New York State Environmental Conservation Police issued multiple tickets and made arrests across the state in recent weeks, targeting illegal hunting activity, firearm violations, and commercial vehicle safety issues, the Department of Environmental Conservation announced Wednesday.
Statewide in 2025, DEC’s Division of Law Enforcement responded to more than 35,500 complaints and issued 15,673 tickets or made arrests for violations ranging from deer poaching and illegal baiting to dumping and excessive emissions. Commissioner Amanda Lefton said Environmental Conservation Police Officers and investigators play a critical role in protecting public safety and natural resources, including air, water, and wildlife.
Recent enforcement actions included several illegal deer harvest cases. In Greene County, a hunter was fined $500 in Greenville Town Court after officers determined he used a deer tag from a different wildlife management unit to cover a deer he illegally harvested without the required permit. Officers confiscated the animal and donated it to a local venison program.
In Dutchess County, an officer responded to a complaint that two hunters exceeded the legal limit of one antlered deer per season. The shooter was ticketed for taking an antlered deer over the limit, failing to report the harvest, and tagging violations. The second hunter was cited for failing to report a separate harvest. The confiscated buck was donated to a local program that distributes venison to food banks.
Other cases involved discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling in Greene County, illegal hunting and baiting in Suffolk County and Nassau County, and a Franklin County poaching investigation that led to felony and misdemeanor charges after a subject with a suspended license was found in possession of seven illegal deer.
Environmental Conservation Police also assisted at a multi-agency commercial vehicle inspection checkpoint on Interstate 87 in Saratoga and Washington counties. Officers helped identify numerous safety violations, including defective brakes, structural damage, and excessive driving hours. One truck with 28 violations was placed out of service.
DEC encourages the public to report environmental crimes or incidents by calling 1-844-DEC-ECOS for 24-hour dispatch.
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