Foul Play Confirmed in the Captivating Case of the The Alexander Buck 🦌

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 caught our eye this week...

• Justice served - CJ Alexander indicted on 23 charges 🧑‍⚖️

• Easy on the elk - Minnesota’s DNR trims back elk offerings 🏷️

• Unlicensed humans and deer - Guatemalan teen busted without license and dead deer in the trunk 🚨

• Photo opp - Groomsman reels in hog right before the wedding 🎣

• Ontario moose ring busted - Over $200k in fines and 59 years worth of suspensions handed out 💰

‘BLINDED BY GREED’
FOUL PLAY CONFIRMED IN THE CAPTIVATING CASE OF THE THE ALEXANDER BUCK

One look at the above photo and it’s easy to imagine how a deer of that caliber would turn a few heads. Which is exactly what happened earlier this year when photos of the now infamous grip and grin made their rounds on social media and news outlets. 

Green scoring the antlers somewhere in the neighborhood of 206 ⅞”, the Alexander buck was ready to take the record books by storm. With measurements like that, this buck was believed to have been the largest ever taken in the state of Ohio and the third-largest nationwide.

As the initial responses were in celebration of what we all believed to be a great (and legal) feat in the deer woods were quickly derailed when the Ohio Department of Natural Resources announced an investigation into the possible illegal taking of the deer which later became known as the ‘Alexander buck’.

Following the investigation, the Ohio General’s Office, on behalf of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources announced last week that Christopher “CJ” Alexander has now officially been indicted on 23 total charges stemming from the hunting incident last fall…

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🏷️ And then there were 10 - Minnesota’s DNR recently that they were dropping the number of available elk tags this season. With the inability to conduct the proper surveys through the winter months due to little snow cover (thanks, El Niño), officials aren’t feeling terribly bullish about their already small elk herd’s size. With population estimates falling somewhere between 100 and 150 elk, the DNR opted to decrease the number of available tags heading into this month’s lottery.  

For those applying, there will be 10 tags up for grabs, down from the 17 tags made available in 2023, a reduction of over 40 percent.

🪪 Unlicensed humans and deer - A Guatemalan teenager was arrested this week after officers noticed a bloody deer carcass in the rear of his vehicle during a routine traffic stop. After witnessing the vehicle blow a stop sign, officers with the Umatilla Police Department pulled him over and, with help from Google Translate, were able to briefly communicate with the driver. Police learned through use of the translation app that the driver nor his four passengers had any drivers license or identification on them. 

It was at this moment that another responding officer approached the vehicle from the rear and noticed a dead deer in the back seat. The officer asked the driver where the deer came from and cooperatively, the driver, identified as 18-year-old Melvin Ruvein Lopez, told him that he shot it. The officer then asked about the whereabouts of the gun and soon recovered a 9mm in the center console that was later determined to have been stolen out of Jacksonville. FWC was on scene to process the deer, where Lopez later admitted to using his vehicle’s headlights to aid in hunting the deer. He was later charged with grand theft (firearm), no valid driver’s license, and possession of a freshly killed deer out of season and taking a freshly killed deer with use of a gun and light. 

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📸 Photo opp: A group of groomsmen were in the middle of a photoshoot and were instructed to each grab a rod and cast it for a photo. As each groomsman cast into the small lake, one of them, by some stroke of luck, hooked into an absolute hog. Watch as the unsuspecting groomsman reels in a personal best 8 pounder before the wedding in this video that sure to bring a smile to your face.

QUITE THE RACKET
MOOSE POACHING BUST RESULTS IN OVER $200K WORTH OF FINES

Hunting moose in the Great White North is an unforgettable experience, but after hunting with a select few Ontario guides, a number of hunters are now also learning an expensive lesson they certainly won’t forget.

As part of a massive poaching bust, the Government of Ontario announced they had charged 20 defendants a total of $178,400 and ordered them to pay $44,525 in surcharges for a variety of moose-hunting violations. In addition to the monetary fines, the province laid down 59 years worth of hunting license suspensions for those involved.

The incidents leading up to the plethora of charges all centered around an outfitter based in Western Ontario. Bob Green’s Fly-in Camps and Green Airways, operated by Robert A. Green and Robert W. Green, consists of one main lodge on Mamakwash Lake and a few other smaller outposts nearby. In addition to guided moose hunts, they provide fishing trips and guided bear hunts as well…

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Shoulda been a cowboy
@pintargraphy