Four men from southern Ontario have been convicted of several offences in connection with a 2019 moose hunting incident near Upsala.
The moose was shot on a road by members of the hunting party who were not in immediate communication with the tag holder – both violations of provincial hunting laws.
Brandon Rowe of Parkhill and Dennis McLeod of Thedford both pleaded guilty to using a firearm carelessly and hunting without a licence. Rowe also pleaded guilty to an additional charge of making a false statement to a conservation officer.
That brought fines of $9,500 for Rowe, and $6,000 for McLeod. Rowe’s hunting licence was suspended for six months and McLeod’s for four years, while both must retake a hunter safety education course.
The two other members of the party, Leslie Rowe and Devin Rowe, both of Ailsa Craig, pleaded guilty to making a false statement to a conservation officer, and were fined $3,000 and $1,500 respectively.
The case was heard on April 7 by justice of the peace Bruce Leaman at the Ontario Court of Justice in Thunder Bay.
Conservation officers contacted Rowe and McLeod’s hunting group while on patrol along Graham Road, north of Upsala. The two had just harvested a bull moose and were returning to camp.
Officers were misled on who had harvested the moose during their initial inspection, according to a release from Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry.
After examining the kill site, officers were able to determine the moose had been shot on the road, leading to the careless hunting charge.
Further investigation with the assistance of an MNRF K9 unit determined Rose and McLeod had shot at the moose while it was on the road and neither individual was in immediate communication with the tag holder.
The moose was seized as part of the investigation.
The case serves as a reminder that shooting from a vehicle or down a road is both dangerous and illegal, the MNRF said. The ministry encourages members of the public to report natural resources violations by calling 1-877-847-7667 or visiting ontario.ca/mnrftips.
