Two moose poached near Meadow Lake

Conservation officers in the region are searching for lawbreakers who left a pair of moose for dead southeast of Meadow Lake.

On Feb. 1, local authorities received a call about a cow and calf moose being shot on the Matchee-Neeb road, north of the Meadow Lake OSB plant. According to conservation, the animals were killed and left to waste.

Conservation Officer Kevin Harrison said the investigation into this incident is ongoing.

“It was determined that the moose were also shot on private land,” he said. “We’re not sure if this was hunting out of season or not.”

He said if the individuals are caught and found responsible, they could face hefty fines.

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“They could face charges related to unlawful hunting,” Harrison said. “That could carry a fine of close to $3,000 per animal, and since these moose were shot and left with no attempt to retrieve that could be a waste-of-meat fine that is close to $2,000.”

He said poaching is a recurring issue throughout the entire province. Each year, the Ministry of Environment receives over 1,000 calls to the Turn In Poacher line. In addition, there are around 1,200 prosecutions, 2,100 written warnings and 3,500 verbal warnings handed out annually.

“Most people are good standing citizens that follow rules and laws when it comes to hunting,” Harrison said. “But there’s a few out there that are greedy and take more than they need or just get out there and shoot stuff. Some people think they will just get away with it, some people want them for the horns, some people don’t like them on their property.”

Anyone with information on this case is encouraged to report it to Turn In Poachers online, at 1-800-667-7561 or by calling #5555 from a SaskTel cellphone.
 

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