Two Ont. hunters fined $9,750 for moose hunting scheme

Two Ontario men are facing $9,750 in fines after they tried to cover up that a bull moose was shot by mistake last October.

John Poleschuk of Thunder Bay was licensed to hunt cow moose last season but shot a bull instead on Oct. 16 in the Pakashkan Lake area of northwestern Ontario.

A conservation officer was in the area at the time and determined that he had shot the animal before the end of legal hunting hours, but was unable to find the moose, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry said in a news release Friday.

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Poleschuk found the moose the next morning and rather than reporting his mistake, he found another hunter – Joshua Stevenson of Napanee -- who had a tag for a bull and convinced him to use it on his kill.

He contacted the conservation officer and lied saying he hadn't been able to find the moose.

An investigation revealed that the two hunters had not been party hunting.

The moose was seized.

Poleschuk pleaded guilty to hunting bull moose without a licence, knowingly making a false statement to a conservation officer and being party to the offence of unlawfully invalidating a tag. He was fined $7,250.

Stevenson pleaded guilty to unlawfully invalidating a tag concerning an animal killed by another person and to possessing illegally killed wildlife. He was fined $2,500.

"The Ontario government is safeguarding moose populations by ensuring hunters take the time to identify their target before shooting," the ministry said.

"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."