Jeff Foiles pleads guilty to waterfowl violations in Canada

Jeff Foiles leaves an Edmonton, Alberta, courtroom. CTV News photo

CTV News in Edmonton, Alberta, reports that Jeff Foiles appeared in an Edmonton courtroom Wednesday to face charges he violated Canada's Wildlife Act and its Criminal Code.

Foiles, who was in the Twin Cities in August to appear at Game Fair, will be sentenced in the U.S. Sept. 21 after he reached a plea agreement earlier this year with U.S. federal officials over similar charges.

Foiles, from Illinois, has made a number of videos under the name, "Fallin' Skies," and also has a line of duck and goose calls. The first call he ever sold was at Game Fair in 1999.

Minnesota remains his company's top market nationally, Foiles said in August, and he was upset when Game Fair owner and promoter Chuck Delaney wouldn't allow him to give seminars at the fair, as Foiles usually does.

Delaney said he had to honor a contract reserving space at Game Fair that Foiles had signed before he reached the deal on the U.S. charges. But Delaney, in a letter to Foiles supporters who had complained to him about the seminar decision, said Foiles had made embarrassing mistakes as a hunter, and essentially was undeserving of the opportunity to appear at the fair.

I talked to Foiles extensively while he was in Minnesota. But he wouldn't speak on the record until after his sentencing on the U.S. charges. He did say he didn't deny the charges in the plea agreement, and that he was sorry. But he said there was more to the story than what had been reported.

From the CTV report:

"The court heard in an agreed statement of facts that Foiles committed a number of violations including torturing wounded birds and catching it all on tape.

"All of the Fallen Skies video series includes footage of Canadian hunts from Alberta or Saskatchewan or both provinces, the agreed statement of facts reads.

"The agreed statement of facts also states during an October 2007 goose hunt that was being filmed for Foiles' video series, the footage showed Foiles coming across a wounded duck. He gets up and retrieves the bird.

"Mr. Foiles holds the bird up and calls it "Mrs. Mallard." Mr. Foiles wrenches the duck's neck and manipulates the head so the bird is looking at him. He states, 'look at me when I'm talking to you'. He continues to wag its neck back and forth, the documents state.

"Playing to camera, Mr.Foiles opens the wounded duck's mouth several times and makes 'quacking' sounds. Mr. Foiles moves off camera and kills the duck.

Foiles was silent for the most part in court, except when asked by the judge if he wanted to speak, to which he replied, 'No ma'am.'

"Foiles' lawyer and the Crown prosecutor made a joint recommendation on a sentence that includes more than $14,000 in fines and a three-year hunting prohibition in Canada. That would be on top of a $100,000 fine and a 13-month jail sentence he's already facing in the U.S.