THUNDER BAY – DRYDEN – OUTDOORS – Two Minnesota men have pleaded guilty and were fined a total of $9,100 for illegal moose hunting.
Mark Greninger of Palisade and Paul Greninger of Maple Grove were fined $3,000 and $1,500 respectively for shooting a moose while it was swimming. They were also fined $1,500 each for discharging a firearm from a motorboat. Mark Greninger was also fined $800 for allowing moose meat to become unsuitable for human consumption and $800 for making a false statement to a conservation officer. The men cannot hunt in Ontario for two years.
The court heard that on September 24, 2015, the two men were moose hunting on Windigo Lake in Wildlife Management Unit 1C, north of Pickle Lake. Mark Greninger shot a swimming bull moose with his high-powered rifle while Paul Greninger drove the boat. They brought the dead moose onshore and skinned it, taking the larger portions of meat back to their campsite. However, they left some meat on the carcass, including the tenderloins. Conservation officers contacted the men later that day at their campsite when Mark Greninger told officers he shot the moose from shore. An investigation determined this was false. The moose was seized and forfeited to the Crown.
Justice of the Peace Edith Baas heard the case in the Ontario Court of Justice, Dryden on December 3, 2015.
The public is reminded that it is illegal to have a loaded firearm in or on, or discharge a loaded firearm from a motor boat or other conveyance and to hunt big game while it is swimming.
For further information on hunting regulations, please consult the Hunting Regulations Summary available at ontario.ca/hunting.
To report a natural resources violation, call the MNRF TIPS line at 1-877-847-7667 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).
