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Police Pursue Prospect Park Pigeon Poachers

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - If you're looking for something to eat in Brooklyn's Prospect Park, police say to avoid the roast pigeon.

WCBS 880's Steve Knight In Brooklyn

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The Brooklyn Paper says police have ticketed four people earlier this month for illegal hunting and fishing in the park. According to parkgoers, the possibly homeless group of hunters first catch small animals, like a pigeon, and then roast their kill over an open fire.

PHOTO GALLERY: National Pigeon Association Grand Champions

"What do you mean by poaching?" reacted one man. "Do you eat them or something?"

The cases involve everything from pigeons to squirrels and even a woman who has been spotted trying to catch a Canada Goose with a net.

Park Officials Recently Wrote Four Tickets For Poaching. 1010 WINS' Al Jones Reports.

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"That's terrible," said a parkgoer.

One dog walker says she admires the vagrants' ingenuity and outdoor skills, but another person said they were surprised police were "addressing that concern as opposed to others around the city."

Many however say this is nothing new. Parkgoers have been collecting large amounts of fishing wire, saying birds frequently get tangled and have even confronted people in the past for illegally fishing in the park's lake.

The tickets that were issued this month, two for illegal fishing and two for killing wildlife, came out to a total of $2,100 in fines.

This isn't the first time problems have plagued Prospect Park. Residents say certain areas of the park have become a pig-sty, with trash overflowing from garbage cans and everything from chicken bones to condom wrappers littering the ground.

What do you think about this alleged pigeon poaching? Sound off below in our comments section...

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