NYS DEC police report for Sept. 2025 Evidence collected in the investigation of Tyler D. Jennings, 29, of Attica, who pleaded guilty in July to charges related to poaching 15 deer in Genesee and Wyoming counties between 2019 and 2023. (NYS/NYS DEC)

A Western New York man has pleaded guilty to charges related to poaching 15 deer in Genesee and Wyoming counties between 2019 and 2023.

Tyler D. Jennings, 29, of Attica, was charged in February with four counts of illegally taking wildlife, two counts of taking big game after legal hours, one count of taking deer over the limit and nine counts of criminal mischief in the third degree, a felony.

He pleaded guilty in July and was fined $6,000 and charged with $750 in court fees. The state Department of Environmental Conservation also revoked Jennings’ hunting privileges for five years.

DEC police officers (ECOs) began investigating Jennings following a September 2023 complaint about a deer carcass in a field in the town of Bethany that was shot during the night.

NYS DEC police report for Sept. 2025 Evidence collected in the investigation of Tyler D. Jennings, 29, of Attica, who pleaded guilty in July to charges related to poaching 15 deer in Genesee and Wyoming counties between 2019 and 2023. (NYS/NYS DEC)

ECOs found a large, headless deer 100 yards off the road with a small-caliber bullet hole in its carcass.

ECOs identified Jennings as a suspect and obtained search warrants to collect time- and date-stamped photos and text messages confirming that Jennings had poached 15 antlered deer, mainly large bucks, dating back to 2019.

ECOs also discovered Jennings had shot a large buck out of season in September 2023 and tagged it with an expired 2018 tag, trespassed regularly to poach deer, and unlawfully shared antlered-deer tags.

The following reports are excerpted from DEC:NYS DEC police report for Sept. 2025 A deer got caught in a soccer net on Sept. 16 in the town of Islip. An ECO freed the buck with assistance from the homeowner and a neighbor. (NYS/NYS DEC)

A deer got caught in a soccer net Sept. 16 in the town of Islip. One of the buck’s antlers was tangled in the net while the other antler had broken off at the base from the deer struggling to free itself. The ECO cut away the net with assistance from the homeowner and a neighbor who used a tarp to hold the animal still. The one-antlered buck took a moment to recover before running off down the street.

A sailboat burst into flames on Sept. 8 off Staten Island. ECOs on patrol in New York Harbor were first on scene. They provided first aid to two crew members and helped relay information to other rescue units. NYC Fire Department and Perth Amboy fire boats extinguished the blaze, which remains under investigation by the U.S. Coast Guard. No one was seriously injured, but the sailboat was destroyed.

On Aug. 16, ECOs found 14 black construction bags that had been thrown out of a van onto the side of I-495 in the town of Brookhaven. The bags contained construction debris. Inside the van were another 63 bags containing similar debris. The driver was fined $3,000 and ordered to pick up and properly dispose of all bags.

NYS DEC police report for Sept. 2025 Fish recently confiscated from Manhattan sidewalk vendors illegally selling tautog, undersized oyster toadfish, undersized black sea bass, and invasive Asian clams. (NYS/NYS DEC)

ECOs downstate encountered a little bit of everything during their fishing compliance checks. Here are some notable cases:

  • On Sept. 7, ECOs issued eight tickets to people unlawfully selling fish on the sidewalk in Manhattan, including tautog, undersized oyster toadfish, undersized black sea bass, and invasive Asian clams.
  • On Sept. 15, ECOs returned to the same spot in Manhattan and issued three more tickets for illegally selling tautog and undersized oyster toadfish.
  • On Sept. 14, ECOs issued 29 tickets to a group of anglers trespassing at Jones Beach State Park for illegally possessing winter flounder, undersized fluke, sea bass, and oyster toadfish, none of which are allowed to be netted by recreational anglers.