THUNDER BAY – Seven Ontario residents have been fined a total of $19,250 for moose-hunting violations.
Officials with Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry said the hunters, all men, were hunting last October on Brule Creek Road, west of Thunder Bay, when they were confronted by a conservation officer who questioned them about their hunting activities.
As a group, they had one licence that allowed them to hunt one cow moose.
According to testimony in court, the men also shot a second cow moose and used the valid seal for the first animal to transport it back to camp.
A further investigation uncovered the fact they’d shot two moose, not one, in violation of their licence allotment.
Both animals were forfeited to the crown.
Michael Glofcheski of Barry’s Bay pleaded guilty and was fined $3,000 for hunting moose without a licence and $1,000 for making a false statement to a conservation officer. He received a one-year hunting ban.
Patrick Kuiack of Barry’s Bay was fined $1,000 for failing to leave his game seal attached to a moose while it was in transport, $1,000 for possessing illegally killed wildlife and $1,000 more for making a false statement to a conservation officer.
Richard Strack of Barry’s Bay pleaded guilty and was fined $1,500 for using a void game seals and $1,000 for possessing illegally killed wildlife.
Gary Chapeskie, Kevin Chapeskie and Robert Cybulski, also all from Barry’s Bay, were fined a total of $1,750 apiece, while Sault St. Marie’s Vincent Strack was fined a total of $2,000 for a pair of offences.
The case was heard in a Thunder Bay court last week.
