Photo courtesy of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry

Three southwestern Ontario men have been convicted of unsafe hunting practices.

According to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, conservation officers were conducting a remote moose enforcement flight on Lac Seul in northern Ontario on October 14, 2022 and spotted two men shoot a cow moose from a motorboat, over 17 kilometres from the tag holder, despite party hunting rules that require a distance of no more than five kilometres.

The tag holder in question, Richard McCarty of Wheatley pleaded guilty to unlawfully invalidating tag with respect to an animal killed by another person and was fined $2,000.

Frederick Evers of Kingsville pleaded guilty to unlawfully hunting big game and discharging a firearm from a motorboat and was fined a total of $9,000. In addition, his hunting licence was suspended for one year.

Michael Boose of Essex pleaded guilty to unlawfully hunting big game and discharging a firearm from a motorboat and was fined $8,500.