DEC police bust Staten Island poacher in Oswego County who says he didn’t know there were ‘rules up here’

On Oct. 28, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation police officers ticketed a Staten Island man for illegally shooting a deer with a muzzleloader in his friend’s yard in the town of Richland.

Acting on a tip, an ECO canvassing the area found the man hanging out with several other hunters in a garage containing an ATV. While interviewing the men about gunfire overheard in the area, the men claimed to be only target shooting.

That’s when the ECO noticed fresh, warm blood on the back of the ATV. He then confiscated a six-point buck and ticketed the Staten Island man, who admitted to shooting the deer from the yard, for illegally taking a deer, hunting without a license, and discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling.

By way of explanation, the Staten Island man told the ECO that he didn’t realize there were “rules up here.”

DEC conservation officer report for Nov. 2022

DEC K9 unit dog with rifle confiscated from a man who threw it out his truck window while being chased by DEC police who suspected him of poaching deer in Steuben County.

The following reports are excerpted from DEC

On the night of Oct. 28, ECOs on the lookout for poachers caught two men in a white pickup truck spotlighting fields in the southwest corner of Steuben County. ECOs tried to pull the truck over, emergency lights swirling, but the driver sped off at high speed, tossing a rifle and spotlight out the window.

The truck stopped on a dirt path. Both the driver and a passenger jumped out and ran a short distance into Pennsylvania. With assistance from Pennsylvania State Police, Pennsylvania Game Wardens, and a DEC K-9 unit, ECOs caught the men, one of whom was a convicted felon.

The two men were ticketed for a variety of charges ranging from possession of a loaded firearm in a motor vehicle to possession of an unsecured firearm while operating a spotlight. They were released pending a future court appearance.

DEC conservation officer report for Nov. 2022

ECO McCabe with a buck that was shot illegally one day before gun season opened in Wayne County. The deer meat was donated.

On Nov. 18, one day before the regular firearms season in the Southern Zone, ECOs received a Wayne County 911 report about a man who may have shot a deer with a rifle. ECOs went to the man’s home, where the man admitted to shooting the deer because he wouldn’t be able to hunt during opening weekend. Other hunters in the area had heard the shot and saw the deer run and fall. Charges are pending for out-of-season hunting and the illegal take of whitetail deer. Officers donated the buck to a local church.

On Nov. 19, opening day of the Southern Zone big game gun season, a hunter in Wayne County took two deer within 30 minutes of each other. The hunter’s wife posted a congratulatory note on social media, complete with a picture of her husband holding two bucks. In New York, hunters can have only one tag for antlered deer during gun season. The hunter is under consideration for an administrative settlement as charges are pending. Officers donated meat from the second illegally taken deer to a local church.

DEC conservation officer report for Nov. 2022

ECO Hull with a 10-point buck that was taken illegally by an Oneida County hunter who shot two antlered deer on opening day. The deer meat was donated.

On Nov 20, ECOs got a tip about a hunter from Utica who’d taken two bucks, a six-pointer shot on opening day, and a 10-pointer harvested the day after. ECOs questioned the hunter, who initially denied taking the 10-point buck, but then eventually admitted to shooting it, driving it home, and hiding it in a back shed. An officer seized the deer and ticketed the hunter for illegally taking wildlife, taking over the limit of deer, and illegal possession of wildlife. A local food pantry accepted the meat from the deer as a donation.

An ECO patrolling on Nov. 20 saw a pickup truck with several deer legs sticking out of the truck bed. The driver sped away but the ECO pulled him over. When asked about the buck and doe in the back of his truck, the driver said he’d shot the doe, while his 82-year-old grandfather, who was not present, had shot the buck. The hunter also said he was taking both deer to the processor. The hunter’s story fell apart when the ECO learned the grandfather had died seven years ago, and that his grandson was still using his lifetime license tags. The ECO charged the hunter with several violations and seized the deer until he produced his own valid buck tag the next day.

ECOs ticketed an Erie County man in October for hunting deer over bait. The man had scattered pumpkins in his backyard and shot deer using a crossbow from his back deck as they fed on the pumpkins. He was ticketed for illegally taking deer and discharging a crossbow within 250 feet of a structure, among other charges. Venison was donated to the Venison Donation Coalition.

In 2021, 282 Environmental Conservation Police Officers (ECOs) and investigators across the state responded to 26,207 calls and worked on cases that resulted in 11,562 tickets or arrests for violations ranging from deer poaching to solid waste dumping, illegal mining, the black market pet trade, and excessive emissions violations.

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Steve Featherstone covers the outdoors for The Post-Standard, syracuse.com and NYUP.com. Contact him at [email protected] or on Twitter @featheroutdoors. You can also follow along with all of our outdoors content at newyorkupstate.com/outdoors/ or follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/upstatenyoutdoors.

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