Northern Ontario man fined $5.5K for hunting moose without necessary licence

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.

A northern Ontario man has been fined $5,500 after pleading guilty to hunting a cow moose without a proper licence.

The court heard conservation officers were patrolling the Ann Bay Road area north of Atikokan in northwestern Ontario Oct. 16, 2022, when they came upon two hunters with a cow moose in the back of a truck.

Upon inspection, conservation officers discovered Mike Ehelbe, of Atikokan, shot the moose and tagged it using a calf tag, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry said in a news release Friday.

"Rather than reporting the mistake to conservation officers, Ehelebe invalidated his tag and was intending to keep the moose," MNRF said.

"The moose was seized and donated to families in need."

Hunters invalidate their tags by notching the day, month and time immediately after the kill, at the site of the kill and before moving the animal.

The hearing was heard by Justice of the Peace Denette Ellard on Dec. 8 in Fort Frances.

"The Ontario government is safeguarding moose populations by ensuring hunters take the time to identify their target before shooting," the MNRF said.

Tips about natural resource concerns can be made to the ministry at 1-877-847-7667 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.