Two poachers in Steuben County were caught redhanded after a New York State trooper pulled their truck over during a traffic stop at around midnight on Nov. 3.
The trooper noticed a deer still moving around in the bed of the truck and called Department of Environmental Conservation police for assistance.
When ECOs arrived, they observed a cocked crossbow inside the truck and two dead deer in the cargo area, still warm to the touch. At first, the poachers claimed they’d shot the deer earlier that day, but eventually admitted to illegally shooting them at night with crossbows from a nearby field illuminated with the truck’s headlights.
Neither poacher possessed the required crossbow privileges, including a bowhunting education course. ECOs charged them with illegal take of deer, taking deer with the aid of an artificial light, hunting deer after permitted hours, hunting without the proper privilege, failing to tag deer as required, failure to carry license/tags, and possessing a cocked crossbow in a motor vehicle.
The trooper also ticketed the driver for traffic violations.
ECOs confiscated this buck from a poacher in Saratoga County who shot it without having the proper licenses. It was donated to Venison for Veterans and Seniors of Fulton and Montgomery counties.NYS DECThe following reports are excerpted from DEC:
On the night of Nov. 8, a witness took down the plate number of a white pickup truck after hearing a single gunshot near a roadway in the town of Edinburg. An ECO discovered a dead buck at the scene 75 feet from the road. The truck’s passenger later admitted to pulling the trigger from inside the vehicle and was charged with the illegal take of a deer, possessing a loaded firearm in a motor vehicle, and a host of other violations. The driver got four tickets as an accessory. The deer was donated to Venison for Veterans and Seniors of Fulton and Montgomery counties.
An injured deer ran into the backyard of a residence in the Saratoga County town of Stillwater on Oct. 29 and collapsed on the woodline. An ECO determined the nine-point buck had been shot with a bow on the neighboring property. The neighbor had neither an archery season tag nor bowhunting endorsement. The buck was donated to the organization Venison for Veterans and Seniors of Fulton and Montgomery counties.
A deer fell into a deep dry well in Lewiston on Nov. 6. Wildlife rescuers hoisted it out safely without incident. The well was covered as a preventative measure.NYS DEC
On Nov. 6, a deer fell into a 10-foot-deep dry well in Lewiston and became trapped. An ECO, along with a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, and the Niagara County Tech Rescue Team, hoisted the deer from the well and release it safely without incident. The well was covered as a preventative measure.
Following up on a call about shots fired, Steuben County Sheriff deputies stopped a vehicle in the town of Erwin at 2:30 a.m. on Nov. 8. The driver claimed he was shooting at a fox. An ECO determined the driver didn’t have a hunting license, and charged him with possessing a loaded gun in a motor vehicle, discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a residence, hunting without a license, and attempting to take small game in an unlawful manner.
An ECO found “Jack,” a German short hair pointer, running in the road while on patrol in Johnstown and reunited him with his owner.NYS DEC
An ECO on patrol in Johnstown recently saw a dog running in the middle of a busy road. Fearing for the dog’s life, the ECO coaxed the German short haired pointer, named “Jack,” into his vehicle and drove around until he found Jack’s owner.
On November 18, a trapper alerted ECOs about two yearling bears stuck in foothold traps within a few feet of each other in the town of Rockland. ECOs carefully pinned one bear down using a catchpole and used a piece of plywood as a shield, allowing the trapper to safely free the bears’ paws. Both animals ran off into the woods without incident.
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