December 14, 2016
From NewYorkUpstate.com
On Nov. 24, ECO Anthony Drahms received an illegal deer complaint that a man shot a buck from the road using a shotgun. ECO Craig Tompkins responded to assist in the investigation at the scene, where the ECOs located a spent 20-gauge shotgun shell, two sets of footprints, and evidence that a deer had been dragged. After a short interview the man confessed but was adamant that he did not shoot from the road. The ECOs seized the illegal buck and issued the man tickets for discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a residence, hunting with a shotgun in an archery only area, illegally taking a deer, and improperly tagging a deer. When asked why he did it, the man stated, “My son thought it was a big buck. I did it for my kid.”
Those Legs – Dutchess County
On Nov. 26, ECO Robert Hodor was on patrol when he observed deer legs sticking out of the bed of a truck. He spoke to the driver, who stated he was “transporting the deer for his mother.” When asked for a consignment note required by law when the taker of the deer is not present, he stated he did not have one. The man then admitted that he had shot the deer and put his mother’s tag on it. He was issued tickets for possessing the tags of another hunter and for illegally taking a deer.
Poachers in the Dark – Ontario County
Late in the afternoon on Nov. 23, ECO Shawn Dussault received a call from a concerned hunter. The caller had observed two hunters in a hedgerow between two fields after sunset. Moments later, almost 40 minutes past sunset, a shot rang out. When ECO Dussault arrived at the scene, he went down the hedgerow and was able to make out two dark spots in the field, huddled close to the ground. ECO Dussault turned on his flashlight and observed two males gutting out a doe. The shooter and accomplice were charged with hunting after hours, taking an antlerless deer without a permit, and numerous other ECL charges.
Illegal Deer – Saratoga County
“On Nov. 24, ECO Steve Shaw responded to an anonymous complaint that a deer had been shot within 500 feet of a residence in violation of the Environmental Conservation Law. He interviewed the man who had shot the deer, but the individual denied shooting near any houses. When pressed further, the man confessed that he had shot the buck at that spot. He was charged with hunting over bait, placing a salt block on lands inhabited by deer, and illegally taking big game.