Three New York hunters from Cortland County shot a huge trophy deer on someone else’s land. Even worse, these individuals left the animal suffering all night, wounded but alive.
On the night of November 7, these 3 men drove through fields in the town of Richford, spotlighting for deer. They eventually shot an 11-point buck from their vehicle as it stood in their spotlight.
A resident witnessed the spotlight, heard the shot, and contacted New York State Department of Environmental Conservation officers, who responded immediately to try and catch the poachers in the act, but the hunters had already fled the area by the time they arrived.
On November 8th, officers responded to the area where the deer was shot, and the landowner found the deer still alive but not moving. The Officer determined the deer was shot with a medium-caliber rifle and then humanely euthanized the deer.
518 News, NYSDEC, Cortland County
dec.ny.gov
The landowner took to social media to spread the word, and feedback from the public led ECOs to Cortland County, where they interviewed the individuals who admitted to illegally taking the buck. The driver, who was also the shooter, received five tickets for the illegal take of deer, taking deer from a motor vehicle, taking deer from a public highway, hunting deer with an artificial light, and possessing a loaded firearm in a motor vehicle.
The two other subjects received four tickets each for the illegal take of deer, taking deer from a motor vehicle, taking deer from a public highway, and hunting deer with an artificial light. Under New York State’s ECL, accessories are just as guilty as principals.
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