NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation Cops Bust Father and Son Illegally Hunting Deer on Suffolk County Roadway
On Jan. 5, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation officers utilized a deer decoy to conduct a detail in Brookhaven Township in response to reports of individuals hunting deer from roadways.
ECOs Paschke and Holliday observed a vehicle stop in the roadway and watch the decoy before the vehicle’s rear passenger exited the vehicle, raised his firearm, and shot the decoy from the roadway. ECOs approached the vehicle and interviewed the occupants.
During the interview, the Officers learned the driver (father) instructed the shooter (son) to load the gun inside the vehicle, step out into the roadway, and shoot what they believed to be a real deer.
ECOs seized the firearm as evidence and charged the driver and passenger with discharging a firearm from a public roadway, possession of a loaded firearm in a motor vehicle, and failure to wear hunter orange while hunting with a firearm.
The case is being handled administratively by DEC’s Division of Law Enforcement.