‘Maybe it’s because I’m a small town guy but I think it’s a slam dunk’
CBC News
A Whitehorse man who shot two wolves last winter in his rural neighbourhood, made his first appearance Tuesday in territorial court.
Clayton Thomas, 32, readily admits killing the animals, but he’s not happy about his treatment by Yukon authorities. He’s now facing 10 charges under the Yukon Wildlife Act.
It started late last winter, when the Mt. Sima neighbourhood where Thomas lives became the hunting ground for two wolves.
“I woke up two days in a row and these wolf tracks were right on my doorstep,” Thomas said. “I’ve got a wife with a brand new two-month-old baby that doesn’t want to walk out my door. Maybe it’s because I grew up in Teslin, maybe it’s because I’m a small town guy but I think it’s a slam dunk, it’s a non-issue for me to take care of these wolves. And I’m a trapper and experienced hunter.”
Conservation officers who knew of the wolves soon heard of the killings, but Thomas never expected they would respond with a search warrant, seizing dozens of items including hunting gear, computers and cell phones.
“I don’t have child porn, I’m not a drug dealer, I didn’t murder anybody,” Thomas said. “I shot two wolves. They went through my wife’s underwear drawer, they went through my dirty laundry… What does that have to do with shooting wolves?”
In court this week, Thomas was told prosecutors have binders of evidence he should review before coming back to court.
He’s vowed to fight the charges and still considering what to do about legal advice.
The case has been adjourned until the new year.