Three men charged after deer hunting trip goes awry

Three Vermont residents were charged in a shooting stemming from an attempted poaching in New York.

The incident took place in Washington County on Nov. 30. The men were driving through the town of Salem to look for a deer to shoot, according to the Department of Environmental Conservation.

Once they spotted a buck, the driver attempted to shoot the animal from the vehicle, but he pulled back the firearm when another vehicle pulled up behind. The gun went off and hit the man in the hand.

The group then went back to Vermont and falsely claimed the incident happened in Vermont, DEC said.

The shooter, a convicted felon, was charged with criminal possession of a weapon, hunting without a license, possession of a loaded gun in a motor vehicle, discharging a firearm over a highway, and discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a farm structure.

The shooter spent five days at Albany Medical Center recovering from his injuries. The other two men were ticketed for their role in the shooting. Police did not release their names.