King Louie Buck Found to Be Shamefully Killed by a Poacher in New York State

One glance at this unique deer and it’s easy to understand how special he was to the local community of hunters in the central New York locale of Fonda/Johnstown. With a big, thick set of palmated antlers atop his head, “King Louie,” as he was known locally, began garnering local attention back in 2020.

Each year, locals would catch a glimpse of the king, causing a stir among both hunters and non-hunters alike, as they watched this deer continue to grow in awe. Approaching what many believed to be his 9th birthday, King Louie had transformed into a one-of-a-kind, world-class buck.

While many referred to the paddled deer as King Louie, there were some who pursued him endlessly using legal methods that referred to him as the ghost of Montgomery County. Disappearing in a flash, or simply not getting close enough for a safe shot, the tales of close calls decorate local hunting circles regarding the king.

With an opportunity at taking a shot at the ghost, it’s what kept a lot of hunters going over the years. That is until the grim news of his untimely and illegal death rippled through the community late last week.

According to officials from New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation, Christopher Brownell, of Fultonville, caught a glimpse of King Louie during the early morning hours on Old Johnstown Road. According to reports, the large buck was feasting on pumpkins in a field under the cover of night when Brownell made the decision to load up his old .308 and take a shot that would forever alter New York’s record books.

Unscrupulous, sneaky and shameful, Brownell grabbed his stolen trophy and loaded it onto the back of his flatbed pickup. As the sun began to rise Thursday morning he took a slow ride through the middle of town with his trophy in-tow, spurring a flurry of activity, including a few placed calls to DEC dispatch.

It didn’t take long for Conservation Officers Justanna Bohling and Kyle Bevis to deploy to the scene in an effort to uncover a bit more information on the kill. Once officers made contact with Brownell, he began to weave a complex story that he seemingly was unable to keep in order himself. 

Telling officers that he shot the deer on a different property at 4:30 in the evening the day prior, a physical inspection of the deer caused the officers to dig a bit deeper. Noting that the animal had no signs of rigor setting in and that the carcass was still warm, the investigating officers immediately suspected foul play.

It seemed as though the more questions they asked Brownell, the more holes they were able to poke in his quickly unravelling story. Bringing in additional officers to help with the investigation, the pressure on Brownell was mounting. Asking the trophy hunter to take them to the kill site, officers noted that the kill shot was well-placed and should have dispatched the animal in due time. The blood trail, however, told a different story.

As they walked from the apparent site of the shot to the pumpkin patch where the animal lay just a few hours before, officers found a patch of hair atop the pumpkins, a clear indication of an impact site. Knowing full well that the suspect had prior run-ins with Environmental Conservation Officers in Schoharie County, Officer Bohling had seen enough and promptly pressed Brownell for the truth.

"I looked right at him and said, ‘You shot him right here, right here in the pumpkin patch, from the road, didn't you?’" Bohling said. “Brownell warily looked around, then down at the ground, and confessed, 'Yeah, I did.'"

He later told the entire story and accepted his fate as the one who cheated legal hunters of the opportunity of killing this one-of-a-kind buck. Following his confession, Brownell was slapped with four different charges including: taking an illegal deer, hunting outside of legal hours, ECL trespass and shooting on/from a roadway.

As part of all his charges, the amazing thing is that he is only facing about $3,500 in maximum fines, which is an absurdity in itself. In the state of New York, unlike some other states, the act of poaching is not considered larceny. As such, without a sliding scale of potential fines and other repercussions based on the trophy caliber of an animal, they cap out.

To have the ability to break the law in such an egregious manner and rob an entire legal hunting community of the opportunity, we remain hopeful that, at some point, these types of crimes will come with a heavier hand.

For the time being, Brownell got nothing more than a slap on the wrist for his actions and so far, no example has been made of him. 

As for King Louie, he’s since been caped out and will be mounted for the state’s DEC as one of the state’s largest bucks on record. Although he has not yet been officially scored, it’s rumored that he may very well eclipse the measurements of the current record held in New York State since 1939. 

The King’s meat was donated to the venison donation program "Hunters Feeding the Hungry."