ADK Forever Wild: Poaching in the Adirondacks

When most people think about poaching, they imagine exotic animals in far off countries. In reality, poaching takes place all over the world, even right here in New York. Poaching of white-tailed deer and black bears takes place throughout the Adirondacks despite efforts to prevent it. These violations threaten the health and stability of the Adirondack ecosystem.

White-tailed deer are one of the two main species that are illegally hunted in the Adirondacks. Although there are 270 environmental conservation officers in New York, poaching still occurs because each officer is responsible for 350 square miles (“A Step Over” 1990). Most hunting violations result from hunting out of season, on private property, or with illegal methods. Hunters have been harder to catch because of their use of moving cars and new technology such as infrared scopes and night-vision scopes, which allow hunters to operate in the dark of night. Because of these difficulties, many poaching arrests come from tips. One conservationist explains, “People are calling us more and more now… In the last five years, people say they’ll get involved, they’ll testify, that they’re just sick of it going on” (“A Step Over” 1990). Recently, the Department of Environmental Conservation has been taking more action to protect New York wildlife. In 2009, the DEC launched what Yance Roy, the DEC spokesperson, describes as, “The largest coordinated anti-deer jacking initiative in the state’s history” (“Major Deer Poaching Crackdown” 2009). This crackdown resulted in 102 misdemeanors and 37 violations in the Adirondacks alone (“Major Deer Poaching Crackdown” 2009). Thankfully, locals and officials are taking action to protect Adirondack wildlife.

The second main species poached in the Adirondacks is the black bear. Approximately 50-60% of New York’s 6,000 to 8,000 black bears are located within the Adirondacks (“Black Bear” n.d.). Many black bears are hunted for their gall bladders and paws, which are used in asian medicines and cuisine. Due to the high price for these commodities, many bears are hunted solely for their galls and paws; in fact, carcasses have been found with only these parts removed. Because officials do not know how much poaching is taking place, they have instituted a new rule requiring documentation that the parts were taken legally. Although Adirondack black bear populations are stable, officials worry that poaching could spread to neighboring states (“New Rule Cracks Down” 2012).

Poaching has always been a problem in the Adirondacks, and even now, officials are unsure how much poaching takes place in the Adirondacks. However, recent initiatives from officials and locals has reduced the amount of illegal hunting. We can only hope that hunters will recognize the importance of conservation and choose to hunt responsibly.