Non-Ontario resident fined for illegal moose hunt

Tim Brody - Editor

A hunter from the United States has been fined $28,750 for moose hunting violations north of Pickle Lake in 2023.
A hunter from New Auburn, Wisconsin was found guilty of discharging a firearm down the travelled portion of a roadway, hunting moose without a licence and possessing illegally killed wildlife. He was fined $28,750 and received a ten-year hunting licence suspension.
According to the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), “The Ontario Court of Justice heard that on October 3, 2023, conservation officers located a cow moose carcass along Nort Road, north of Pickle Lake, with evidence suggesting it had been killed while standing on the roadway.”
MNR shared that an investigation determined the hunter had unlawfully killed the moose on September 29, 2023 by shooting down the travelled portion of the road with a high-powered rifle. The investigation found the hunter did not have a valid cow tag and subsequently travelled over 13 kilometres to his hunting partner, who was not aware the individual was out hunting, and convinced the tag holder to invalidate their tag on the unlawful harvest. The MNR investigation found the hunter immediately left the area and returned to the United States the next morning.
Justice of the Peace Pat Clysdale-Cornell heard the case in the Ontario Court of Justice, Dryden, on December 11, 2025.
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. You can also call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS. For more information about unsolved cases, please visit 
ontario.ca/MNRTips.