ECO Officer News - 12 April 2025

Multi-Regional Investigation Leads to Poaching Penalty – Greene County

A Queens County man recently appeared in court and paid a penalty for illegal deer hunting in Greene County last year following a months-long investigation involving ECOs, a Bureau of Environmental Crimes Investigator, and K9 Unit from three DEC regions.   

On Dec. 7, 2024, Region 4 ECO Palmateer responded to a trespass complaint in the town of Catskill. The complainant reported hearing gun shots near his residence and claimed to witness a subject fire a shot at a wounded doe. The complainant said he confronted the subject, who then fled into the woods. Officer Palmateer arrived at the location, found the deceased doe, and determined the alleged trespasser likely discharged a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling without permission from the owner, which is unlawful.  

Through an investigation, the Officer identified a possible subject from Queens who did not possess a Deer Management Permit for the wildlife management unit where he was hunting, precluding him from legally harvesting an antlerless deer. The next day, ECO Palmateer contacted Lieutenant Macropoulos and ECO Swart in Queens County (DEC Region 2) to interview the subject. The man admitted to shooting at the doe four times, as initially reported, but claimed he was not sure how far away he was from the residence when he fired.  

On Dec. 9, 2024, ECO Palmateer contacted ECO Wood and his K9 partner CJ to help find shot components at the alleged shooting location. Officer Wood and CJ found four spent shotgun slug shells, along with other evidence consistent with the statement given by the subject. Each shell was located within 500 feet of a dwelling. 

On Jan. 12, 2025, Investigator Sulkey re-interviewed the subject in Ulster County and during the interview, he admitted the shotgun shells belonged to him. ECO Palmateer charged the subject with discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling (four counts), the illegal take of a white-tailed deer, and taking an antlerless deer without a Deer Management Permit, all misdemeanors. 

The subject answered the charges in the Town of Catskill Court on Feb. 13, and paid a total fine of $702.50.  

Bear Cub and Hunter – Greene County

On March 15, employees at Hunter Mountain resort in the town of Hunter contacted DEC to report a bear cub along the Madison Square ski trail. Resort employees managed to get the bear off the trail and into nearby woods. ECOs Milliron and Palmateer responded to the location and discovered the cub hiding in tall grass adjacent to the ski trail. The cub appeared malnourished and dehydrated, and was moving slowly with no mother in sight. The Officers contacted Friends of the Feathered and Furry (FFF) Wildlife Center in the town of Hunter for assistance and together managed to safely catch the cub as it unsuccessfully attempted to climb a small tree. The cub, believed to be more than a year old and weighing only 15 pounds, was transported to the rehab center where it will receive care until healthy enough to be released back into the wild. FFF reports that the young bear is improving and now weighs approximately 21 pounds.