Five men slapped with $7,800 in fines for moose and bear hunting offences

Ministry of Natural Resources officials say three Keswick men and two others have been fined a total of $7,800 for moose and bear hunting offences.

Wesley Taylor of Windsor pleaded guilty and was fined $1,000 for possessing another person’s moose seal.

Alan Brake of Keswick pleaded guilty and was fined $1,800 for hunting a cow moose without a licence. 

Dakota Villiers of Keswick pleaded guilty and was fined $1,500 for hunting a black bear without a licence.

Norman Cuillerier of Willow Beach pleaded guilty and was fined $2,000 for transferring a moose licence to another person and $500 for transporting a black bear that was unlawfully killed.

James Hand of Keswick pleaded guilty and was fined $1,000 for attaching his seal to a bear that was killed by another person.

Court heard that on Oct. 18, 2016, a conservation officer contacted a large group of moose hunters in Longford Township in the City of Kawartha Lakes.

The officer determined that Brake had shot a cow moose earlier that morning.

Officials say Cuillerier, the holder of the licence seal for the animal, had left camp the night before and was not present when the moose was shot. The officer found that prior to leaving camp, Cuillerier had illegally transferred his cow moose seal to Taylor, another member of the group.

Further investigation found that Villiers had shot a black bear without a licence the previous day. Hand, who was licensed to hunt black bear, unlawfully attached his seal to the bear that was shot illegally.  The bear was then transported from the area by Cuillerier when he left camp that night.

The ministry’s canine unit was utilized to recover evidence in this investigation and both the moose and the black bear were seized and forfeited to the Crown.

Justice of the Peace Catherine Henderson heard the case in the Ontario Court of Justice, Lindsay, on Jan. 27.

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).