Hunting moose in the Great White North is an unforgettable experience, but after hunting with a select few Ontario guides, a number of hunters are now also learning an expensive lesson they certainly won’t forget.
As part of a massive poaching bust, the Government of Ontario announced they had charged 20 defendants a total of $178,400 and ordered them to pay $44,525 in surcharges for a variety of moose-hunting violations. In addition to the monetary fines, the province laid down 59 years worth of hunting license suspensions for those involved.
The incidents leading up to the plethora of charges all centered around an outfitter based in Western Ontario. Bob Green’s Fly-in Camps and Green Airways, operated by Robert A. Green and Robert W. Green, consists of one main lodge on Mamakwash Lake and a few other smaller outposts nearby. In addition to guided moose hunts, they provide fishing trips and guided bear hunts as well.
An investigation conducted by Ontario conservation officers revealed that the Green’s were guiding clients in wildlife management units in which the clients were not licensed to hunt. Once inside these units, the participants spotted and shot moose from power boats and knowingly assisted with the retrieval and possession of illegally killed moose.
In total, conservation officers determined that approximately 12 moose were taken in this unlawful manner and all of the defendants were found to have falsified the mandatory tourist industry moose hunter reports to conceal the fact that the moose were killed without licenses.
Another named outfitter, Matt and Janelle’s Nungesser Lake Lodge, were also implicated in the case, receiving a two-year prohibition from guiding or providing services to big game hunters.
The Roundup of Charges Include:
Chad Dunham of Mitchell, Indiana, pleaded guilty to unlawfully hunting a swimming bull and cow moose while using a motorboat, hunting moose during a closed season and hunting a bull moose without a licence. He was fined $16,200 and received a 12-year hunting licence suspension.
Robert W. Green of Red Lake pleaded guilty to hunting moose without a licence, discharging a firearm from a motorboat, possessing wildlife illegally killed, making a false statement in a document and obstructing a conservation officer. He received $12,500 in fines, a five-year hunting licence suspension and is prohibited from guiding big game hunters for two years.
Andrew Brown of Oshawa pleaded guilty to hunting a bull moose without a licence, discharging a firearm from a motorboat and possessing illegally killed wildlife. He was fined $12,000 and received a four-year hunting licence suspension.
Richard Brassard of Thunder Bay pleaded guilty to hunting two bull moose without a licence. He was fined $10,000 and received a five-year hunting licence suspension.
Michael Allen of Lebanon, Indiana, pleaded guilty to unlawfully hunting a swimming bull and cow moose using a motorboat. He was fined $9,000 and received a 10-year hunting licence suspension.
Anthony Alberson of Bloomfield, Indiana, pleaded guilty to hunting moose during a closed season and hunting a bull moose without a licence. He received a $7,200 fine and received a two-year hunting licence suspension.
Mark Mater of Oshawa pleaded guilty to hunting a bull moose without a licence and possessing wildlife illegally killed. He was fined $7,000 and received a five-year hunting licence suspension.
Jeff Imrie of Red Lake pleaded guilty to hunting a bull moose without a licence. He was fined $5,000.
Clayton Jackson of Wetumpka, Alabama, pleaded guilty to hunting a bull moose without a licence. He was fined $4,200 and received a two-year hunting licence suspension.
Marlin Turley and Sounda Turley of Afton, Oklahoma, pleaded guilty to hunting a bull and cow moose without a licence. They were each fined $3,000, and both received a five-year hunting licence suspension.
Tyler Simpson of Lindsay pleaded guilty to possessing an illegally killed bull moose and was fined $3,000. He received a one-year hunting license suspension.
Daniel Bash of Poland, Indiana, pleaded guilty to unlawfully possessing an illegally killed bull moose. He was fined $3,000 and received a one-year hunting licence suspension.
Michael Casper of Elkader, Indiana, pleaded guilty to hunting a bull moose without a licence and possessing wildlife illegally killed. He was fined $800 and received a two-year hunting licence suspension.
