Five men fined for illegal moose hunt, public land violation

Five men pleaded guilty and were fined a total of $8,250 for poaching a bull and a cow moose and for leaving garbage on Crown land, said the Ministry of Natural Resources.

David Vallee of Chelmsford pleaded guilty to two separate charges of hunting moose without a licence. He received a $3,000 fine and a one-year hunting suspension, with an additional four-year suspension for hunting big game. His firearm was permanently forfeited to the Crown. He also received a $250 fine for leaving garbage on Crown land.

Jason Pereira of Sudbury pleaded guilty and was fined $2,000 for the illegal possession of the moose.

Robin Vallee of Chelmsford, Claude Paquette of Hagar and Marcel Paquette of Westree all pleaded guilty and were each fined $1,000 for illegal possession of the cow moose.

The court heard that a call to the MNR TIPS line led conservation officers to a decomposing bull moose. Their investigation found evidence that the men group hunted for adult moose without the appropriate licences.

The group first shot and killed a bull moose which they failed to retrieve. Following that, they shot a cow and calf, and had Pereira claim the cow moose under his rights to harvest as a member of a First Nation.

Pereira, who was not hunting with the group, only attended once the cow was shot.

Justice of the Peace Monique Seguin heard the case against David Vallee, Robin Vallee, Claude Paquette and Marcel Paquette in the Ontario Court of Justice, Sudbury, on Dec. 13, 2013.

Justice of the Peace Pierre Leclerc heard the case against Pereira in the Ontario Court of Justice, Sudbury, on Jan. 10, 2014.