They call him Bullwinkle, and just like his cartoon namesake he isn't real. But, the life-size fake moose is doing his part to help keep real animals alive.

Bullwinkle is a robotic decoy used by the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources. He and his fake moose brothers are being set up in parts of the province to help stop the poaching of mainland moose.

"They're currently listed as endangered," John Mombourquette, head of enforcement for Nova Scotia Natural Resources, told CTV News. "Their numbers would be around a thousand."

Last winter, three mainland moose, including a breeding female were killed near Oxford, N.S.

One of the three men charged was slapped with a $6,000 fine. His truck and gun were also seized, and he now faces a lifetime hunting ban.

Bullwinkle was recently used to catch seven alleged poachers in Guysborough County, N.S., and one in Cumberland County.

"If these would have been actual animals, and seven would have been removed out of the herd in Guysborough County, definitely this herd won't survive," Mombourquette said.

Bob Ferguson is a hunter who also owns a hunting supplies store. He says he's glad to see the provincial government is doing what it can to stop poaching, and bring back moose.

"We only have a few around here, and they keep taking them," hunting store owner Bob Ferguson told CTV News.

"They're just starting to come back again. So, once they start shooting them, they're going to go, and they're going to be gone, and we'll have none. Period."

It only takes officials a few minutes to set-up the decoy. Conservation officers hide nearby armed with video cameras ready to capture any action.

The decoy is so realistic that all of the arrests have so far have happened during daylight hours.

"This is not a fishing type operation where we just go out and see if someone's going to shoot this particular decoy," Mombourquette said.

"This was a long term investigation. We were targeting specific individuals, and we were targeting specific problem areas."

Officials with Nova Scotia's Department of Natural Resources are trying to deter potential poachers by letting them know there are a few decoy moose grazing around the province.

But, they just won't say exactly how many fake moose are on the loose.