DRYDEN – Three southern Ontario men were fined a total of $10,500 for illegal big game hunting offences.
Paul Rea of King City, Antonio DiMassa of London and Antonio Rea of Vaughan pleaded guilty to unlawfully hunting big game without a licence, hunting big game while it is swimming and discharging a firearm from a motorboat. Both Paul Rea and DiMassa were fined $1,000 for each charge and are not allowed to hunt in Ontario for one year. Antonio Rea was fined $1,500 for each charge.
The court heard that on October 19, 2013, Ministry of Natural Resources conservation officers contacted the men after hearing gunshots on Lac Seul near Kleiners Point. Officers discovered that the men arranged for hunting guides to walk across a nearby island to force wildlife into the water. Each man shot several times at a swimming white-tailed deer: Paul Rea and DiMassa shot from shore and Antonio Rea shot from a motor-boat. The men said they thought it was a calf moose. Further investigation revealed that Paul Rea and DiMassa also shot at an onshore calf moose while in a boat earlier that day. The men’s firearms and hunting equipment were seized and will be returned upon payment of fines.
Justice of the Peace Pat Clydesdale-Cornell heard the case in the Ontario Court of Justice, Dryden, on June 5, 2014.
The ministry reminds hunters that it is illegal to shoot big game while it is swimming. It is illegal to discharge a firearm from a conveyance, including a motorboat, and laws regarding the use of firearms are in place for the protection and safety of hunters and members of the public.
For further information on hunting regulations, please consult the Ontario Hunting Regulations Summary, available 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).
