From the MNRF
A southern Ontario resident has been fined $1,800 for illegally shooting a bull moose.
Frank Casciaro of Woodbridge pleaded guilty and was fined $1,800 for hunting bull moose without a licence.
Court heard that last Oct. 14, a conservation officer responded to a TIPS line call that a hunter had shot a bull moose instead of a cow moose.
The officer contacted a group of nine hunters on Lily Lake Road in the District of Thunder Bay. During the investigation, a harvested bull moose was observed.
The officer determined that earlier that day, Casciaro saw what he thought was a cow moose emerging from the bush about 140 metres away.
He watched the moose for 20-30 seconds through his rifle scope, didn’t see antlers on it, then shot and killed the moose, which was, in fact, a bull.
Casciaro did not have a tag to hunt bull moose.
The moose was forfeited to the Crown and donated to area residents through the Regional Food Distribution Association.
Justice of the Peace John Guthrie heard the case May 16 in Thunder Bay.
The ministry reminds the public that they are required to properly identify their game when hunting, prior to shooting at it.
Binoculars, not rifle scopes, are a safe and more reliable tool for observing and identifying game animals.
For more information on hunting regulations, consult the Ontario Hunting Regulations Summary available at ontario.ca/hunting or contact your local conservation officers.
