Nine men fined $8,390 for moose hunt offences near Chapleau

Nine men from across northeastern Ontario have been fined a total of $8,390 for failing to meet tagging requirements while party hunting during the open moose season in 2022.

The court heard that on Oct. 19, 2022, a conservation officer inspected a hunting party on an old logging road off Highway 129 near Chapleau.

“(Daniel Gabcan of Blind River) produced a valid cow/calf moose tag which was not notched at the time of inspection, nor was there any mention of a moose being shot,” the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry said in a news release.

“The officer continued down the road and discovered a cow moose gutted and covered in brush in one of the logging cuts with no tag attached. Conservation officers attended the scene the next day and found the same hunting party retrieving the moose that was left overnight. The cow moose and tag were seized.”

Justice of the Peace Wade Cachagee heard the case in the Ontario Court of Justice, Chapleau, on Sept. 21.

Gabcan pleaded guilty to failing to invalidate a tag immediately after a harvest, failing to attach an invalidated tag to animal after harvesting it, and unlawfully possessing an animal that was required to have a tag attached to it. He was fined a total of $1,800.

Brett Millroy and William Millroy of Sault Ste. Marie pleaded guilty to being party to the offence of failing to attach an invalidated tag to the animal after harvesting it. Each were fined $870.

David Phillips, Martin Thistel, and Harry Van Amelsfoort of Blind River, along with James Phillips and Robert Comtois of Sudbury, pleaded guilty to unlawfully possessing an animal that was required to have a tag attached to it. Each were fined $870.

Marc Dupras of Sudbury also pleaded guilty to unlawfully possessing an animal that was required to have a tag attached. He was fined $500 and is prohibited from possessing an Ontario hunting licence and engaging in any hunting activities for one year.

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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, click here.