Officer Sutton, while he was off duty, received a complaint about a rifle shot being heard in the area of Frelinghuysen Township, Warren County. Officer Sutton, who has had previous complaints of a local farmer in that area shooting deer with a rifle, looked on the automated deer check system and found that he had registered a deer just minutes after the informant heard the shot. Officer Holmes was contacted and responded to the scene to speak to the farmer. The farmer first claimed that he had shot the deer with a crossbow, but soon admitted to killing the deer with a .222 caliber rifle. The deer was confiscated and the proper summonses were issued.

Officers Ziegler and Biondo received a report of a local hunting and fishing store owner who had illegally killed a large black bear over bait with a bow and arrow in West Milford Township, Passaic County. The man had then registered the bear under his New York Hunting License, claiming to have killed it north of the NY/ NJ border in Sterling Forest. The officers, assisted by Officers Sutton, Wren, and Lieutenant Applegate, conducted a very thorough investigation of the area where the bear was reported to have been killed. They were able to locate a multitude of evidence including the stand location, the remnants of the bait pile, and the drag marks and location where the bear had been loaded up. Samples of blood, hair and feces were collected from the scene, as well as samples from the bear hide which was at a taxidermy shop in Pennsylvania. The suspect was interviewed, but was adamant about the bear being killed in New York. The suspect showed Officers Ziegler and Biondo the gut pile for the bear at a location in Sterling Forest, NY. Upon closer inspection, the officers were able to determine that the gut pile had been moved from the location in West Milford, and placed in NY in an effort to deter apprehension. DNA samples are being analyzed presently at East Stroudsburg University, and charges are pending the results of the tests.

Officer Sutton was contacted by the Hackettstown Police Department, in Warren County, about a bear that had been killed by one of their residents. The man claimed that the bear was threatening his roommate and dog, and he shot it with his bow and arrow in self-defense.  A thorough investigation was conducted, and it was determined that the story the man was giving had been fabricated, and the bear was posing no threat what so ever when it was illegally killed. It was also discovered that the man is a “certain person not to possess weapons” for previous criminal convictions. The suspect was arrested and charged with multiple violations for illegally killing the bear, as well as the 2C criminal charges.

Officers Ziegler and Biondo responded to Byram Township, Sussex County, to investigate a dead bear that appeared to have a small caliber bullet hole in the abdomen. Officer Ziegler immediately recognized the area from previously issuing summonses to a resident there for illegally killing deer. The officers spoke to the resident, who admitted that he had shot the bear with a .22 caliber rifle. He claimed that he had left his basement door open and the bear had entered the basement, but left when he yelled at it. He claimed that he went and got his rifle, and when the bear came back he shot at it once “from the hip”. He did not report the incident to the local police, or to NJ fish and Wildlife. It was also determined that the man's license privileges are revoked due to previous hunting violations, but he had not yet received proper notice. His hunting license was confiscated, he was notified of his revocation, and the proper summonses were issued.

Lieutenant Applegate and Officer Wren responded in the early morning hours to assist Branchburg Township Police, in Somerset County, with a report of illegal deer hunting. Two suspects were apprehended who had shot a large buck in a very densely populated area of town. The deer was shot with a crossbow, out of a vehicle, shortly after midnight. The suspects were apprehended after they returned to the scene to pick up the deer after hiding the crossbow in the woods a few miles away. Both suspects were interviewed separately at the police station and one was very cooperative, while the other denied all involvement in the incident. The cooperative subject even implicated himself and the other subject in multiple other tagging/registering and illegal hunting activities. Both men claimed that the other had actually shot the deer from inside the vehicle. Both men were charged with multiple violations, including careless discharge of a crossbow, hunting with the aid of a motor vehicle, shooting from a roadway and killing a deer after legal hours.

Officers Ziegler and Biondo responded to the Randolph Township Police Department, in Morris County, to assist with an incident involving a hunter, who was participating in a township land hunt, and reported his game camera stolen. The camera was subsequently turned over to the Randolph Police by a local resident who claimed that it was interrupting him when the flash went off at night. The resident also claimed that he did not like people hunting in the area. When the pictures on the camera were viewed, they showed the resident pouring ammonia on the bait pile of the hunter prior to him stealing the camera. The resident was charged with hunter harassment and the camera was returned.

Officer Sutton attended a week long "Hunting Incident Investigation School" in West Virginia recently, and brought back a wealth of valuable information that he has shared with Northern Region personnel.  Officer Sutton plans to present the information to other regions in the near future. The course was presented by the International Hunter Education Association and was attended by officers from all over the country.

CO Mascio responded to a complaint of hunter harassment in Hopewell Township. The hunter had pictures from his trail camera of an older woman pouring an unknown liquid on his bait pile. The hunter supplied copies of the pictures to Officer Mascio and told him that he thought the woman lived in the neighborhood near his hunting spot. Officer Mascio walked the neighborhood and observed three plastic bottles matching the bottle from the picture in a driveway of one of the residences. Officer Mascio made contact with the 73-year-old resident who matched the woman in the photos. The woman admitted to trespassing in the woods because she knew someone was hunting there. She became angry when Officer Mascio showed her the photos, however, she did admit to pouring "vinegar" on the bait pile to prevent the hunter from killing any deer. When Officer Mascio attempted to pick up one of the bottles to determine the contents, the woman attempted to intercede. Officer Mascio dropped the bottle in response of the woman's advances and was subsequently splashed with the liquid. The woman laughed and admitted that it was her urine in the bottles. She was charged with hunter harassment. Additional charges are pending.

CO Szulecki was scouting out an area of South River, in Old Bridge Township, for waterfowl activity. It was low tide and he tracked vehicle tire prints behind a private residence for approximately 100 yards. His efforts paid off and he located two waterfowl hunters set up on the South River. CO Szulecki concealed himself along the river's edge and observed the two waterfowl hunters. Although legal time for this day was 6:06 p.m., one of the hunters discharged his firearm at 6:24 p.m. CO Szulecki waited for the hunters to pack up and then intercepted them as they were coming back to their vehicle. An inspection of their licenses revealed one hunter had failed to sign his federal stamp and was in possession of five #7 lead shotgun shells. His partner was in possession of nine #7 lead shotgun shells. During the course of the inspection one of the hunters admitted to shooting late. The appropriate enforcement action was taken.

While on patrol, CO Szulecki observed 4 to 5 individuals fishing off the Belford jetty.  He observed one particular angler catch multiple fish. Upon closer inspection of the angler, CO Szulecki found one short summer flounder hidden beneath a legal one. The angler was also in possession of over 100 "snapper" bluefish. The angler was cited for one undersized summer flounder and over the legal daily bag limit of 15 blue fish.

District 3 and District 4 Conservation Officers conducted a patrol of Greenwood WMA and were able to apprehend, without incident, multiple illegal ATV riders.

CO McManus was investigating a landowner whose property borders the Colliers Mills WMA in Jackson Township. CO McManus was able to determine the private landowner took his bulldozer and backhoe and plowed a roadway, destroying 382 yards of Colliers Mills WMA pine forest and fauna. The landowner told him he wanted to allow his horse owners a clean riding path into the WMA. The appropriate enforcement action was taken.

Conservation Officer James concluded an unlawfully harvested deer case in Vineland, Cumberland County using last season's deer check forms. Biologists from the deer project forwarded a deer check form that showed a buck checked in a zone that had closed seven days prior. CO James and Lt. Ely arrived at the hunter's house to question him about the delay in checking in the buck. CO James's first question to the man was if he had gotten any bucks last season. The man initially said "no," but when CO James asked, "are you sure you don't remember checking in an eight point buck?," the man suddenly looked upward and said, "Oooooh, right. I did get one." He told CO James that he had shot a buck and given it to his friend. When it was pointed out that the zone was closed where he shot it, he said that his friend must not have checked it in promptly. A review of his friend's information revealed that the friend possessed permits for a zone that was open on the date in question. After a brief discussion  with the hunter, he admitted that his friend had called him and said that he had shot a buck and had already used his buck tag so he needed another one to check in the second unlawfully harvested buck. The friend did not realize that the borrowed tag was for a closed zone. CO James was able to question the other hunter and retrieve the antlers. The first hunter was charged with loaning a license and the second hunter was charged with borrowing a license, harvesting over his limit of antlered deer and unlawfully possessing deer parts.

Conservation Officer Fox made two cases this archery season where the hunters were hunting in a closed zone and before the regular season. The first was in Galloway Township, Atlantic County, and involved a concerned hunter who found someone who he thought to be trespassing. He left a note on the hunter's car that he was hunting in a closed zone and trespassing. He then called CO Fox. Although CO Fox believed that there was little chance of the hunter returning until the season opened, he continued to check the area. Finding and waiting at the truck, CO Fox apprehended the hunter exiting the woods with his archery equipment. When asked why he returned to hunt even after being warned the hunter had no explanation. He was charged appropriately. In the other case, CO Fox had recently noted to Lt. Ely that he could often see treestands and hunting areas because the safety straps and trail camera straps used by hunters were black and they stood out against the background. Later that day, one day before fall bow season opened, CO Fox was driving through an area in Laureldale, Atlantic County when he spotted black straps in a tree. As he got closer to the tree, he saw that there was a hunter sitting in the treestand. CO Fox approached the tree and apprehended the hunter who was both unlicensed and hunting in a closed area. CO Fox said that initially he did not see the hunter, only the black straps, until he approached the tree. The appropriate summonses were issued.

In a case that originated last spring, CO Fox found fishermen in Menantico Wildlife Management Area, Millville, Cumberland County who were fishing illegally. In the initial complaint, a fisherman told CO Fox that he had found floats with fishing line, a hook and a dead largemouth bass in Union Lake.   The complainant thought that is was from a local bass fishing club. This was not the case. While patrolling the Menantico WMA, Keith came upon a couple of fishermen that were in possession of and using a similar type of  apparatus. They denied any wrongdoing but the evidence spoke for itself. CO Fox explained that these methods could seriously deplete the fish population in the ponds and lakes where they were being used. The appropriate charges have been filed.

Conservation Officer Vazquez completed a case in Fortescue, Cumberland County on information gathered from a concerned citizen about someone trying to recover a deer in a farm field. CO Vazquez determined who had permission to hunt in the area around the field and was advised that one hunter was believed to be using other peoples tags. The farmer confirmed that one of the hunters on the property had killed a deer but failed to recover it before it spoiled so she only took the head, leaving the remainder of the deer in the soybean field. Suspecting that the wife hadn't shot the deer, CO Vazquez interviewed her husband who gave him the same story as the farmer. CO Vazquez asked to see the antlers and found that they were sub-legal in the antler point restricted zone from which they were taken. The hunter asked that his wife not be charged and took responsibility for the sub-legal buck. Not believing that the wife had shot the deer at all, CO Vazquez charged the husband with the possession and tagging violations that he admitted to.

Conservation Officer's Fox, James and Vazquez all successfully prosecuted large dumping cases on Wildlife Management Areas last month. There has been an increase in large dumping sites found on Fish and Wildlife properties this year and District 6 officers have been aggressively pursuing the violators.

Conservation Officer James attended the Cumberland County Federation of Sportsmen's meeting.

Lt. Risher attended the Salem County Federation of Sportsmen's meeting.

Lt. Risher received a call from Gloucester County Animal Control about a resident in the Borough of Glassboro, Gloucester County, who unlawfully possessed an American Alligator. The Glassboro Police Department secured a search warrant for the residence and during their search for illegal drugs they located the alligator in a bedroom. Lt. Risher responded to the residence and accompanied the Glassboro Police Department into the home. Lt. Risher seized the animal and charged the individual with possession of an American Alligator, a potentially dangerous species, without a permit.

Conservation Officer Toppin received information about an eight point buck unlawfully taken during the 2011-12 deer season in South Harrison Township, Gloucester County.  The buck was harvested during a segment of the season when only does could be harvested. After producing the deer harvest report and a short interview with the hunter, he admitted to harvesting the deer unlawfully and the appropriate summons was issued.

Conservation Officer Toppin investigated the harvesting of a sub-legal deer killed in an antler point restriction zone in Alloway Township, Salem County during the 2011-12 deer season. There were mistakes made on the deer transportation tag and discrepancies with the information provided on the deer data forms. During the interview of the hunter at his Gloucester Township home, he admitted to unlawfully taking a spike buck and getting it mounted because it was the first buck he had ever killed. CO Toppin issued the appropriate summonses.

On September 29, CO Scott inspected a commercial otter trawl fishing vessel at Point Pleasant Fishermen's Cooperative. This vessel had just returned from a directed summer flounder fishing trip and CO Scott found a striped bass on the vessel. The operator claimed that the striper was caught with hook and line and showed the officer several hand lines, lures and fresh bait. CO Scott mentioned to the operator that during a directed summer flounder fishing trip, the vessel can only possess the type of fishing gear listed on the vessels permit which is a violation of the permit. The operator then admitted that the striper was caught with a net, which demands a lesser penalty. CO Scott issued one summons to the operator of the vessel for taking a striped bass with a net.

On October 1, CO Scott was checking for illegal shellfish harvesting at low tide along the Raritan Bay shore. In the late afternoon, CO Scott noticed a man treading for clams outside Morgan Inlet in Old Bridge Township, Middlesex County. Additionally, several other men were observed fishing on private property. Upon inspection, the man clamming was found to be in possession of 82 hard clams and did not have a valid NJ shellfish license. The other men fishing on private property did not have written permission to be there and were found with several undersized marine fish including black sea bass and tautog. The appropriate summonses and written warnings were issued.

On October 8, CO Scott was watching two men in the Elberon section of Long Branch, Monmouth County catch tautog. During the surveillance the men noticed CO Scott's position, but unwilling to throw their illegal catch back they instead chose to switch their operation to the other side of the jetty, seemingly out of view. CO Scott used his patrol vehicle as a decoy and slipped out to a better surveillance position where he could see them cutting up blackfish and hiding additional blackfish in the rocks. All the time they were peering up and keeping a watchful eye on the black truck that was now unoccupied. After the men hid their catch they came off the jetty with one large blackfish each. Upon inspection the men denied having any other fish. CO Scott took them out to the jetty where he pointed to the areas where the remaining fish were hidden, as well as the filleted fish in one of the men's jacket, and the piece of wood they used to cut the fish up on. They admitted to what CO Scott observed and were apologizing profusely asking for leniency. CO Scott issued seven summonses including interference, possession of undersize and over limit marine fish. CO Scott seized all of their fishing gear. CO Scott's day did not end there. En route to the National Marine Fisheries office to process a property report on the seized gear from earlier, he patrolled through the Shark River Inlet area where he quickly came across multiple fishermen in violation. Three additional summonses were issued for undersized tautog and harvesting summer flounder during closed season.

On October 14, at 2015hrs, CO Scott was notified of illegal fishing activity in the Belford section of Middletown, Monmouth County. After having already put in a day's work, he responded to the area and was out on foot by 2100hrs. He quickly set up a surveillance position and watched the two men catch any bury several striped bass in the sand just behind their fishing spot. After an hour of watching the men take striped bass CO Scott closed in and made the inspection. The men denied having taken any small striped bass and said they threw back everything they caught except a skate. CO Scott gave them every opportunity to admit their wrong doing, but they pleaded their innocence. After five minutes CO Scott walked over to the area where the men were burying the fish and kicked one of them out of the sand. CO Scott had the men uncover the four remaining fish, the largest measuring 19 inches. Summonses were issued to both men for interference, undersize striped bass, and over limit striped bass.

On October 13 at approximately 4:00PM, CO's Klitz, Scott, McManus and Lt. Dravis conducted a party boat inspection in Point Pleasant Beach, Ocean County. Through the years, this fishing vessel has been apprehended on many occasions for marine fisheries violations. The vessel had just returned from a scup/black sea bass trip with 65 patrons eager to exit the vessel. The patrons and their catch were inspected as they exited the vessel for minimum size and bag limit compliance, in addition to seasonal closures.  An approximately 45 minute inspection resulted in a total of fourteen summonses issued; including ten for undersize black sea bass, three for undersize scup, and one for an undersized tautog. These summonses were the result of 47 undersize black sea bass, 36 undersize scup and one undersize tautog, possessed by patrons exiting the vessel. The officers then inspected the vessel and recovered another 71 undersize scup and 32 undersize black sea bass found in various locations on the vessel. These locations included on and under bench seats, garbage cans, abandoned bags, buckets, and coolers. Some of the same locations also contained 61 legal sized scup and 6 legal sized black sea bass.  The legal fish left behind and discarded were the result of the violator abandoning his or her entire catch and exiting the vessel with little or no fish. The CO's believed that the fish left on the vessel in the various locations would have resulted in an additional 8 to 10 summonses being issued to different individuals and would have brought the violation rate to greater than 1 out of every 3 paying fishermen. CO Scott was able to donate approximately one third of the entire seizure to the NJ Association for the Blind located in Monmouth County.

CO Nicklow observed a group of four individuals keeping undersize and over the limit tautog on the Grammercy Avenue Jetty in Atlantic City. The illegal tautog were stashed in a nearby minivan with Maryland license plates.  CO Harp was called to assist and maintain observation on the minivan. CO Harp apprehended two individuals at the minivan when they were preparing to leave.  CO Nicklow then came to assist CO Harp with the inspection. Although four undersize tautog were found in the minivan, CO Nicklow advised CO Harp that the minivan was not the same minivan that CO Nicklow had observed earlier. The officers determined that the two other individuals in the group drove a similar minivan and had already left undetected with additional tautog. The COs advised the two individuals in custody they had utilized surveillance cameras located on the Flagship Resort building to monitor their illegal fishing activity. CO Nicklow and CO Harp convinced the individuals they had in custody to call their friends back to the fishing location with the illegal tautog. A short time later the minivan CO Nicklow originally observed with the stashed tautog returned with four undersize and over limit tautog. The appropriate summonses were issued.  The next day CO Nicklow observed the same group fishing for tautog. CO Nicklow observed the fishermen catch multiple undersize tautog. After the individuals took the fish off the hook, they turned around, faced the Flagship building and held the fish up in the air for the surveillance cameras to see and tossed the fish back into the inlet.

CO's Tomlin and Swift responded to reports of bunker washing up on the beaches of Wildwood, North Wildwood, Stone Harbor, and Avalon. Two days prior to the bunker washing up on the beaches, CO Tomlin and Petruccelli responded to reports of numerous dead bunker floating outside of the Cape May Inlet. An investigation revealed that five different purse seine vessels had recently fished for bunker in that area. At this time no bunker boat operators have taken responsibility for the release of fish. The investigation is ongoing and the municipalities are in the process of documenting the costs of the cleanup.  A local fish dealer has volunteered to repay the municipalities for the cost incurred from the clean-up. With multiple bunker spills taking place in the last few weeks, Lt. Snellbaker met with the Cape May bunker boat operators to review the regulations and talk about the effects and consequences when large amounts of bunker get released from purse seine nets.

CO's Nicklow and Harp recently apprehended a locally known repetitive tautog poacher in Atlantic City. The individual possessed a bucket containing an undersized tautog to try and lure the officers away from multiple illegal tautog that the he had hidden in a large tide pool. CO Nicklow approached the individual, who was standing on a large rock pile, via a patrol vessel. As the individual's attention was diverted by CO Nicklow, CO Harp snuck up behind the individual on foot. CO Harp secured the bucket with the undersize decoy tautog then proceeded to find four, additional tautog in a rock impoundment the poacher had built within the middle of the tide pool. CO Harp issued the appropriate summonses.

On October 7, COs Petruccelli and Tomlin received a phone call from a concerned citizen and an additional call through the Avalon Police Department in response to two fishermen taking multiple undersize tautog on the 8th Street Jetty in Avalon. The COs set up surveillance and apprehended the two fishermen with 28 undersized tautog ranging in size from 10.75" to 13.75". The appropriate summonses were issued.

After receiving numerous complaints of undersized striped bass being kept in the Delaware Bay between the Maurice River and Fortescue in Cumberland County, CO's Trembley, Hausamann and Swift stepped up their patrols over the weekend of October 13 and 14. On 10/13 in Bivalve, CO's Trembley, Hausamann and Swift apprehended two fishermen with four undersized striped bass and twenty short crabs. Also on 10/13, CO's Trembley and Hausamann apprehended a group of fishermen off of Turkey Point on Delaware Bay, with nine undersized striped bass. On 10/14 Officer Swift apprehended three fishermen with seven undersized striped bass in Bivalve. The appropriate summonses were issued in each case.

Late one afternoon CO Tomlin observed two fishermen on the Two Mile Jetty of Cape May Inlet taking undersize tautog and hiding them in the rocks. CO Tomlin later observed one of the individuals remove the fish from the jetty and hide them in the weeds near the parking area. The fisherman then went back out on to the jetty and continued fishing. When the two fishermen finally ended their day, CO Tomlin apprehended the two fishermen with 28 tautog. The fishermen were issued summonses for possessing 26 undersized tautog and possessing 26 tautog over the limit.

Captain Leonard assisted with the Northeast Conservation Law Enforcement Chief's Association's fall meeting.   The meeting this year was held at the Presbyterian Camp in Johnsonburg, Warren County.

Quarterly Firearms qualifications and training was recently conducted for all Bureau Law Enforcement Personnel. This session consisted of low level light training with the firearm.