Man fined $5,000 for hunting moose without a licence

Fred McLeod of Sault Ste. Marie was found guilty of hunting moose without a licence and hunting with a firearm without possessing the required documentation. McLeod was fined a total of $5,500.

The court heard that on Oct. 17, 2023, conservation officers saw McLeod actively hunting for moose in the Esker Lake Road area, north of Terrace Bay.

When officers asked McLeod for his licences, he claimed to be hunting under his Indigenous harvesting rights but could not provide any documentation. It was also determined that McLeod’s federal firearms possession acquisition licence had been revoked.

He was contacted three times by conservation officers over three months and failed to provide any documentation regarding Indigenous harvesting rights.

Justice of the Peace Tobey Meyers of the Ontario Court of Justice, Thunder Bay, heard the case on Dec. 4, 2024.