What the man with a crossbow had in mind when he killed a hugely antlered buck in Clinton County a year ago can in truth only be guessed.
Nonetheless, evidence introduced during the unfolding prosecution of Christopher “CJ” Alexander offered a clue about intentions.
So reported Outdoor Life magazine last week: “I’m gonna get offered stupid money for this deer head babe. … Like buying house type money. … This deer is gonna make us money,” Alexander promised in an Oct. 17 text to his fiancée.
The text was sent a few weeks before the kill.
The money, it turned out, was not the most stupid aspect of Alexander’s apparently premeditated pursuit. Success rested on the certainty that everyone would buy unquestioned a remarkable tale sure to draw widespread attention and invite scrutiny.
Rather than get “buying house type money” and modest fame for killing what might’ve been scored as Ohio’s biggest buck, Alexander got investigated, indicted and last week pleaded guilty in a Clinton County courthouse to numerous charges.
Sentencing is scheduled Dec. 11.
The guilty pleas came after Alexander’s long insistence that he was being unjustly prosecuted. Accusations apparently surfaced not long after his portrayal of events got splashed around, including a telling in this newspaper dated Dec. 3 .
The deer’s taking on Nov. 9, 2023, was neither planned nor foreseen, Alexander told The Dispatch.
“I was in the stand at 5 that morning," he said. "I first saw the buck maybe 120 feet away probably about 4:30 in the afternoon. I knew he was a giant. I didn’t know he might be a record.”
Veteran hunter and authoritative scorer Mike Rex, who drove from his residence near Athens to Wilmington to get a hands-on look, declared the antlers to be the biggest he’d ever held.
Rex, who has numerous entries in the Ohio record book, expressed confidence the buck would establish a state record among typical, that is, symmetrical racks.
The buck was scheduled to be scored officially in January by a panel of select measurers. Official scoring takes place after a 60-day drying period allowing forany “shrinkage” that might occur.
During the wait, Alexander confided he’d already been offered $20,000 for the antlers. He said, though, he’d hold out until after the official scoring, figuring the rack might fetch $100,000 if the scorers determined it to be an Ohio record that also stood among the all-time three biggest in North America.
Between the deer’s demise and its elevation into mythical status, however, Ohio Division of Wildlife investigators acting on a tip seized the antlers, cape and hunting tools.
Initially in question was where the deer was killed and whether Alexander had permission to hunt on the property, which was not at the location he reported. Things unraveled from there.
Alexander pleaded guilty last week to multiple counts related to the illegal taking of the buck. He also pleaded guilty to taking a second antlered deer – the limit is one – during the 2023 season.
The guilty pleas covered: two counts of Illegally taking or possessing of deer; hunting without a license; hunting without a deer permit; selling illegally taken or possessed deer antlers; spotlighting; four counts of hunting without permission; tampering with evidence; theft; misdemeanor theft; and falsification.
Maximum penalties include $13,750 in fines, community control, a five-year hunting license suspension and restitution. Restitution for the big buck has been calculated at $35,071.73. Restitution for the second buck totals $4,625. Three additional persons, including two men and a woman, also pleaded guilty to crimes connected with Alexander’s activities.
outdoors@dispatch.com
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Plan for 'stupid money' fails: Ohio poacher pleads guilty in trophy deer controversy
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