Fines total $20,500 in illegal Ontario moose hunting case

Conservation officer Ron Arnold talks about three men who were fined $20,500 for illegal party hunting near Red Lake, Ont.

Three men have been fined a total of $20,500 for moose hunting violations following an investigation by conservation officers in northwestern Ontario.

“On October 7, 2023, conservation officers were conducting a moose enforcement patrol north of Red Lake,” the Ministry of Natural Resources wrote in a recent court bulletin.

The officers inspected a moose that had been harvested by Dennis Holden and tagged by Gordon Chaput.

“Officers received conflicting information from the group regarding where individuals were located when the moose was harvested,” conversation officers told the court.

Further investigation revealed that Chaput, who is from McDougall, was more than five kilometres from Holden when the moose was killed and had created a false hunting location.

Charges and penalties

Chaput pleaded guilty to unlawfully tagging a moose, possessing illegally killed wildlife and obstructing a conservation officer and was fined $12,000.

Dennis Holden, also from McDougall, pleaded guilty to hunting moose without a licence and was fined $7,000.

Michael Chaput from Dunchurch pleaded guilty to making a false statement to a conservation officer after he provided false information to authorities in an attempt to legitimize the harvesting of the moose – he was fined $1,500.

Justice of the Peace J. A. Bernard Caron heard the case remotely in Kenora on Aug. 27 and issued the penalties under the authority of the Ontario Court of Justice.

To report a natural resource problem or provide information about an unsolved case, call the ministry TIPS line toll-free at 1-877-847-7667 or contact Crime Stoppers anonymously.

For more information about unsolved cases, click here.

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