New York Officials Say a Hunter’s Facebook Post Led Police to Illegally Kill Deer

New York state officials claim that a trophy deer was found after an investigation was sparked by a photo posted on social media showing a dead animal. An off-season deer was reported to a New York conservation officer on December 7 after he saw a Facebook picture depicting a guy holding the animal.

It looks like the big deer in the photo is a 12-point. Investigators located the deer “hanging on a property” after the officer looked into the hunter’s past haunts. According to authorities, the man admitted to shooting the buck in early December, far after the hunting season had expired. The DEC states that seasons change depending on location, weapons, and the kind of deer.

Officials also reported that he did not own a valid hunting license

As a misdemeanor, he was handed a ticket for the killing, and as a violation, he was issued a ticket for hunting without a license. Officers took the deer to the Venison Donation Coalition, a charity that distributes meat to low-income households.

New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) reports that numerous additional people have been issued tickets for deer hunting infractions in recent months. To kill a deer with a crossbow, one man lured it into his property using pumpkins. Another hunter in upstate New York was penalized for illegally killing a deer less than 500 yards from home.

This New York City native had no idea there were “rules up here.” According to DEC statistics, the number of deer killed by hunters in New York State fell to an estimated 211,269 in 2016–17, down 17% from the year before. The emergence of the lethal viral infection known as Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease, in particular deer populations, has contributed to the reduction.

source: bellinghamherald.com