Man barred from hunting for 1 year after trying to shoot squirrel, hitting town hall instead | CBC News

A man who tried to shoot a squirrel in his Huron County yard and ended up almost striking a person has been barred from hunting for one year and ordered to pay a fine. 

The man, from St. Helens, located about 30 km north of Goderich, was ordered to pay $3,000 and must complete remedial training before getting another hunting license, officials from the province’s Ministry of Natural Resources wrote in a statement. 

The incident happened on June 5 in the Township of Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh. The bullet ended up hitting the town hall, officials said. 

“An investigation completed in conjunction with local OPP determined that [the man] had discharged a .22 calibre rifle at a squirrel in his yard, shooting in the direction of the main intersection of Belfast Road and St. Helens Line. The bullet passed within feet of the township employee before striking the building,” officials said. 

The man pleaded guilty to careless hunting. The case was heard in the Ontario Court of Justice in Goderich.