A Kelowna man has been slapped with a three-year sheep hunting ban and a $13,000 penalty for hunting and harvesting a bighorn ram from a closed location. 

An investigation was conducted by the Conservation Officer Service after Heith Proulx admitted to lying about the location of which he killed a mountain sheep ram in October 2023. 

The hunter had his ram inspected in November 2023 as per the law. Proulx had stated he shot the animal in an area that was general open season for rams, but GPS coordinates determined the sheep was killed northwest of Pavilion Lake, 28 kilometres northwest of Lillooet, where the kill was illegal. 

The admission of guilt from Proulx came in March 2024 to conservation officers. 

Proulx pled guilty to making a false statement in a book, record, report or return, a violation under the Wildlife Act. He must retake the Conservation Outdoor Recreation Education Program. 

The animal was seized by the Conservation Officer Service and forfeited to the Crown. The majority of the fine will go to the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation.