Six bison were killed as the result of a fraudulent hunt that took place on a farming operation in northwestern Manitoba
Glacier FarmMedia – A Portage la Prairie man is facing charges after an illegal bison hunt on another man’s ranch near Binscarth, Man., in which six of the farmer’s bison were killed.
Brendan Liske is the farmer and owner of the six animals. The Parkland area producer reported the crime on Oct. 14, but says he got hints that something was amiss as early as Oct. 12, when one of his numerous trail cameras caught a man in a Ford F250 truck scoping out his main gate.
At the time, Liske brushed it off as a nosy neighbour. The next day, it became clear that he had a more serious problem.
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Liske, who runs a waterfowl hunting outfitting company, was with clients near Roblin when he received a call from a ranch hand who feeds and waters his pigs when he’s away.
“When he went in to go feed the pigs on Sunday at around 2:30 p.m., he found his key didn’t work on the gate locks,” Liske said.
That was news to Liske, who hadn’t changed the locks. He asked the hand to send him pictures.
“They were completely different locks, so I rushed back to the ranch.”
Trail cameras set up in the area had recorded the same black F250 dragging the bodies of three bison away in two different trips. A fourth bison was hauled away by three individuals on a quad.
At that point, Liske called the RCMP. A further check of the pasture determined that six bison were missing.
The ordeal inspired Liske to post running updates on the situation on the Roblin and Area Community Group Facebook page.
The following day, he was contacted by someone who had seen an ad on social media (an ad not posted by Liske), advertising a bison hunt for $1,000 per animal at a location matching Liske’s farm, as well as responses from several of those involved in the hunt.
Liske reported those responses to the RCMP.
In a police report Oct. 17, the RCMP said they had been contacted by three individuals who had responded to the ad and took part in the hunt. All three told police they were “under the impression that the hunt was legitimately organized,” police said, and were co-operating with the investigation.
On Oct. 16, the police report read, RCMP issued an arrest warrant for 52-year-old Gerald Sean Gebler of Portage la Prairie. Gebler was charged with theft over $5,000 and mischief over $5,000 in relation to the incident, with RCMP noting additional charges are likely.
Gebler turned himself in to RCMP later the same day. He was released with a promise to appear in court Jan. 22, 2025, in Russell.
Liske was fully insured for losses to his herd.
Liske said he had purchased six bison from Gebler earlier this year. He then detailed an ongoing business dispute around the purchased animals.
