COLUMBUS — A Wilmington man has been indicted for poaching a deer on his sister’s land in a poaching case that officials say is the largest typical whitetail deer taken in Ohio to date.
Christopher Alexander, 28, is charged with 23 felonies including illegal hunting deer without written permission, taking possession of a deer in violation of a division rule, theft by deception, hunting without a license, and tampering with evidence, according to a press release from Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost.
Alexander is also charged with aiding a wildlife offender and falsification.
“This once-in-a-lifetime deer embodies the great natural resources Ohio has to offer,” Yost said. “It is shameful that this deer ended up in an evidence room rather than adorning an ethical hunter’s wall as a prized trophy.”
This deer stands out as the largest typical whitetail in Ohio, showcasing remarkable antler uniformity. Additionally, some reports rank it as the third largest typical whitetail in North America.
The 18-point antlered deer was shot on Nov. 9, 2023. Alexander claimed the deer was on property owned by his sister, Kristina Alexander, when he killed it.
He showed a written permission letter from his sister to a wildlife officer to prove he had permission to hunt on her land.
Investigators with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources say they discovered that Christopher Alexander had illegally hunted the deer on private property 10 miles away from his sister’s land.
Authorities say the deer was likely staged to be taken at his sister’s property to cover up the poaching.
The probe also found that Christopher Alexander had profited from the illegal deer sale, selling deer antlers and receiving payments totaling $20,000 from an antler collector, a hunting magazine, and a company that sells deer products.
“Blinded by greed, the defendants set their sights on fame and fortune while disregarding basic hunting regulations,” Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said. “Instead of the cover of Field & Stream, their notoriety will be a booking photo.”
In addition, the investigation found that Corey Haunert aided Alexander in poaching deer on multiple occasions, providing the crossbow used to hunt and assisting in deer retrieval and staging with Zachary Haunert.
Kristina Alexander is accused of falsifying the date when the written permission to hunt occurred.
Christopher Alexander, 28, of Wilmington, faces 23 total charges:
- Five counts each of illegally hunting deer without written permission (M3) and taking possession of a deer in violation of a division rule (M3)
- Three counts of theft by deception (F4 and F5).
- Two counts each of hunting without a license (M4), hunting deer without a valid deer permit (M4) and tampering with evidence (F3)
- One count each of jacklighting (M3), theft (M1), falsification (M1) and sale of wildlife parts (M4)
Corey Haunert, 29, of Hillsboro, faces eight charges:
- Four counts of aiding a wildlife offender (M3)
- Two counts of hunting without written permission (M3)
- One count each of tampering with evidence (F3) and falsification (M1)
Kristina Alexander, 37, of Blanchester, faces one count of falsification (M1) and one count of aiding a wildlife offender (M3).
Zachary Haunert, 31, of Lebanon, faces two misdemeanor counts of aiding a wildlife offender (M3).
The whitetail deer is widely recognized as one of Ohio’s most prominent wildlife species and the state’s only big-game animal.
Its historical importance to Ohio is evident, with the General Assembly declaring it as Ohio’s state mammal in 1988.
The cases are being prosecuted by attorneys from Yost’s Environmental Enforcement section.
Source Media Properties used an experimental artificial intelligence tool to locate the source data and develop the first draft of this article. A professional editor reviewed the accuracy and writing before publishing.