Moose poacher gets jail time

North Country man must also pay $5K for killing mammal

Mess with a moose and you’ll do time.

At least that was the case in the Adirondacks, when a North Countr y man who poached one of the big mammals last October was sentenced earlier this month to ja il time and a $5,525 f ine.

Zachar y Vaughan, 26, of Saranac, Clinton County, was sentenced in Frank lin Town Court to 60 days in county jail and the f ine as well as a f ive-year suspension of his hunting license, according to the state Depar tment of Environmental Conser vation.

DEC’S investigation began on Oct. 31, 2019, when an env ironmental conser vation of f icer received a ca ll from a camp member in the Chateaugay Highlands Easement in the nor thern tip of the Adirondack Park repor ting a dead cow moose on the proper t y.

The moose corpse was ta ken to DEC’S Delmar Wildlife Resource Lab for a necropsy.

Then, follow ing a series of anony mous ca lls and an a tip, Vaughan was identif ied as the shooter, according to DEC.

While Vaughan initia lly denied the claims, conservation of f icers went to his home with a search warrant in November at which point he admitted to poaching the animal, of f icia ls sa id.

He was charged with four misdemeanors: ta king of a moose; possessing a loaded f irea rm in a vehicle; use of an ar tif icia l lig ht in a vehicle while in possession of f irearm; and hunting with the aid of an ar tif icia l lig ht.

The moose, a protected mammal in New York state, is the largest member of the deer family and the largest land mammal in New York.

Hunting moose in New York State is illega l.

Learn more about New York State hunting reg ulations on DEC’S website or v iew the Hunting Seasons and Reg ulations Guide online.

To repor t suspected env ironmental v iolations, including illega l hunting, f ill out DEC’S online form or ca ll DEC’S Div ision of Law Enforcement dispatch at 1-844-DEC-ECOS (1-844332-3267).