The poached bull moose | Government of Sask.
A year-and-a-half investigation by the Saskatchewan Conservation Officer Service has led to significant penalties for unlawful outfitting activities and the possession of wild animals at Hartland Whitetails Ltd., a domestic game farm near Briercrest, about 55 km (34 miles) southwest of Regina.
Allen Morhart, the owner of Hartland Whitetails Ltd. from Elbow, SK, pleaded guilty last month to four charges under the province's wildlife laws. The offences stemmed from incidents in September of 2023, when three European clients visited the farm for a 5-day hunt during the 2023 season.
The investigation began in December 2023 after Moose Jaw conservation officers received a tip about the illegal harvest of a wild moose inside the game farm enclosure and the baiting of wild deer. According to an agreed statement of facts, Morhart provided outfitting services without the required licence to one client, resulting in the unlawful harvest of a wild bull moose, along with a wild mule deer. Both animals were taken to a taxidermist, where an employee improperly supplied a Saskatchewan resident moose license seal to conceal the illegality of the kill, adding another layer of unlawful activity.
Allen Morhart | CBC
Investigators also confirmed that wild deer were being baited into the enclosed area, and a wild moose had entered the fenced enclosure in the winter of 2022 without being reported. Additionally, a captive wild mule deer in a separate enclosure was euthanized after testing positive for chronic wasting disease, furthering ongoing concerns about disease transmission between captive and wild populations of ungulates on and around the farm.
Morhart was fined a total of $35,450 for a variety of offenses, which included $12,800 for unlawfully acting as an outfitter for a moose and $16,000 for unlawfully acting as an outfitter for a mule deer.
Additional fines were levied for other violations which included a $250 fine for allowing his licence to be used by another person, and $5,600 for unlawfully possessing six wild mule deer. In addition to the monetary penalties, Morhart also received a five-year hunting licence suspension.
Erich Mueller, an Austrian hunt broker connected to the offences, was also convicted in October 2025 of aiding and abetting unlawful hunting and outfitting without a licence. He was fined $6,760 and given a one-year hunting licence suspension.
