Using a decoy to catch illegal deer hunters

Kaitlin Grady heard a sound, stiffened and whispered, "Car!"

She and fellow state Department of Environmental Conservation police officer Josh Verhague flattened themselves against a Calverton hillside and waited.

Soon, a blue SUV came bumping down a dirt road and slowed in front of the officers. Verhague fingered a remote-control unit, and a deer on the opposite slope pivoted its head. Its tail would have swished, too, if the mechanism hadn't been damaged by a poacher's shot.

But being shot at by poachers was the reason the deer was there. Buckshot, as it has been named by the DEC cops, is a $1,300 hybrid: the hide of a real deer covering a foam body containing remote-control motors.

Since the DEC purchased Buckshot three years ago to flush out poachers hunting out of season or in prohibited areas, the decoy has helped nail four shooters, one for each slug hole in its hide.

But the driver of the blue SUV never stopped. So the officers continued their stakeout.

Temperatures had sunk below freezing when the team, headed by DEC Lt. Dallas Bengel, arrived in Calverton around 6:30 a.m. during the last week of the monthlong deer season that ended Jan. 29.

Buckshot helps the DEC catch people "roadhunting" - shooting from a road. The practice is not only illegal but "a very dangerous activity" because other people on the road or in the area might be shot, Bengel said.

"A couple of bad apples hurt the whole sport," said Bengel, who hunts for deer himself with bow and shotgun. "We're after those bad apples."

It's a misdemeanor to shoot from a roadway, shoot from a vehicle or have a loaded gun in a vehicle. The penalties include loss of a hunting license and thousands of dollars in fines.

Bengel and his team selected an area near a condominium complex where hunting is never allowed. They carried the 40-pound mechanical deer up a hill behind a yellow sign that read "Restricted area. No hunting," positioned him on the frost-covered leaves and tested the remote control. "We think it doesn't look that realistic, but apparently the poachers do," Bengel said.

"The movement is what gets them," Verhague added.

About 6:45 a.m., Grady and Verhague climbed 50 yards up the opposite slope to be out of the line of fire and moved some branches to conceal their position. Officers Dustin Oliver and Jeremy Eastwood drove their vehicles off in different directions so they could box in a poacher.

Although their breath was visible in the frigid air, the officers shrugged off the cold. "You get used to it," Verhague said. "And you dress for the occasion."

"It could be a lot colder," Grady added. "And you don't have to worry about ticks because it's too late in the year."

Bengel describes stakeout duty with Buckshot as "hours of boredom" broken up by occasional "frantic activity." While they wait, Verhague and Grady discussed the reaction of those caught in a "takedown" if they shoot at the decoy, often after making multiple passes to scope out the situation. "They're kind of in shock when the deer doesn't fall down," Grady said. "Sometimes, they take a second shot because they think they missed."

The blue SUV was the only vehicle to come along until 8:30 when Verhague hears something and says, "There's a truck!" He and Grady flatten themselves until they realize it's one of the DEC chase vehicles. Bengel decided to call it a day.

As they carried Buckshot back to a truck, Bengel said the DEC's use of the decoy is widely known. "It's the worst-kept secret in the hunting community," he said. "But it seems like the poachers get caught up in the moment."In February

YOU CAN SEE. Icy temperatures don't discourage our winter birds, among them our various species of gulls and among these, the curiously named Bonaparte's gull. Ornithologists consider it a relatively slight gull: about 17 inches in length with a wingspan of perhaps 3 feet. It looks a bit like a tern. It can be seen this month all along our shorelines. It has flown down here for the winter from its summer breeding range in Canada. The upper parts are medium gray, contrasting with the white lower parts and reddish legs, says the National Audubon Society. This gull has a dark gray to black head and bill, a white neck, gray body and wings, and orange-red wings. In winter, the gull has dark spots behind its eyes. It is the only gull that nests in trees (others generally nest on the ground), says the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. In breeding season, the gull subsists mostly on insects, which it nabs out of midair. Its usual diet consists largely of small fish. Unlike some other gulls, this one does not feed on garbage. The Bonaparte's gull is named after Charles Lucien Bonaparte, a nephew of Napoleon. He was a leading ornithologist in the 1800s in the United States and Europe.

- JOE HABERSTROH

SEAL DEAL. 10 a.m. Wednesday, Montauk. A 3-mile jaunt along a wooded trail to the shore, looking for seals sunning themselves on the rocks. Free. Meet at Camp Hero Road in Montauk, a right turn off Route 27 about 1 mile east of Deep Hollow Ranch. Leader: Eva Moore 238-5134.

WINTER WINGS. Noon, Saturday at Point Lookout Town Park. A guide-led shoreline excursion to look for harlequin duck, red-throated loon, horned grebe, brant and Bonaparte's gull. Free. Binoculars will be provided if needed. To preregister, 631-581-6908.

TO THE SHORE. 10 a.m. Feb. 21, Morton National Wildlife Refuge, Noyack. A 1.5-mile stroll through forest, grassland and beach. Will try to hand-feed seeds to black-capped chickadees. Free. Bring water and a snack. Preregister at 631-581-6908.- LAURA MANN