DRYDEN – Crimebeat – A southern Ontario man has been fined a total of $3,500 for illegal moose hunting. Salvatore Verduci of Maple pleaded guilty to the charge of hunting without a licence and was fined $2,500. He also pleaded guilty to discharging a firearm from a roadway and was fined $1,000. Verduci was banned from hunting in Ontario for the next two years, and his firearm was seized. The firearm will be returned once his fines are paid.
The court heard that on October 31, 2011, in response to a complaint from a member of the public, Ministry of Natural Resources conservation officers contacted Verduci at a resort where he and his hunting party were staying. An investigation revealed that Verduci shot and killed a moose while standing on a road off Ann Bay Road near Atikokan, in a wildlife management unit he was not licensed to hunt in. He dragged the moose down the road, and later used a trailer to move the moose to a wildlife management unit in which he was authorized to hunt. He then gutted the moose and affixed his valid game seal. The conservation officers used DNA testing in their investigation.
Justice of the Peace Daisy Hoppe heard the case in the Ontario Court of Justice, Dryden, on August 28, 2012.
The public is reminded that it is illegal and unsafe to shoot from, down or across a road while hunting. The Ontario Hunting Regulations also require the person who harvests wildlife while hunting in a party to immediately notify all other members of the party. The hunter in the party who holds the game seal must immediately affix the game seal to the wildlife.
For further information on hunting regulations, please consult the 2012-2013 Hunting Regulations Summary, available at ServiceOntario/Government Information Centres, from licence issuers and at ontario.ca/hunting.
To report a natural resources violation, call 1-877-TIPS-MNR (847-7667) toll-free any time or contact your local ministry office during regular business hours. You can also call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
