Press release
On December 9, ECO Koepf received a call from a concerned hunter regarding a large antlered deer he found deceased on December 6 on property he hunts in the Town of Arcade. The hunter contacted ECOs after hearing rumors that the individual who shot the deer did not have a hunting license.
ECO Koepf investigated and confirmed that the subject in question did not have a valid New York State hunting license when he shot the buck and had previously had his license revoked for a deer poaching conviction six years earlier. That revocation period ended, but the subject failed to complete the required hunter education course following the revocation to purchase a current hunting license.
ECO Koepf interviewed the subject, who denied any involvement in the incident and claimed he did not hunt all season. However, Officer Koepf confronted him with the evidence against him, including a photo he obtained of the subject posing with the buck. The subject eventually admitted to illegally harvesting the deer and received tickets for the illegal take of big game and hunting deer without a license. Charges are pending in Arcade Town Court. ECO Muchow assisted with the investigation.