What to Know
- New Jersey wildlife officials say they caught three would-be poachers with the help of a stuffed "robotic" deer.
- "Robo-deer" doesn't move on its on, wildlife officials said.
- Deer hunting is only permitted on designated days each year.
New Jersey wildlife officials say they caught three would-be poachers with the help of a stuffed "robotic" deer.
The state announced Tuesday that the decoy, dubbed "Robo-deer" by state wildlife officials, was strategically placed around southern New Jersey in December as part of a hunting enforcement effort. NJ.com reports deer hunting is permitted on designated days each year from a half-hour before sunrise until a half-hour after sunset.
Wildlife officials call the decoy robotic, but it doesn't move on its own.
Conservation officers say they apprehended two would-be poachers at Peaslee Wildlife Management area in Woodbine and another would-be illegal hunter at Makepeace Wildlife Management Area in Atlantic County. They say in one case the would-be poachers dumped a gun on the side of the road.
A Department of Environmental Protection spokesman says conservation officers have used stuffed deer to catch illegal hunters for years.
