CJ Alexander Gives Up on Feigning Innocence, Pleads Guilty in Infamous Poaching Case 🧑‍⚖️

The weekend might not be here yet, but your favorite dispatch from the great outdoors is. 

So grab your coffee or whiskey (no judgement) and let's get caught up on the outdoor news and views from the past few days. 

Here's what's worth reading about so far this week:

• Dead to rights - CJ Alexander pleads guilty (finally) 🧑‍⚖️

• Good showing - New Jersey’s bear hunt is off to a good start 🐻

• Silenced kill - Idaho man indicted on poaching charges using silenced rifle 🔫

• Why do we bow down to these people? - New Mexico Fish and Game kowtows to anti-hunting groups 🤦

• In a league of their own - USCG rescue’s fisherman on a cooler lost out at sea 🫡

DEAD TO RIGHTS
CJ ALEXANDER GIVES UP ON FEIGNING INNOCENCE, PLEADS GUILTY IN INFAMOUS POACHING CASE

Over the past 12-or-so months, there’s been no poaching case quite as captivating as the one involving a young man named CJ Alexander and his incredible buck, which was green scored somewhere in the neighborhood of 206 ⅞”.

A beautiful specimen, the deer and the man who shot it gained instant notoriety as photos and stories flooded social media and local news outlets. In what was shaping up to be a celebration of sorts, quickly turned sour for the young man as the Ohio General’s Office, on behalf of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, indicted Alexander on 23 total charges stemming from the hunting incident in the spring of this year.

Despite the national headlines now turning accusatory towards Alexander, he remained somewhat defiant in the face of what looked to be a pile of damning evidence. Forever maintaining his innocence, he continued his fight against the charges creating an intricate web of lies and deceit in an effort to cover up his actions…

🐻 BBD! 90 bears hit the ground on day one of NJ archery season. Despite endless controversy, the New Jersey bear hunt kicked off again this year with stellar numbers coming out of the early archery-only portion of the season. On day-one of this year’s hunt, it was reported that bowhunters checked in 90 black bears across the Garden State before muzzle-loading hunters get their chance this week.

Every single bear harvested in New Jersey is required to be checked in where state wildlife officials record sex, weight and check for tagged bears. For those wearing tags, they serve as a reminder to officials that they have been previously handled and if 30% of those tagged bears are killed, the hunt is canceled for the remainder of the season.

Should it be necessary, a second bear hunt for shotguns and muzzleloaders coincides with the traditional shotgun buck season which opens Dec. 9.

🔫 Idaho man charged with poaching elk with silenced rifle. The effort to conceal a wildlife crime is something that fascinates me and this case is a perfect example of that. In a story coming out of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, a 61-year-old man has been indicted on two felony charges of unlawful taking of wildlife and alteration and/or concealment of evidence.

The charges stem from an incident in early September, when the accused Joel P. Rose of Coeur d’Alene, allegedly shot a trophy-sized bull elk using a silenced rifle during an archery-only hunt. According to court reports, Rose allegedly concealed the fired bullet casings and then stabbed the bull with an arrow after he shot it with the rifle. 

Taking things a step further, the 61-year-old then buried the animal’s rib cage along with its internal organs on his property in an effort to hide any damning evidence against him. Prosecutors stated that the accused “altered or concealed” evidence because he knew it was about to be discovered in a criminal investigation. 

Taking a big game animal with a rimfire or centerfire cartridge firearm during an archery or muzzleloader only season qualifies as a “flagrant violation” of the law and is punishable by revocation of hunting privileges for a minimum of one year and a maximum of life. The fine for unlawfully killing a trophy elk is $5,000. 

Destruction, alteration or concealment of evidence is punishable by up to five years in prison and a maximum fine of $10,000.

QUICK HITS // ^{_{FROM AROUND THE WEB}}

MN DNR: Poor deer hunting season ahead in northeast Minnesota: In the northwest, the population is recovering well from the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 harsh winters. However, not so much in the northeast. The DNR says these harsher winters took a toll on the herd, which will take multiple years to recover. Read more at Northern News Now.

Here’s your 2024 South Dakota pheasant hunting primer:  The 2024 season opens at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 19, and thousands of people will be visiting the Aberdeen region as they search for South Dakota’s state bird, the Chinese ring-necked pheasant. Read more at Aberdeen Insider.

Wisconsin’s 2024 Pheasant Season Opens Saturday:  The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reminds hunters and the general public that the 2024 pheasant season opens at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, and runs through Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. Read more at Wisconsin DNR.

'Biggest game-changer I've ever seen': Missouri hunters' see new drone usage as a turning point: Hunters can now use drones to recover wounded deer, turkey, elk, and black bear during the respective hunting seasons, according to Missouri's Wildlife Code. Read more at KSDK.

Upstate NY youth hunter gets his first buck in Cayuga County: “His family and extended family couldn’t be more proud of him,” said Brantley’s mom, Amanda Cali. “Listening to everything his father taught him over the years had really shined through.” Read more at New York Upstate.

Florida proposes amendment to the state constitution to protect hunting and fishing rights: Voters will have the opportunity to add an individual’s right to forever fishing and hunting in the state’s constitution. It’s called Amendment 2 and state legislators have it on the November ballot. Read more at My Pandhandle.com.

Deer hunts canceled in Helene damaged area of South Carolina, Georgia, officials say: Major damage caused by Helene has forced officials to cancel deer hunts for the rest of the year in an area of South Carolina and Georgia. Read more at WYFF.

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🤦 New Mexico officials kowtow to anti-hunting activists, cancel squirrel hunting event. In what was supposed to be a fun event designed to get more families and youth outside and hunting, has since been squashed by a select few anti-hunting activists. Looking to raise awareness to, let’s be honest, a fading way of life, the New Mexico Game and Fish Department organized the 2024 Squirrel Challenge that invited both hunters and non-hunters alike to get out into the field. 

For those looking for a bit of experience hunting, the challenge was set to serve as a way to get youth comfortable with shooting and processing small game such as squirrels. Conversely, the department also encouraged those not interested in shooting squirrels to bring along a camera to capture the furry edibles in their natural environment. 

Win-win, right? Wrong.

Activist groups, including the Rio Grande chapter of the Sierra Club got wind of the challenge and quickly set their sights on eliminating it. Citing fond memories of feeding squirrels as children, the clamoring for attention from members seemed to work and prompted Game and Fish to cancel the event and erase any mention of it from their website and social platforms.

As hunters, this should serve as a stern reminder to all of us that our way of life is not only under attack, but in some cases, is being dismantled by the very agencies we fund to protect it.

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🤿 We don’t pay these guys enough… Watch as Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer descends on man stranded on a cooler lid after Hurricane Milton ripped through Florida. USCG estimated that he experienced approximately 75-90 mph winds and 20-25 ft seas.

🦅 Easy lunch…kind of. Watch as a bald eagle swoops in to snatch a small dog on a homeowners back deck and fights for its life. It won.

REWARDS // ^{_{TELL YOUR FRIENDS, WE’ll GIVE YOU COOL SH*T}}

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