Man charged with hunting bear illegally after social media posts reveal evidence
12/05/2024
A Schoharie County man is facing several charges, accused of illegally hunting a bear in the town of Fulton.
Environmental Conservation Officer Bevis first received a complaint on Oct. 13 about youth hunters out in the fields without an adult in the immediate vicinity. Officer Bevis responded to the location with Schoharie County Deputy Glass, interviewed the youth, learned more information about the adult subject, and relayed that information to ECO Bohling for follow-up.
A few days later on Oct. 20, ECO Burgess received a call reporting the same adult had taken a bear and posted pictures with the deceased animal on social media. Working with Deputy Glass, Officers Burgess and Bohling gathered more information, examined the bear carcass at a local processor, and discovered it had an incomplete tag.
On Oct. 24, the Officers returned to where the bear was allegedly shot for a closer inspection. They discovered cracked corn and sunflower seeds at that location. Using pictures from social media to confirm the area, the ECOs managed to pinpoint exactly where the bear had been taken.
The Officers drove to the subject’s residence, confronted him with the evidence, and the subject admitted to putting grain in front of several blinds prior to hunting. ECOs charged the individual with hunting bear over bait, illegally killing a bear, a tagging violation, and failure to properly supervise youth hunters. Tickets are returnable to the Town of Fulton Court.