DEC: Man Fires Shotgun Near Home, Illegally Kills Animals

A hunter fired a shotgun near homes in Orange County, illegally killing three animals, officials say.

Recently, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation received a call from the New York State Police just after midnight asking for help in the town of Crawford for possible small game hunting violations and shots fired in a residential neighborhood.

Department of Environmental Conservation officers met with Crawford police at the scene.

The ECOs found a skinned and butchered rabbit on the porch, and the hunter quickly admitted to shooting three rabbits and attempting to shoot an opossum near his house, police say

The man showed officers where he was shooting at the opossum and ECOs observed numerous spent shell casings in the backyard of the home.

After measuring the shooting locations, the officers determined the hunter fired multiple rounds within 500 feet of a nearby home, according to the DEC.

Rabbit meat was seized from a freezer at the home. All small game hunting seasons are currently closed, officials say.

The unnamed man was charged with illegally taking protected wildlife, taking small game out of season, hunting without a license and discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling.

The shotgun and ammunition used to take the rabbits were seized as evidence, and all the summons are returnable to the Town of Crawford Court, police say.