More illegal hunting fines announced

NEWS RELEASES

MINISTRY OF NATURAL RESOURCES

************************* Illegal bear export results in fines of $4,640 (February 25, 2011) - Three men from the United States have been fined a total of $4,640 for attempting to export three black bears into the United States without provincial export permits. Samuel Sterk of Grandville, Michigan was fined $1,760 for exporting a black bear without a permit and abandonment of wildlife.

Jeffrey Kroll of Allendale, Michigan, was fined $2,000 for exporting a black bear without a permit, abandonment of wildlife and hunting with an illegal shotgun.

Thomas Sterk of Grandville, Michigan, was fined $880 for exporting a black bear without a permit. Court heard that the three hunters were returning from a bear hunt in the White River area when they were stopped by a joint forces enforcement check at the Sault Ste. Marie border by Ministry of Natural Resources conservation officers and Canada Border Services Agency enforcement officers.

The hunters did not have the required export permits to legally export the black bears into the United States.

In addition, officers learned that both Samuel Sterk and Jeffrey Kroll made no attempt to salvage the meat from the bears that they shot.

Kroll also hunted his black bear with an unplugged shotgun. Justice of the Peace James Bubba heard the case in the Ontario Court of Justice, Sault Ste. Marie, on February 23, 2011. To report a natural resources violation, call 1-877-TIPS-MNR (847-7667) toll-free any time or contact your local ministry officer during regular business hours.

You can also call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

************************* Fined $700 for hunting moose without a licence (February 25, 2011) - A South Porcupine man has been fined a total of $700 for hunting moose without a licence and for misleading a conservation officer. Thomas Vincent was found guilty on both charges and fined $300 for hunting without a licence and $400 for making a false statement to a conservation officer. The court heard that on November 3, 2009, a Ministry of Natural Resources conservation officer from Timmins District was checking vehicles in McNeil Township, about 45 kilometres south of Timmins.

The officer stopped a vehicle in which Vincent was a passenger.

Vincent had a high-powered rifle with him, but neither he nor the driver could produce a moose hunting game seal authorizing them to hunt moose.

Vincent said that he had forgotten his game seal at home.

The officer was later unable to contact Vincent by phone or in person to verify his claim.

Further investigation revealed that Vincent had shot and tagged a calf moose with his game seal almost a month earlier, on October 13, 2009. The case was heard by Justice of the Peace Theodore Hodgins in the Ontario Provincial Court, Timmins, on February 17, 2011. The ministry reminds hunters that when hunting big game in Ontario, they must have a valid Outdoors Card with a current moose, deer or bear validation tag with them, and be able to produce the tag if a conservation officer asks to see it.

The tag must be accompanied by the corresponding game seal. Once a hunter harvests a big game animal, he or she must immediately affix that game seal to the animal and notch out the correct date and time of the kill. To report a natural resources violation, call 1-877-TIPS-MNR (847-7667) toll-free any time or contact your local ministry officer during regular business hours.

You can also call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

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