B.C. hunter used vehicle's headlights to shoot moose at night, conservation officers say

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A man from northern B.C. has been given a $3,000 penalty after he was caught hunting moose at night.

Fort St. James resident Francois Prince pleaded guilty to a single Wildlife Act violation this week, according to the B.C. Conservation Officer Service.

Officers found Prince while responding to a complaint through the Report All Poachers and Polluters hotline about someone hunting after dark along the Necoslie Forest Service Road in September 2021.

A subsequent investigation determined a moose had been shot from the road, with a parked vehicle's headlights "used to illuminate the animal due to the darkness," the BCCOS said in a Facebook post.

The moose was seized and given to members of the Nak’azdli First Nation.

“We’d like to thank the public for their prompt report to the RAPP line, which allowed officers to respond immediately,” said Sgt. Stuart Bates, in the post. “We hope this sentence will deter others from similar illegal activity.”

On top of the monetary penalty – all but $1 of which will be given to the Habitat Conservation and Trust Foundation – Prince was given a nine-month probation order.

Part of that order includes "a school presentation on safe hunting practices," the B.C. Conservation Officer Service said.