A hunter is facing a $5,000 fine for allegedly killing a bull moose in Manitoba.

Manitoba Conservation officers found the carcass next to the Trans License Road, north of Lac du Bonnet, on Wednesday.

The moose allegedly had been shot in an area closed to all moose hunting, then dragged by an all-terrain vehicle close to the road, where it had been hidden, according to a news release from the province issued Monday.

During an investigation, a conservation officer stopped a truck with an all-terrain vehicle in the back. The officer saw blood and hair on a knife in the truck and after being questioned, the driver admitted to killing the animal, the news release stated.

The accused — provincial officials did not say whether it was a man or woman — faces a $5,000 fine if convicted.

The carcass was donated to some area First Nation communities.

Due to a serious decline in the moose population in that part of Manitoba, the province has restricted moose hunting in the area.