Hunters discover dead moose left to rot in the wilderness, ministry investigating

Hunters find dead moose left in the woods Hunters come across a dead moose left to rot in the woods between Noelville and St. Charles. Alana Everson reports.

Officials say moose are being poached in Northern Ontario.

In the most recent case, a moose was found in the bush between Noelville and St. Charles in the French River area. It was killed and left to rot.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry confirmed it's one of three cases being investigated.

Eric Ewing has been moose and deer hunting for 50 years and he says poaching disgusts him.

"They shouldn't be hunting if they don't respect the rules," said Ewing.

"I respect the rules and everything else, I like the outdoors and other people I don't know."

A source told CTV a few days ago a moose was discovered between Noelville and St. Charles. It had been shot, its antlers removed and left to rot in the bush. We asked Ewing for his reaction to this case.

"I don't really like it, because it's destroying moose for nothing," he said. "Killing them for nothing (and) letting all the meat go to waste and other things."

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry says it's investigating cases in Ear Falls and Sioux Lookout in northwestern Ontario.

The ministry says in those cases, moose had their noses and tongues removed and the carcasses were left to rot. Ewing says these cases may be more about glory than properly harvesting wildlife.

A source told CTV the discovery of the moose that was poached near Noelville has been reported to the MNRF. A spokesperson declined an interview saying the ministry does not usually comment on ongoing investigations.