ESSEX — On Thursday, April 25, state Department of Environmental Conservation Officer Maxwell Nicols received a tip about a Facebook post that showed several turkeys shot in Essex County before the turkey hunting season opened on May 1.

Nicols tracked down the man who had posted the photo, and after a brief interview, the man admitted to shooting three turkeys during the weekend of the youth hunt. When asked where the birds were, “the man hung his head and looked into his kitchen, where a family member was cooking dinner,” a press release from the DEC said.

Nicols determined that due to prior convictions, the man was not allowed to possess firearms. The man was charged with criminal possession of a weapon, taking turkeys during the closed season, and hunting turkey without turkey hunting privileges. The ticket is returnable to Essex Town Court.

Nicols let the family finish dinner, but confiscated the rest of the turkey meat and a shotgun as evidence.

There was a fourth turkey in the Facebook photo, and DEC say they are continuing to investigate who shot it.