Encon Officer News - 23 January 2025

Illegal Hunting Enforcement – Greene County

From illegal baiting to using a family member’s tag to hide an illegal take, here are some of the violations ECOs in Greene County encountered during the most recent deer hunting season:

On Nov. 14, 2024, ECO Palmateer and Investigator Sulkey responded to a trespassing complaint in the town of Prattsville from the property’s caretaker who reported finding unauthorized hunting equipment and a hunting blind. The caretaker also reported encountering a subject dressed in hunting attire and carrying a cocked crossbow. ECO Palmateer interviewed the subject who admitted shooting at a seven-point buck with his crossbow and attempting to track the animal when he encountered the caretaker. ECO Palmateer and Investigator Sulkey discovered additional evidence at the hunting blind, including a loaded .22 caliber rifle. When asked why he had the firearm in the blind, the subject advised it was for hunting coyotes. Officers explained to the subject that it is illegal to carry a firearm while hunting during a special bow or muzzleloader season. The subject failed to possess a hunting license, tags, or muzzleloader privilege, which are required for hunting with a crossbow during the special season. ECO Palmateer ticketed the subject for failing to carry a license and tags afield, crossbow hunting during a special season without proper privilege, illegal pursuit of protected species (all violations), and possessing a firearm during bow/crossbow hunting (misdemeanor). The tickets are returnable to the Town of Prattsville Court.  

On Nov. 17, 2024, ECO Palmateer ticketed two subjects in connection with the illegal baiting and taking of deer. The investigation began on Oct. 21, 2024, when Officer Palmateer received reports of a deceased seven-point buck in the town of Cairo. The ECO and Investigator Sulkey responded to the location, discovered the buck with an arrow in its abdomen, and observed an elevated hunting blind baited with salt lick on the adjoining property. Several weeks later, on Nov. 17, Officer Palmateer observed a hunter in the elevated blind, baited with salt lick and corn, and interviewed the subject about the deer taken illegally in October. The subject advised another hunter had killed the deer and transported the carcass to the town of Durham. Lieutenant Glorioso immediately patrolled to Durham to follow up on the information and located the deceased buck in question. ECO Palmateer ticketed the first subject for hunting deer with the aid of pre-established bait, placing a salt lick on lands inhabited by deer, and failing to carry license/tags while afield. Officer Palmateer then joined Lieutenant Glorioso in Durham and the Officers interviewed the second subject who admitted to shooting the seven-point buck from the baited blind on Oct. 20, 2024. ECO Palmateer seized the deer and ticketed the second subject for hunting with the aid of bait, failing to report harvest within seven days, and illegally taking white-tailed deer. All tickets are returnable to the Town of Cairo Court.  

On Nov. 23, 2024, ECOs Smith and Palmateer responded to a trespassing report in the town of Coxsackie from a complainant assisting ECOs during bow and gun season with addressing alleged trespassing on the property. On that date, the complainant had received a photograph from a trail camera showing an individual dressed in hunting attire walking onto the property. The ECOs witnessed two subjects load up a harvested doe before transporting the carcass towards another property. The Officers stopped the subjects and accompanied them back to their hunting camp where a third individual was located. That third individual attempted to hide a second deceased doe behind the camp as the Officers approached. ECOs seized the two deer and ticketed the two initial subjects with violations after both admitted to shooting the animals. One subject received tickets for hunting without a license and illegally taking a white-tailed deer. The second was ticketed for taking an antlerless deer without a Deer Management Permit, as required by law, and failure to carry license and tags afield. All tickets are returnable to the Town of Coxsackie Court.  

On Dec. 7, 2024, ECO Palmateer investigated a complaint of unlawful deer feeding at a hunting camp in the town of Prattsville. Officer Palmateer was familiar with the location as had driven by it multiple times and witnessed deer feeding at a particular location behind the camp. The ECO arrived at the location, observed a freshly disturbed area in the snow at the known feeding area and drops of blood in the snow around the hunting camp. The property owner admitted to placing corn to feed deer and shooting a buck at the location the previous afternoon. The subject revealed that the deer carcass was at a butcher shop in the town of Catskill. Lieutenant Glorioso headed to the shop in Catskill at the request of ECO Palmateer to follow up on the information while Officer Palmateer continued the interview. The subject went on to reveal the buck he shot over bait was his second buck of the rifle season. Hunters are only permitted to take one buck during the big game regular season. The subject advised he had put his daughter’s carcass tag on the second animal. Lieutenant Glorioso confirmed the story after locating both bucks at the butcher shop – one with the subject’s tag and one with the daughter’s tag. ECO Palmateer ticketed the subject for using tags of another, taking over the limit of white-tailed deer, hunting with the aid of pre-established bait, and illegally taking a white-tailed deer. All tickets are returnable to the Town of Prattsville Court. ECOs seized the second deer and donated it to the Venison Donation Program through a local butcher shop.  

On Dec. 19, 2024, ECO Smith responded to reports of a baited tree stand in the town of Windham. Officer Smith hiked to the area in darkness where he located and photographed the tree stand and observed a pile of corn, mineral blocks, and remnants of a harvested deer nearby. The ECO secured the evidence and interviewed the suspected hunter who admitted to harvesting an eight-point buck from the stand on Nov. 27, 2024. Officer Smith seized the deer as evidence and charged the subject with illegally taking a white-tailed deer, hunting white-tailed deer over pre-established bait, and failure to report a harvest. The tickets are returnable to the Town of Windham Court.