CBC NewsJeff Smerechanski and his friend were snowmobiling last month south of Saskatoon when they were confronted by a man with a gun.
The pair were riding through fields in the Rural Municipality of South Corman Park when they realized they were on private property.
Jeff Smerechanski, near the location in the Rural Municipality of South Corman Park where the incident happened on the Family Day long weekend. (CBC)
“I got to this one spot and got stuck, got off my sled to start digging myself out,” he said. “I turned around and realized there’s a house there and I am on some guy’s yard.”
When he dug himself out and caught up to his friend, a truck was blocking their path, and a man was approaching their snowmobiles.
“I saw that he had a gun in his hand, and not some hunting shotgun. It looked like some kind of combat shotgun and he was kicking my friend’s sled,” he said.
Smerechanski’s friend was wearing a camera on his helmet, which captured the confrontation that followed.
(Warning: Language in the video below may offend)
“I got off my sled and in a fairly aggressive tone, said ‘what the F are you doing?'” he said. “At that point, he slaps me in the side of the head. He was very, very upset and you couldn’t even reason with him.”
He said he apologized to the man for allegedly trespassing and they tried to leave the field.
Man defends his actions
Deryl Ring, the man who confronted the snowmobilers with a gun that day, is an alpaca farmer who lives in the area. He said the snowmobilerscrossed through his land while they were riding, stressing out his prize-winning animals.
So he got in his truck and caught up with them on his neighbour’s property to confront them.
Deryl Ring, on his alpaca farm. (CBC)
“I was really, really upset. Especially when they asked what they did wrong,” he said. “Well, it is a no-brainer to me. You were on private property. That’s what they did wrong.”
Ring said he has had problems with snowmobilers for years. He said they ignore signage, tear through fencing and often trespass on his farm.
He said he was scared of what the snowmobilers might do to him, which is why he brought a gun along.
Deryl Ring believes his cat was run over by careless snowmobilers. (Deryl Ring)
“I’m not a young man … how do I know I’m not going to get a round taken out of me,” he said.
Ring also said that in the past, one of his cats was chased and run over by snowmobilers. He said he overreacted, but maintained he never intended to shoot either of the men with the gun.
Police deciding whether charges will be laid
The event has left Smerechanski, who started snowmobiling this winter, wondering how bad things could have gotten.
“I think, what would have happened if someone who was more of a hot head, had been in that situation? How could that have ended?” he said. “You know, with him and his shotgun, would someone have tried to take the gun away from him, or struck him back? This story could have ended a lot worse.”
The snowmobilers have since complained to RCMP. Police said they forwarded the case to prosecutors to decide whether charges will be laid.
Tough situation for both parties,if signed ect. snowmobilers should stay off land.That said,perhaps a handgun in jacket and calm discussion but to openly bring a firearm into situation is a bit nuts,do feel bad about his cat.The other thing is he confronted them with a gun on other folks land,not too good.My dad has 600 acres in Vt.,he allows hunting as realizes brings in a lot of money and for some families the difference between eating well or not,just don’t hunt around the homes which has worked for decades.The same with snowmobiles,doesn’t personally care for em but has no problem with em on backside of property once again away from the houses,they also bring in money for the locals.Seems both snow mobilers and alpaca farmers can act like idiots at times.
I couldn’t imagine why people would get sick of punk
snowmobilers roaring across their property at all hours.
An underlying message of the video appears to be that property owners and farmers should have their guns confiscated, particularly if they’re prone to having human emotions and feelings when provoked.
All one has to do is look at a google map of the area to see that the entire surrounding area is agricultural, which means unless an area or field is clearly designated as park or a snowmobile route (which some rural areas do to deal with rough riding snowmobilers), it is private property, fenced or not, signage or not. Everyone in the area would know that.
So when you cross onto private property without an invitation, that means you’re trespassing, which the riders were doing. A family pet had already been killed by careless riders, or on purpose (yup, I’ve known of scummy people who would and have done that for “fun”), so it looks like a repeated problem for the property owners, and I don’t blame the property owner in the video for being angry as blazes and coming out with a gun. And I would be happy to have a property owner open carrying like that guy as my neighbor, and would be as stand up for him in return.
You know, farmers, living and working on their own, are an independent bunch, generally take care of their own problems (which are many, from government and corporations trying to force them out of business to trespassing idiots) and are usually armed and know how to use them. Folks who live in small towns and rural areas know this and don’t mess with them, and only some arrogant fools, or Agenda 21ers, would think their right to ride roughshod and have “fun” trumps property owners’ rights.
The only appropriate signage, which IMO needn’t be required, would be “Trespassers will be shot, and survivors will be shot again,” and the only charges which should be filed are for the snowmobilers’ trespassing and property and livestock damage.
Of course, your opinion may vary, but then please tell me that it’s quite all right with you to have strangers running through your back yard with snowmobiles or playing kill the cat in your back yard for “fun.”
And BTW, killing pets for fun is a hallmark of a psychopath.
There is no “Castle Law” in Canada you can only exude as much force that the “offender” would exude on you. So he shows up with knife tries to stab you , you shoot him , you as shooter are held responsible for said criminal act and charged accordingly.
Well, that’s a shame. Besides cutting the colonial apron strings protecting the queen lizard and other criminals, Canada needs the castle law!
I couldn’t see the video, but from my own experience I know that trespassing is a game for snowmobilers, and I’m sorry this guy didn’t blow their heads off, and leave ’em for the wolves.
I used to let anyone hunt on my land, but I put a stop to that because I’m tired of cleaning up after them. They leave their beer cans, shot shells, collapsed pop-up blinds, and anything that’s inconvenient for them to carry out for me to clean up. Screw that. No more hunting here, except for me hunting trespassers. I’m not cleaning up after any adult babies.
My neighbor tried to build a fence that ended up on my property. Now this 6′ 210lb. old Marine Vietnam vet convinced him that moving would be a good idea. Guess he figured he’d pushed enough. He moved. His kid would run through our garden. He & the kid figured my shop & tools were theirs, etc. People have no respect for private property anymore. But they can be taught. lol.
good for him, finally a Canuck with some cajones.