Northern Ont. hunters fined $8,500 for illegal moose hunt

Moose sighting at CTV News Northern Ontario studio Video captured by a member of CTVNewsNorthernOntario.ca of a young moose in the swamp by the TV station on Frood Road in Sudbury.

Two hunters from North Bay, Ont., and a third from Temagami pled guilty recently to offences they committed during a 2022 moose hunt.

The court heard that between Oct. 23 and Oct. 28, 2022, a conservation officer inspected three men who possessed a bull moose on Roosevelt Road in South Lorrain Township.

“Zachary MacMillan told the conservation officer he had shot the under the authority of his Indigenous harvesting rights,” the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry said in a news release Friday.

“Through a lengthy investigation involving matching moose DNA, reviewing numerous trail camera photos, and executing several search warrants, it was discovered the shooter of the bull moose was Gord MacMillan, who did not possess a licence to hunt moose in Ontario.”

Gord MacMillan of North Bay pleaded guilty to hunting a bull moose without a licence and making a false statement to a conservation officer. He was fined $6,000 and received a one-year suspension from all hunting activities.

Zachary MacMillan of North Bay pleaded guilty to making a false statement to a conservation officer and possessing illegally obtained moose meat. He was a fined $2,000.

Mike Molyneaux of Temagami pleaded guilty to possessing illegally obtained moose meat and was fined $500.

Justice of the Peace Leonard Ellery heard the case in the Ontario Court of Justice, Haileybury, on Feb. 1.

To report a natural resource problem or provide information about an unsolved case, members of the public can call the ministry TIPS line toll-free at 1-877-847-7667. You can also call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS.

For more information about unsolved cases, click here.