He fired from the window of his Ford Bronco at the exact same decoy, a mechanical three-point buck, last year in different county. 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. 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. New York law bars hunters from shooting from a public road onto private land without that landowner's permission. 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.
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. Some throw stones or shout at it to see if they can spook it. One decoy was recently retired after two years and 60 wounds. 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.