Five people have been convicted of illegal moose hunting offences and fined almost $40,000 between them after an investigation spanning years, the Ontario government has announced.
The government said the charges came from a two-year investigation that ran between 2020 and 2022, looking into illegal moose hunting in a remote area north of Pickle Lake, Ont.
The investigation, which involved conservation officers and the Ministry of Natural Resources, found that one of the five people convicted shot a bull moose on the Otoskwin River from his perch on a motorboat.
The man, who is from Mississauga, Ont., pleaded guilty to firing his gun illegally from a boat and was fined $20,000. He also faces a three-year hunting suspension.
Another man in the group pleaded guilty to invaliding his hunting tag and was fined $2,000, with a two-year suspension.
The remaining three all pleaded guilty to making false statements to a conservation officer and received fines of between $2,000 and $6,000, along with one-year suspensions.
For the five men, the fines total $37,000 plus $9,250 for victim surcharges, according to the province.
The government said the convictions were evidence it was “safeguarding moose” by making sure hunters follow the rules.