Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry release
Two men have been fined a total of $4,000 for moose hunting offences under the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act.
Franco Ruzzier of Caledon pleaded guilty and was fined $2,000 for unlawfully attaching his moose seal to a moose killed by another person, and $1,000 for illegally hunting in a provincial park.
Mario Bertok of Pain Court pleaded guilty and was fined $1,000 for possessing illegally killed wildlife.
Court heard that in October 2015, conservation officers received a tip about two men transporting a dead bull moose by boat out of Sedgman Lake Provincial Park, a nature reserve. An investigation by conservation officers from MNRF’s Nipigon, Lower Great Lakes and Aurora enforcement units determined that an unknown hunter had shot the moose in the park and, having learned that Ruzzier had a bull moose validation seal for the area, sought him out. The hunter contacted Ruzzier, who was with Bertok outside of the park, and convinced Ruzzier to retrieve the moose in the park and place his seal on it. Ruzzier and Bertok then transported the moose by boat out of the park, and were later found in possession of the moose’s head and meat.
Justice of the Peace Denette Maslach heard the case in the Ontario Court of Justice, Geraldton, on November 28, 2017.
For information on hunting regulations, please consult the Ontario Hunting Regulations Summary available at ontario.ca/hunting.
To report a natural resources violation, call the MNRF TIPS line at 1-877-847-7667 toll-free any time or contact your local ministry office during regular business hours. You can also call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
