Manitoba Conservation and Water Stewardship advises on Wednesday, Dec. 2, conservation officers in the Lac du Bonnet area located a bull moose that had been shot from the Trans Licence Road north of Lac du Bonnet in Game Hunting Area (GHA) 26.
The moose had been shot within an area closed to all moose hunting and dragged by an all-terrain vehicle close to the Trans Licence Road where it had been hidden.
During the investigation, an officer stopped a truck driven by a lone occupant with an all-terrain vehicle traveling west on the road. The officer observed blood and hair on a knife in the truck and upon questioning, the occupant admitted to killing the animal.
The individual was issued a notice to appear in Beausejour provincial court. If convicted of hunting in a closed area, in addition to court-ordered penalties, the individual will face restitution costs of $5,000 for illegally harvesting a bull moose in a conservation closure area. The moose carcass was donated to members of local First Nation communities.
Due to a serious decline in the moose population in GHA 26, recovery measures began in 2010 with closure to licenced hunting. In 2012, as a result of consultations with First Nations, restrictions on rights-based hunting were implemented in small key areas in the GHA.
On Thursday, Dec 3, officers responded to a report of a possible elk shooting from PTH 10 near Antler Corner north of Swan River. There was no evidence of drag marks, suggesting no animals were loaded onto vehicles. Officers searched for dead elk in the area but none have been found to date. Melting temperatures and snow have made following the trail difficult.
Anyone with information about these or other illegal activities is asked to call their local Manitoba Conservation and Water Stewardship Office or the Turn in Poachers (TIP) line at 1-800-782-0076 (toll-free).
