Echo Bay Man Fined $12,000 for Illegal Bull Moose Hunt, Attempted Cover-Up

The Ontario government is safeguarding moose populations by ensuring hunters do not cover up illegal hunting activities.

Timothy Junor of Echo Bay pleaded guilty to unlawfully hunting a bull moose without a licence and was fined $12,000.

On November 3, 2021, conservation officers initiated an investigation after locating a suspicious moose kill site near the Batchawana River in Norberg Township.

Court heard that on October 18, 2021, Junor was hunting for moose in an old forestry cut block. Junor was part of a larger hunting party that was only licenced to hunt calf moose. Upon entering the cut block, Junor observed two bull moose running along the hillside and fired a round from his rifle at one of the bull moose, killing it. Junor returned to a hunt camp on Annie Lake where an agreement was made with a member of a local Indigenous community to attend the kill site and claim the moose was shot under their Indigenous harvesting rights, thereby covering up the illegal killing of the moose. Junor returned to the kill site with the Indigenous person, processed the moose and transported it back to the hunt camp at Annie Lake. The following day, the Indigenous community member transported the moose to a butcher shop in Thessalon where they again claimed that they shot the bull moose under their Indigenous harvesting rights.

Justice of the Peace Sarah Keesmaat heard the case in the Ontario Court of Justice, Sault Ste. Marie, on June 17, 2024.

To report a natural resource problem or provide information about an unsolved case, members of the public can call the ministry TIPS line toll free at 1-877-847-7667. You can also call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS. For more information about unsolved cases, please visit ontario.ca/mnrftips.