Ohio authorities announced that they indicted a hunter who killed a record white-tail deer in November 2023, saying he along with others falsified a story to mislead authorities. According to the announcement, 28-year-old Christopher Alexander was charged on May 10 for the unlawful harvest.
In a statement, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost described Alexander as "blinded by greed" and focused on gracing "the cover of Field & Stream" instead of state hunting regulations. "This once-in-a-lifetime deer embodies the great natural resources Ohio has to offer. It is shameful that this deer ended up in an evidence room rather than adorning an ethical hunter's wall as a prized trophy," Yost said.
According to court documents, Alexander told authorities that he had killed the deer on his sister's property while hunting with her written permission. However, an investigation revealed that he actually killed the deer about 10 miles away and then staged the killing with the help of his friend Corey Haunert, 29, and his brother. They wrote the letter later to corroborate their story.
During that hunt on Nov. 9, 2023, Alexander killed an 18-point buck, and according to reports, the animal was the biggest whitetail taken in the state and the third biggest in North America.
Investigators also accuse Alexander and Haunert of poaching multiple deer by staging hunts and later doctoring records after the fact to falsify the date when the written permission was granted. In turn, they allegedly profited from the activity by selling antlers and used their fame to earn $20,000 from telling their story and hawking deer products.
Alexander faces 23 charges, including illegally hunting deer without permission, theft by deception, hunting without a license, tampering with evidence, falsification, and sale of wildlife parts. His accomplices — Haunert and his brother, Zachary Haunert, and Alexander's sister, Kristina Alexander — also face charges.
