Northern Ont. men fined $11.3K for moose hunting violations

Conservation officer Ron Arnold talks about two Ontario men fined $13,800 for an illegal 2022 moose hunt.

Two people from northeastern Ontario have been fined a total of $11,300 for moose hunting violations that date back to 2022.

Kareem Nicolas Rayan St-Germain and Paul Descoteaux, both of River Valley, were both found guilty by Justice of the Peace Madeleine Paul in the Ontario Court of Justice, Sturgeon Falls, on July 10 of this year.

The court heard that on Oct. 27, 2022, St-Germain and Descoteaux participated in a moose hunt on Lynn Creek Road in McWilliams Township where St-Germain shot and killed a cow moose.

“St-Germain was only licenced to hunt bear at the time and did not have a licence to hunt moose,” the Ministry of Natural Resources said in a news release.

Not wearing hunter orange

“In addition, St-Germain was not wearing hunter orange as required during the open gun season for big game. After killing the moose, St-Germain and Descoteaux retrieved ATVs and a trailer, which they used to transport the cow moose back to River Valley.”

A week later, St-Germain was stopped by an Ontario Provincial Police officer while operating an ATV and was found to be in possession of multiple body gripping traps, known as conibears.

“This information was shared with conservation officers who determined that St-Germain was not a licensed trapper authorized to possess body gripping traps and had never possessed a valid trapping licence,” the release said.

St-Germain was convicted of unlawfully hunting moose without a licence, transporting unlawfully killed wildlife, failing to wear hunter orange, unlawfully possessing body gripping traps and failing to complete mandatory hunter reports.

He was fined a total of $11,300 and is suspended from hunting for five years.

Descoteaux was convicted of transporting unlawfully killed wildlife. He was fined $2,500.

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.

To remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS. For more information about unsolved cases, click here.