A Parry Sound, Ont.-area man who obstructed conservation officers following an illegal moose hunt two years ago in the Red Lake area has been fined $12,000.
According to a provincial investigation, McDougall resident Gordon Chaput was hunting with two other men north of Red Lake on Oct. 7, 2023 when he unlawfully affixed a game-seal tag on a moose after the animal had been shot.
When officers confronted the group during a regular patrol, they “received conflicting information regarding where individuals were located when the moose was harvested,” a provincial news release said last week.
In Ontario, hunters stalking in a group must be within close proximity to each other at the time an animal is felled in order to legally use a game-seal on a group basis.
The news release said Chaput created a “false hunting location,” when in fact he was more than five kilometres from (where) the moose in question was harvested.
In regard to the same case, the news release said, McDougall resident Dennis Holden was fined $7,000 for hunting moose without a licence, while Dunchurch resident Michael Chaput was fined $1,500 for making a false statement to a conservation officer.
The three accused pleaded guilty to their offences this summer in Kenora provincial court, the release said.
Suspected wildlife violations can be reported to a dedicated provincial tips line at 1-877-847-7667.
Also last week, the province reported that a Red Lake man was fined $2,500 for keeping a Crown-land camp site beyond the maximum time limit allowed by the province.
According to a separate investigation, Jade McLaughlin had maintained a camp site north of town on Corallen Lake over a period between June 2024 to this spring.
“In June,” a provincial news release said, “McLaughlin moved his camper to another location and proceeded to leave it there in excess of 21 days.”
McLaughlin pleaded guilty to the offence in Red Lake provincial court this summer, the news release aid.
In Ontario, Canadian residents can camp on Crown land for free as long as they don’t exceed the 21-day limit and observe other regulations, like keeping sites clean.
