Two Ont. hunters fined $16K for illegal moose hunting activities

Conservation officer Ron Arnold talks about a pair of men from Thunder Bay, who pleaded guilty to shooting a moose from a road west of the city in November 2024

Two men from Thunder Bay, Ont., have been fined $8,000 each and suspended from hunting for two years after pleading guilty to charges related to unlawful moose hunting northwest of the city last fall.

Norman Bernauer and Leonard Oinonen each pleaded guilty to unlawfully discharging a firearm across a roadway and unlawfully abandoning game wildlife such that its flesh became unsuitable for human consumption.

The convictions stem from an investigation which began on Nov. 3, 2024.

The Ministry of Natural Resources said conservation officers and a ministry canine unit responded to a report of a spoiled cow moose in a forestry cut area off East Arrow Lake Road.

Investigation reveals roadside shooting, abandoned animal

A subsequent investigation revealed that Oinonen and Bernauer had harvested a calf moose two days earlier, on Nov. 1. During that harvest, they shot and injured a cow moose that was with the calf.

“Knowing that the cow moose had been struck by a bullet, a decision was made to leave the area without searching for the cow moose or reporting the mistake,” the ministry said in a recent court bulletin.

Although both men were licensed to hunt calf moose, the calf they harvested was seized by officers because, in doing so, the men discharged firearms from the roadway, a violation of hunting regulations.

“The Ontario government is safeguarding moose populations by ensuring hunters are harvesting in a safe manner and hunting with required licences,” the MNR said in its court bulletin.

Significant penalties imposed

Justice of the Peace Jerry M. Woods Jr. heard the case and delivered the sentence in a Thunder Bay courtroom on May 7.

The combined fines for the two men total $16,000 and their two-year hunting suspensions are effective immediately.

To report a natural resource problem or provide information about an unsolved case, call the ministry TIPS line toll-free at 1-877-847-7667 or contact Crime Stoppers anonymously.

For more information about unsolved cases, click here.