$5,500 in Fines for an Illegal Moose Hunt
Northwestern Ontario moose. Photo OntarioNewsNorth.com 2015
A Wawa man has been fined a total of $5,500 for moose hunting offences.
Richard Watson pleaded guilty and was fined $1,500 for being a party to the offence of discharging a firearm from a motor boat and $4,000 for hunting a cow moose without a licence.
Court heard that in October 2015, Watson, owner and guide at Windy Point Lodge on Kabinakagami Lake, was guiding non-resident moose hunters when one of the hunters discharged a firearm from a motor boat and harvested a bull moose.
Watson was also the guide when a cow moose was shot without a licence. A non-resident hunter, also staying at Windy Point Lodge but not hunting at the time, attached his cow moose tag to the moose.
The charges resulted from a cooperative investigation between the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry.
Justice of the Peace François Cloutier heard the case in the Ontario Court of Justice, Hearst, on December 12, 2017.
To report a natural resources violation, call the MNRF TIPS line at 1-877-847-7667 toll-free any time or contact your local ministry office during regular business hours. You can also call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
