The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry laid 107 charges and issued 232 warnings over a nine-day period in southeastern Ontario.
From October 20 to October 28, 2018, conservation officers checked 3,973 hunters in the Bancroft, Parry Sound and Pembroke areas. Officers were checking for compliance with the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act and associated regulations, paying particular attention to hunter safety and moose sustainability issues.
Charges and warnings were issued for:
· shooting from, along or across a road
· having a loaded firearm in a vehicle
· night-hunting related offences
· not wearing proper hunter orange
· trespassing for the purpose of hunting
· failing to wear a proper helmet on an ATV
· not having a lifejacket or safety equipment on a boat
· hunting moose, white-tailed deer or migratory birds without a licence
· failing to immediately seal a moose
· failing to immediately seal a deer while party hunting
· harvesting a moose without the appropriate licence
· hunting moose and white-tailed deer in the closed season
· using lead shot to hunt migratory birds
· failing to leave a fully feathered wing on a migratory bird for identification purposes
· providing a false statement to a conservation officer
· having open liquor in a vehicle
· driving an off-road vehicle without insurance
Officers also seized 33 moose that were harvested illegally, as well as two firearms.
In addition, 17 investigations are ongoing related to hunter safety, moose sustainability, and chronic wasting disease.
To report a natural resources violation, call the ministry TIPS line at 1-877-847-7667 toll-free any time or contact your local ministry office during regular business hours. You can also call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). And visit Ontario.ca/mnrftips to view an interactive, searchable map of unsolved cases. You may be able to provide information that will help solve a case.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
