Last week, local news outlets reported on a Wyoming County man who pleaded guilty for numerous deer poaching incidents in Genesee and Wyoming counties, ending a nearly two-year investigation. Tyler Jennings of Attica was required to pay $6,000 in fines and $750 in court surcharges. The state’s Department of Environmental Conservation also revoked Jennings’ hunting privileges for five years.
The time spent and resources used to prosecute this game law violator were extensive. After a complaint from someone finding a headless deer in a field in Genesee County, DEC Environmental Conservation Officers (ECOs) collected the necessary evidence. With search warrants and evidence analysis, ECOs obtained time- and date-stamped photos and text messages confirming the illegal taking of 15 antlered deer, mainly large bucks, dating back to 2019. ECOs also discovered that the subject shot a large buck out of season in September 2023 and tagged it with an expired 2018 tag, trespassed regularly to take deer illegally and unlawfully shared antlered-deer tags.
DEC wasn’t alone in the investigation. The agency also recognized the assistance they received from New York State Police, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Village of Attica Police, the Wayne County Sherriff’s Office, the Wyoming County District Attorney’s Office and the public during the investigation. Sometimes, it takes a village.
Everyone should report wildlife violators, not just hunters and fishermen. If you suspect that game laws have been broken, call 844-DEC ECOS (332-3267) to give your anonymous tip. Provide as much information as possible, answering the questions of who, what, when, where and how, if possible.
How much of a problem is poaching in New York and the across the country?
At a news conference held in Washington, D.C. last month, the Boone and Crockett Club announced the findings of Poach and Pay, the most comprehensive research project on poaching in this country.
The Boone and Crockett Club, founded by Theodore Roosevelt in 1887, promotes guardianship and vision management of big game and other wildlife in North America. It is headquartered in Missoula, Mont.
Using a Bayesian statistical framework for data analysis, the Poach and Pay research determined that only about 4% of poaching incidents are detected. Setting a conservative estimate of what criminologists refer to as the “dark figure” of crimes that are undetected or unreported at 95%, the research found that the minimum conservation cost of poaching through lost fines and replacement costs for animals is $1.4 billion annually. The research also outlines the results of detailed interviews with stakeholders, typologies of poachers, barriers to prosecution of wildlife crime and specific actions that can be taken to reduce the amount of poaching. The Boone and Crockett Club and partners will continue the Poach and Pay project to implement specific actions with the goal of reducing the dark figure of poaching.
“We have long known that poaching is a major problem in the United States, but we didn’t truly understand the magnitude of the problem until this Poach and Pay research,” Boone and Crockett Club Chief Executive Officer Tony A. Schoonen noted in his comments at the news conference. “With this defensible assessment of the dark figure, we can clearly describe the conservation cost of poaching and prove that poaching is not a victimless crime − not only do we lose individual wildlife, but we are also losing a valuable public resource with a high cost.”
According to Boone and Crockett, the Poach and Pay research involved extensive surveys of fish and wildlife agency law enforcement officers, hunters, landowners and convicted poachers, as well as interviews and focus groups with prosecutors and judges. Researchers conducted a literature review and used survey and interview data to develop a better understanding of the typologies and motivations behind illegal wildlife activities.
After accumulating this data, the researchers were able to estimate the detection rates of illegal harvest using diverse datasets from various published research papers, along with citation, hunter and officer numbers, survey responses from perpetrators, enforcement statistics, hunter landowner reporting and wildlife telemetry studies. The research provides specific policy and outreach recommendations to help reduce the amount of illegal wildlife crime in this country.
“It’s critical to differentiate between legal, fair chase hunters and poachers,” Schoonen concluded. “By quantifying the dark figure of undetected crime, identifying judicial bottlenecks and presenting a structured deterrent framework, the research equips state and federal wildlife agencies with data-driven strategies to reduce illegal take and protect America’s wildlife heritage.”
Poachers are not hunters. During one of the studies, 85% of hunters, landowners and ECOs were concerned about poaching in their state. About 90% of respondents were concerned about poaching nationwide. And more than 70 percent of people surveyed were wary about the negative social and biological impacts of poaching.
The Boone and Crockett Club’s approach to the Poach and Pay program is multifaceted. It would like to see state legislative action to develop consistent and justifiable replacement costs, as well as reclassify certain wildlife crimes from misdemeanors to felonies. If you poach, you will pay.
Educating the public is an important part of the program model. There needs to be more media attention for these game law violators and it needs to be explained that poachers are not hunters. No one should tolerate their actions.
Educating prosecutors and their staff is important when it comes to crimes against wildlife. There needs to be more training on the conservation issues.
It is also much more than just law enforcement. Hunters, fishermen (yes, there are fishing violators that also must be held accountable), and other outdoor users need to be part of a group of dedicated stewards that keep a watchful eye on our natural resources. These illegal actions affect everyone.
Incidentally, Jennings was arrested and charged with four counts of illegally taking wildlife (misdemeanor), two counts of taking big game after legal hours (misdemeanor), one count of taking deer over the limit (misdemeanor), and nine counts of criminal mischief in the third degree (felony). It’s time to step up for what is right.
For more information on the Boone and Crockett Club, visit www.boone-crockett.org. The club website has more information about the Poach and Pay Program.
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