A cow moose was shot and left to waste in late November in the Porcupine Provincial Forest in the province's northeast. Saskatchewan Environment/Facebook

By Doug Lett

Moose shot and left to waste

Moose shot and left for dead in Porcupine Forest

Dec 22, 2022 | 3:00 PM

Editor’s Note: Photos and content in this story might be disturbing to some readers.

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Conservation officers are investigating after a cow moose was shot and left to waste in the Porcupine Forest.

“Conservation officers investigated and found a cow moose along a well-used ATV and snowmobile trail,” said Sgt. Jeremy Johnson with Provincial Protective Services. “Officers believe the moose was shot sometime between Nov. 20 and 22 by suspects on snowmobiles.”

Johnson said it’s a remote area, around 250 km east of Prince Albert. He said officers collected all the evidence they could, but are asking for the public’s help in the case.

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It’s not the first example this year. Saskatchewan Environment has posted about two other moose shot and left to waste- one near Saltcoats, and another near Springside, both in southern Saskatchewan. There’s also a disturbing post about a mule deer shot and left to die near Craven on Nov. 23.

“The violator shot from the road, wounding and immobilizing the deer. The violator then walked up to the injured deer before turning around and walking away, leaving the deer wounded and unable to move,” said the post, adding the animal was still alive when conservation officers arrived.

It’s another case where conservation officers are asking for the public’s help.

“It’s not something that we see every day,” said Johnson of the illegal shootings. “But unfortunately, it does happen on occasion.” He said it’s a waste in several respects, including the fact meat from the animals could go to a needy family or a food bank.

He added there does not seem to be more cases this year than in previous years – but the problem remains a big concern.

“At times, it’s very difficult to catch the people responsible in cases like this. Conservation officers can’t be everywhere all the time. So when the public acts as their eyes and ears, it’s tremendously valuable to solving some of these cases,” he said, adding there have been cases where information from the public has been crucial in laying charges.

Penalties under the Wildlife Act include significant fines, and confiscation of hunting equipment, along with a suspension of hunting privileges.

For example, last summer four people in the Wakaw area received fines totalling over $16,000 after pleading guilty to 18 charges under the Wildlife Act.

Johnson said people can report information confidentially through the SaskTip line and can be eligible for cash rewards up to $2000 if their information leads to a conviction.

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doug.lett@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter: @DougLettSK