Rangers dealt with a number of significant incidents during the fall hunting seasons in the park (hunting is permitted by law within Delaware Water Gap):
November 29th – A small game hunter in New Jersey shot a pheasant. When he rested his still-loaded shotgun against a tree and went over to pick up the bird, the shotgun fell to the ground and discharged, hitting him in the lower leg. Other hunters and rangers Mike Fernalld, Joe Hinkes, and Chris Kross arrived on scene within minutes, with the rangers providing medical treatment. The hunter was flown to an area hospital and is recovering.
December 1st – Ranger Don Philpot and Sandy Hook rangers Mike Klubek (FTR) and Chad Horne (trainee) were running a decoy operation in Pennsylvania around 8 a.m. when they saw a beer can being thrown from the window of a pickup truck traveling down the road. The rangers contacted the driver/hunter and found him to also be in possession of marijuana. On that same morning, the rangers saw another hunter exit his vehicle and run down the roadway with a loaded rifle, then stop and shoot at the decoy from the road. Each hunter was cited for numerous state and federal violations.
December 3rd – Ranger Chris Kross contacted a hunter sitting in his vehicle in the New Jersey District. The hunter had a rolled up $20 bill in one hand and was in the process of dumping a bag of a white powdery substance on his center console. He admitted to having already ingested one bag of heroin that morning and was found to be in possession of eight more bags of heroin. He was arrested and cited on multiple state and federal charges, including gunning under the influence, OUI, and possession of a controlled substance.
December 8th – Delaware Water Gap and Sandy Hook rangers ran decoy operations during the day in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Ranger Nate Bungard saw a Dodge pickup approach a decoy near Old Mine Road in New Jersey late that morning. The front seat passenger fired a round of buckshot at it from inside the truck out the driver’s side window. Bungard found that both the driver and the passenger were drinking at the time and had open containers of beer in the truck. They were charged with numerous violations, including use of a vehicle to aid in hunting, shooting from a vehicle, shooting across a roadway, possessing a loaded firearm in a vehicle, and possessing open containers of alcohol. Meanwhile, a hunter on the Pennsylvania side of the park shot at another decoy from within his vehicle. He was charged with multiple violations.
