Duluth man barred from hunting after illegal moose shooting plea

Duluth hunter Dane Landon Nelson lost his big-game hunting privileges in Minnesota for a year after pleading guilty to illegally shooting a moose near Melrude, a penalty that adds restitution, fees and a fine to a criminal conviction.

Judge Andrew Peterson sentenced Nelson, 38, in St. Louis County District Court on April 15 after the moose was shot on Nov. 8, the first day of Minnesota’s firearms deer season. The court also imposed one year of unsupervised probation, $1,000 in restitution, $390 in fees and a fine, and Nelson must pay $500 if he wants his confiscated rifle returned.

The case turned on a mistake in the woods with real legal consequences. Nelson told officers he was in a deer stand and believed he was aiming at a six-point white-tailed deer. He said he fired twice, then texted another hunter that he had messed up and shot a moose. Officers said his eyes were bloodshot and watery and that he smelled of alcohol, although his preliminary breath test was 0.01%, below the legal limit for deer hunting.

Minnesota law treats that kind of violation seriously. Under the state’s game and fish laws, a gross misdemeanor can bring a fine of $100 to $3,000 and 90 to 364 days in jail. Separate restitution is required when a wild animal is illegally taken, and that payment is added to the criminal penalty. Moose restitution is set at $1,000 under state rules, and it can be doubled for trophy animals.

The broader backdrop makes the sentence stand out in northern Minnesota. The Department of Natural Resources has not allowed a moose hunting season since 2012, and it lists moose as a species of special concern. The 2026 survey estimated about 4,470 moose in northeastern Minnesota, far below the roughly 8,840 estimated in 2006 and about 8,000 in 2009, after a steep decline in the following years.

The kill also touched a species that carries cultural and practical weight in the Northland. The 1854 Treaty Authority, which works with the Bois Forte and Grand Portage bands, has partnered in moose research and monitoring since 2002. The group says one moose can yield 400 to 700 pounds of meat. In a region where hunting is part of daily life, Nelson’s case is a reminder that a wrong shot can mean a conviction, a financial penalty and a year away from big-game hunting altogether.