SUN JOURNAL • January 14, 2023
During September, the Maine Warden Service located a dead bull moose that had been covered with small trees in an obvious effort to avoid its detection. In another fall incident, game wardens were called to investigate the illegal shooting/wounding of a Bald Eagle. Operation Game Thief is offering rewards in both cases for any information leading to convictions. In the case of the illegal moose killing, the reward is $3,000. For information about the eagle shooting, the reward is $4,500. In Maine, there are stiff penalties for the illegal killing of moose and eagles. A conviction on moose poaching results in a $1,000 fine and some jail time; conviction for killing an eagle, which is federally protected, can result in fines up to $250,000 and heavy jail time. ~ V. Paul Reynolds