Two Vermont waterfowl hunters are facing up to $6,000 in federal and state fines for crossing into Canada on Lake Champlain's Missisquoi Bay and then returning to the United States without reporting to border authorities.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection say the men were spotted by two Franklin County sheriffs' deputies who were patrolling the lake along the border.
Vermont Fish and Wildlife said the men had been staying at an Alburgh campground, were legally licensed and had their firearms registered to hunt in Canada for the Canadian waterfowl season. They crossed into Canada without first registering with U.S. authorities.
The men, whose names were not released, were issued $5,000 civil penalties for illegal transportation of waterfowl across a border. The hunters' firearms and the birds they took in Canada were also seized. They are also facing $1,000 in state fines.
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