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Democrat Photo by Frank Rizzo

NEW YORK STATE Environmental Conservation Police Officer Scott Steingart was able to locate this doe, which was illegally taken doe on Thanksgiving Day in the Town of Rockland, with the assistance of his K-9 partner “Buck.”

Thanksgiving Day Hunt Leads to Arrest For Illegal Hunting

SULLIVAN COUNTY — November 28, 2006 — New York State Trooper Joe Vausden teamed up with New York State DEC EnCon Officer Scott Steingart and his K-9 partner Buck on Thanksgiving Day for a joint patrol in northern Sullivan County when they came upon a man wet and disheveled exiting the woods off Mud Pond Road.
When the man was asked what he was doing, he replied that he was “lookin’ for somethin.’”
Officer Steingart noticed a truck just ahead and around the corner, where the rear seat passenger just finished unloading the lever action rifle. K-9 Buck went to work and located fresh spent shell casing on the floor in the rear of the truck.
When confronted with the evidence, the rear seat passenger – Paul Niederauer, 42, of Hicksville – admitted to shooting at a deer from the vehicle and having a loaded firearm in a motor vehicle. The deer was not hit or found.
The officers escorted the men back to their hunting camp on Mud Pond Road. Officer Steingart noticed some hair and blood by the camp and asked if anyone had gotten a deer and the answer was that one of the members got a buck on opening day and no one else got a deer.
All three subjects then became nervous when Officer Steingart and K-9 Buck did a detection sweep of the out building behind the hunting camp. K-9 Buck took a hard right to the door of a small barn and started scratching at the door.
When confronted with this, Niederauer opened the barn to reveal an illegally taken doe deer. Niederauer admitted to shooting the deer and said the other hunting club members were not involved.
Niederauer was charged with having a Loaded Gun in a Motor Vehicle, Shooting From a Public Roadway, and Illegally Taking A Doe Deer.
He was arraigned before Town of Rockland Town Justice Harold Madison and fined $1,007.

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