Sudbury-area man pleads guilty to hunting moose without 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 Sudbury-area man has been fined $2,600, suspended from hunting for 10 years and forfeited his firearm to the Crown for hunting without a licence and lying to conservation officers, the ministry says.

Donald Beck of Dowling pleaded guilty in August to hunting big game without a licence, making a false statement to a conservation officer and in a document.

"The court heard that on Nov. 2, 2022, in the vicinity of Dowling, Beck had been observed with a high-powered rifle and confirmed to be hunting big game. During the investigation Beck made multiple false statements regarding a fictitious hunting partner with a moose tag to mislead the investigation," the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry said in a news release.

"Beck was not lawfully party hunting moose nor did he have a moose tag for the current hunting season. It was further discovered during the investigation that Beck misrepresented the responses in his mandatory hunting report that he had not hunted moose in 2022, which was false."

The province said ensuring hunters follow the rules protects the moose population.

Anyone with information about a natural resource problem or tips about an unsolved case can contact the ministry at 1-877-847-7667 or submit an anonymous report through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.