Nothing boils the blood of a law-abiding hunter like an unrepentant poacher caught in the act. That’s why so many poaching cases start with tips from honest sportsmen and women who witness wildlife crimes while out in the field. But these days, a lot of poachers inadvertently report their own crimes too—by posting pictures of their ill-gotten game animals on social media.
Such was the case with CJ Alexander, who poached what would have been a record-setting typical whitetail in Ohio recently and then plastered pictures of his grip-and-grins all over the internet. And a Virginia poacher who killed a tame whitetail with a 29-point rack while trespassing in a protected cemetery, then sent photos of the well-known buck to the most popular deer hunting Facebook page in the state.
Whether unearthed by investigators or revealed by the poacher’s own twisted need for notoriety, all of the cases outlined below are shocking. And many of the poachers behind them will wind up in jail once their verdicts are handed down.
Publicity-Seeking Poacher Kills Famous Hollywood Buck
Poacher Jason Walters was arrested in January, 2024 after shooting a 29-point whitetail buck famous for roaming the grounds of the historic Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia. The saga began last December, when Walters sent photos of himself posing in front of the massive whitetail to Jeff Phillips—a southwest Virginia realtor with Whitetail Properties who runs the popular Star City Whitetails Facebook page.
Walters told Phillips he'd shot the deer in Prince Edwards County, about 70 miles away from Richmond; Phillips shared the images with his 78,000 followers, and the post quickly went viral. When Star City Whitetails members recognized the buck and began calling Walters out in the comment thread, Phillips sent the photos to a local game warden.
That prompted the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources to open an investigation into Walters. He eventually pled guilty to 20 misdemeanors in the case, which landed him a six-month jail sentence, three months probation, a 24-year hunting ban, and more than $13,000 in fines. Read the full story here.
Father-Son Poaching Ring Busted
Poaching was a family affair for Pennsylvanian Carl Nelson and his two sons Carrol and Mark. In early October 2024, the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) announced that the father-son trio was implicated in one of the Keystone State’s biggest poaching busts to date. The case involved “deer that were taken out of season, at night and or over the limit of one buck per hunter per year,” reads a PGC press release issued on October 8. “Nearly 50 mounts and antler sets – most of them trophy class – were seized from the three, and this broad investigation remains open to determine whether additional people are involved.”
According to the PGC, 70-year-old Carl Nelson is facing 35 charges, including a first-degree misdemeanor punishable by up to five years in prison. His son Carrol is facing 11 misdemeanors that could carry a five-year prison term. Mark Nelson faces 25 charges, including a third-degree felony punishable by up to seven years in prison. The investigators also issued a combined $35,000 in fines.
CJ Alexander Tries to Lie His Way Into the Record Books
Last November, a poacher made headlines when he shot a near-record whitetail in Ohio and lied about the circumstances in order to gain publicity. According to recent court filings, CJ Alexander posted photos of the giant 18-point buck to social media, shopped the photos and his false story around to media outlets, and even profited from the sale of its antlers before Ohio game wardens seized the deer and charged him 23 criminal counts related to its illegal take. After feigning innocence for nearly a year, Alexander pled guilty in October 2024 to charges that include spotlighting, tampering with evidence, hunting without a permit, and trespassing. Read more about his case here.
Wisconsin Poaching Ring Commits "Horrific Acts" Against Animals
In August 2024, Officers with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) and the Fon du Lac County Sheriff's Office said they were investigating a group of individuals accused of poaching dozens of trophy whitetails over a span of 12 months. The poachers committed their crimes at night, officials told Wisconsin Public Radio, killing deer from inside vehicles using rifles and high-powered spotlights.
According to a media release posted to Facebook on July 31 by the Fon du Lac County Sheriff's Office, the crimes spanned approximately 200 square miles across Fond du Lac, Dodge, and Washington Counties. A more recent press release, issued by Sheriff Ryan F. Waldschmidt on October 11, details one of the most disturbing poaching cases in recent memory.
The case involved a 36-year-old woman and three 16-year-old males who poached deer from a vehicle at night with the aid of a spotlight. The criminal ring also drove remote roads with the goal of striking deer standing on roadways. “Investigators have reason to believe that well over 100 deer were shot and/or killed between late spring of 2023 and July of 2024,” the release states.
In another stomach-churning twist, “the juvenile suspects picked a [wounded] deer up and placed it in the trunk of their vehicle while recording video and taking ‘selfies’ of and with the deer.” Waldschmidt went on the say that the "horrific acts committed against these animals will shock the conscience of hunters and non-hunters alike." As of this writing, charges in the case haven't been made public.
Aerial Gunning in Idaho
The president of a large electrical co-op was hit with a slew of shocking wildlife charges back in September 2024 that included unlawful killing of game animals, molesting game with an aircraft, illegal sale of landowner tags, and paying for unlicensed guiding. In an affidavit summary obtained by Field & Stream, an Idaho Department of Fish & Game (IDFG) warden said Karl Studer and a licensed helicopter pilot named Kevin Sielaff hunted down mule deer and elk with a helicopter—and that Studer paid Sielaff more than $130,000 to fly employees of his electrical company over an area where they were shooting coyotes.
The court documents also allege that Studer drove around with a wounded pronghorn antelope in the back of his pickup truck and captured the disturbing act on film. The Rupert, Idaho poacher is now facing up to 15 years in prison and a lifelong hunting ban. Read the full story here.
21 Deer in 2 Days
In September 2024, three young men pled guilty to a two-day poaching spree that left 21 deer lying dead in Pennsylvania fields. Twenty-year-old Ezra McClelland, 21-year-old Julian Marth, and 20-year-old Grant Bamberger carried out their crimes at night using rifles and a spotlight.
“The poachers drove around and shot the deer ... between the hours of 3:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m. on two separate nights,” reads a Pennsylvania Game Commission issued on October 23. “All the shots were either taken from within the vehicle or while standing on the public roadway immediately after exiting the vehicle.”
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All told, the men killed 6 bucks and 15 does and made no effort to retrieve any of them. In addition to permanently losing their hunting licenses, each poacher was sentenced to seven days in county jail and ordered to pay more than $6,300 in fines and restitution.
