- ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- Robo-Deer has nabbed his fair share of poachers -- and
even has bagged the same trophy twice.
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- Officers say Levi Sweet, 48, was charged
with misdemeanors after discharging a firearm across a public highway Dec.
12. He fired from the window of his Ford Bronco at the exact same decoy,
a mechanical three-point buck, last year in different county.
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- Sweet was the latest catch by the coldhearted
robot with the glass eyes and foam body that New York authorities have
used for 15 years to nab poachers.
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- "We're not just trying to see how
many people we can catch," said Conservation Officer Jim Volker, adding
that the state does not keep track of how many arrests were aided by Robo-Deer.
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- He said the intent also is to cut down
on the number of complaints from property owners and the number of people
shooting at animals from their cars.
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- "And since we've started using the
decoys, the number of poaching fines have gone down," Volker said.
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- New York law bars hunters from shooting
from a public road onto private land without that landowner's permission.
Violators face up to $1,000 in fines and three months in jail.
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- The state uses about 50 Robo-Deers at
roadsides, farm fields and woodlands where there are complaints of hunting
out of season or trespassing. Officers hide nearby, waiting for poachers
to shoot.
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- But hunters aren't the only ones fooled
by the Robo-Deers, which jerk their heads and twitch their tails just like
real deer. Many passers-by will honk their horns, attempt to sneak up on
the deer for a closer look or even take pictures of the decoy, Volker said.
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- "You're sitting there watching these
people and you just can't believe that they're doing this. Some throw stones
or shout at it to see if they can spook it. It's very funny," he said.
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- One decoy was recently retired after
two years and 60 wounds.
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- Sweet, who could not be reached for comment
at his home in Perth, could lose his hunting license in addition to being
fined since this was his second offense, Volker said.
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- In his first encounter with Robo-Deer,
Sweet shot his rifle within 500 feet of a dwelling -- also a misdemeanor.
He paid a fine in that case
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