Charges are pending in connection with a cow moose that was shot and left Nov. 13 in High Landing Township of Pennington County, Minn.
Jeremy Woinarowiz, conservation officer for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources in Thief River Falls, said he received a call Thursday from a Pennington County man who admitted shooting the moose while deer hunting.
According to Woinarowicz, the man said he shot at the animal at dusk from the road, thinking it was a deer. When the animal raised its head, the man said he realized it wasn't a deer.
Woinarowicz said the man will be charged with shooting big game out of season, shooting a big game animal from a roadway and recreational trespass. Woinarowicz also seized the man's firearm. The man can't be named until charges are filed.
Shooting big game out of season in Minnesota is a gross misdemeanor, and conviction, besides fines, results in a three-year loss of hunting privileges. The other two charges are misdemeanors.
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North Dakota moose case still unsolved
North Dakota wildlife officials continue to investigate the illegal shooting of a bull moose that same night northeast of Galesburg in Traill County. According to Jason Scott, district game warden for the Game and Fish Department in Fargo, the bull moose was shot multiple times and physical evidence is being recovered.
Scott said the moose ran a ways before it went down and could have been shot as far as two to three miles west of where it was found.
Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to call the state's Report All Poaching hotline at (800) 472-2121, Scott said. Callers supplying information that leads to a conviction are eligible for a cash reward and can remain anonymous.
