but later admitted all were killed illegally by him. Headmittedhehasextensive hunting experience andwas fully aware of the legal requirements but hadmade a conscious effort to avoid detection.

Ensorinitially offered to pay a fine of$45,000 and accept a lifetime hunting ban if he could avoid time behind bars, but Judge Cozens called the offer excessive and unwarranted.

Outside the Whitehorse courtroom on Friday, Ensor told reporters his offer was sincere.

"Everything was sincere," Ensorsaid. "Judge Cozens is a fair man.He looked at both sides very closely, and I respect his decision."

Jail sentence warranted, says conservation officer

Prosecutors described Ensor's poaching activity as the worst they've ever encountered in Yukon.

"When you look at the number of charges laid [22], the species involved, he was hunting at night using illegal ammunition, he wasted meat,he was shooting at [sheep and elk] cows, two different jurisdictions [Yukon and B.C.], his attempts to cover it up," said Senior Conservation Officer Ryan Hennings.

"We made the argument for a jail sentence based on those facts, and I think it was warranted."

Ensor's $20,000 fine will be paid to Yukon's Turn in Poachers and Polluters (TIPP) fund.

His six month sentence will have him underhouse arrestexcept during his work hours as a construction foreman. It also includesa ban on alcohol and drugs.

Ensor was warned any breaches of those terms could put him in behind bars, to serve out the remainder of his sentence.