Man used car’s headlights to illegally hunt moose at night, Canadian officials say
A man accused of illegally hunting at night in western Canada was fined and ordered to months of probation, conservation officials said.
He used his car’s headlights to illuminate a moose he shot along a forest service road near Fort St. James, where he’s from, the Conservation Officer Service said on Facebook on Wednesday, Dec. 11.
Conservation officers and Royal Canadian Mounted Police responded to a complaint of night hunting in 2021 and determined a moose had been shot from the road “with the vehicle headlights used to illuminate the animal due to the darkness,” the agency said.
The conservation agency gave the moose to Nak’azdli First Nation members, officials said.
The man pleaded guilty in provincial court to hunting with an illumination device, officials said. He was fined $3,000 and received nine months of probation, during which he will have to give a school presentation on safe hunting practices and the unethical and illegal practice of hunting at night.
“All but $1 of the penalty is directed towards the Habitat Conservation and Trust Foundation,” officials said.
Conservation Officer Service Sgt. Stuart Bates said in a statement posted to Facebook that the agency hopes “this sentence will deter others from similar illegal activity.”
Bates thanked the members of the public who reported the hunter to the Report All Poachers and Polluters line so officers could respond immediately. Violations can be reported to the RAPP line at 1-877-952-7277.
Fort St. James is about a 585-mile drive north from Vancouver.
This story was originally published December 13, 2024 at 5:15 PM with the headline "Man used car’s headlights to illegally hunt moose at night, Canadian officials say."
