State’s deer-poaching bust includes many local arrests

One of the most significant busts in a recent sting on illegal deer poaching took place in Montgomery County and resulted in the arrest of three Amsterdam residents, officials said Wednesday.

State Department of Environmental Conservation officials recently charged 107 people with more than 200 counts related to illegal deer poaching following a month-long sting across the state. The sting, coined "Operation Jackhammer," focused on charging people caught using a technique called jacking, which involves a person sitting in a vehicle at night and shining a light toward a deer, freezing the deer and enabling the person to shoot the animal from the vehicle.

Three Amsterdam men - Timothy McDonald, 27; Bryce Vanderhoef, 34; and Brian Lemanski, 27 - were arrested in one of the larger cases in the sting, said DEC Environmental Conservation Officer J. DeAngelis. McDonald paid a $3,000 fine and had his license revoked for five years as a result of more than a dozen charges against him. Vanderhoef paid a $1,400 fine, and Lemanski, whose case is not settled, is expected to pay about $2,500. The trio poached together in Montgomery County, DeAngelis said.

DeAngelis said McDonald was the "nucleus" of the case. He said DEC officials found McDonald had jacked 10 bucks before the season was even open. A person hunting legally can, at most, take two bucks in a season. Six of the bucks were eight-pointers, DeAngelis said, meaning the bucks' antlers had eight points.

One of the bucks McDonald killed was still "in velvet," meaning it was killed so early the buck hadn't shed the velvety covering on its antlers, DeAngelis said.

The majority of the kills took place in Charleston, DeAngelis said. All of them were done by jacking, he said. McDonald had mounted several of the jacked deer and had others at a taxidermist, DeAngelis said.

DeAngelis said behavior like McDonald's makes the hunt unfair for those who play by the rules.

"They aren't even hunting. They are poaching," he said. "I've been hunting all my life. I was taught to be ethical and sporting about it. This is a game that belongs to everyone, and I believe in a fair game."

DeAngelis said the recent sting hopefully will draw more attention to the issue of poaching, which he said is widespread. He said of the arrests made in the recent sting, there are probably hundreds or thousands more out there still poaching.

DeAngelis said it's especially frustrating because McDonald did not need to kill the deer.

"He wasn't doing it for the need, he was just doing it because he likes to shoot bucks for the antlers," he said. "How can someone be proud of that?"

At Frank's Gun Shop in Broadalbin, owner John Havlick said local hunters are reporting a difficult year. He said while the weather is to blame for most of the difficulties, poaching probably also contributes to it. He said hunting has also changed much in recent years. Instead of tracking animals and traveling deep into the woods, some hunters drive into a remote area using a four-wheeler and walk 20 feet from their vehicle and wait.

Havlick said while he's glad the DEC is cracking down on poaching, he's skeptical much will change. He said he hopes the attention brought to poaching by the DEC will encourage others to report illegal hunting.

Seventeen local men and two Capital Region men face charges, including illegally taking a deer, taking deer with aid of an artificial light, discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling, use of light while in possession of a gun in a motor vehicle, taking deer without a license and taking deer during out of season. The following men were charged:

William H. Keller, 21, of Amsterdam, charged in Perth.

Frank R. Alvarez, 26, of Fort Hunter, charged in Perth.

Paul Noga, 24, of Amsterdam, charged in Perth.

Paul Close, 42, of Amsterdam, charged in Perth.

Thomas J. Nellis, 24, of Fort Plain, charged in Oppenhiem.

Michael D. Souza, 26, of Fort Plain, charged in Oppenheim.

Jeremy Harrington, 36, of Fultonville, charged in Canajoharie and Schoharie County

Nunziante Santoli, 36, of Fultonville, charged in Canajoharie.

Bryan C. Knapp, 21, of Gloversville, charged in Arietta, Hamilton County.

Michael P. Lamere, 24, of Gloversville, charged in Arietta.

Lawrence E. Sinisi II, 26, of Gloversville, charged in Johnstown.

Timothy McDonald, 27, of Amsterdam, charged in Glen.

Bryce Vanderhoef, 34, of Amsterdam, charged in Glen.

Brian Lemanski, 27, of Amsterdam, charged in Amsterdam.

Paul A. Jackson, 34, of Mayfield, charged in Benson, Hamilton County.

Jack A. Klingbeil, 28, of Mayfield, charged in Benson.

Ira D. Cromling Jr., 40, of Broadalbin, charged in Broadalbin.

Edward Brophy, 23, of Clifton Park, charged in Wells, Hamilton County.

Edward Lahey, 67, of Schenectady, charged in Wells.