Hunters fined for shooting moose from a motorboat

Three hunters from northern Ontario have been handed hefty fines for shooting a moose from a motorboat.

The case dates back to last October, when conservation officers in the Red Lake area were tipped off about a group hunting moose from a boat. The group had already successfully harvested one moose on Alford Lake. 

Conservation officers determined that the three men were licensed to hunt a bull moose in Wildlife Management Unit (WMU) 2. The group harvested the bull moose in WMU 3. 

Justice of the Peace Pat Clysdale-Cornell heard the case remotely over the summer at the Ontario Court of Justice in Kenora.

Eric Plouffe of Red Lake pleaded guilty to hunting moose without a licence and unlawfully discharging a firearm from a motorboat. He was fined $5,000 and is prohibited from possessing, applying for, or obtaining a hunting licence for one year.

Dylan Auger of Dryden pleaded guilty to hunting moose without a licence and unlawfully invalidating a tag with respect to an animal not of the same type as specified on the tag. He was fined $4,000.

Robert Plouffe of Hearst pleaded guilty to hunting moose without a licence and fined $2,000.

“The Ontario government is protecting Ontario moose population by ensuring hunters are harvesting safely,” says a news release issued Friday by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry.