Alleged Illegal Deer Take

MIDDLETOWN — On November 13, ECO Doig responded to a complaint about an individual who reportedly shot a deer with a rifle during the archery season. Officer Doig was unable to locate the subject when he arrived at the location but did obtain a potential address during his preliminary investigation. ECO Doig visited the subject’s residence and observed a large eight-point buck in the bed of a truck on the property. He interviewed the subject, who insisted he legally took the deer with his bow on a nearby property. 

ECO Doig, confident the deer was likely shot with a firearm based on the entry and exit wounds on the animal, confiscated the deer and brought it to the DEC Wildlife Pathology lab in Delmar for a full necropsy. The necropsy revealed the cause of death was a bullet from a rifle. Officer Doig also learned through his investigation that the animal was taken from a tree stand baited with corn. He returned to the subject’s residence and ticketed the individual for taking a deer with a rifle during the archery season, feeding deer, hunting over bait, and taking a deer illegally. All charges are pending in Middletown Court.