Two men from southern Ontario have been fined a total of $6,500 for unsafe hunting and party hunting offences that took place in the northwest, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry said Wednesday.

In a media release, the ministry said the fines stem from the shooting of a bull moose north of Sioux Lookout in September, 2016. The case was heard on Sept. 21, 2017.

One of the hunters saw the animal standing on a roadway and shot it with a high-powered rifle, the ministry said. Further investigation revealed he was more than five kilometres away from the rest of his party, and did not have proper radio communication with them, at the time.

Hunters pleaded guilty

The hunter — who the ministry said is from Odessa, Ont., near Kingston — pleaded guilty and was fined $3,500 for hunting big game without a licence and $2,000 for discharging a firearm without care and attention for people or property.

He also received a one-year hunting suspension and will be required to take the hunter education course before he can purchase another Ontario hunting licence, the ministry said.

Meanwhile, the second man, who the ministry said is from another Kingston-area community, was 10 kilometres away when the moose was shot, placed his bull moose tag on the animal more than two hours after it had been killed.

He pleaded guilty and was fined $1,000 for placing his big game seal on an animal shot by another person.

The moose was seized and forfeited to the Crown.