An Ohio hunter has been ordered to apologize to his TikTok followers after pleading guilty to 17 wildlife crimes uncovered during a multi-state poaching investigation.
Carter Hickey, 21, was accused of repeatedly ignoring hunting laws while posting about his activities on TikTok, where officials say he bragged about his hunting skills and shared false information about what he was doing.
The investigation stretched across nearly 20 states and uncovered offenses including hunting during closed seasons, hunting without permission and killing animals using a motor vehicle. Authorities also seized 115 pounds of turkey meat along with 47 whole or partial turkey fans.
Hunter ordered to post TikTok apology
“These weren’t small mistakes,” US Fish and Wildlife Service spokesperson Tina Shaw said.
“While he was busy poaching, Hickey posted false information about his activities on TikTok, bragging about his hunting skills, despite many of his actions being illegal. Because of this, he was required to post an apology on the same channel and was required to write a letter to the City of Dover for trespassing and unlawfully taking a 10-point buck in a public park.”
Ohio Department of Natural ResourcesAs of Sunday, Hickey did not appear to have posted the court-ordered apology to his TikTok account.
His punishment also included 15 days in jail, two years of community control sanctions and 80 hours of community service to be completed within 18 months. His hunting license was revoked for five years.
Hickey was ordered to pay $12,000 in restitution, $5,500 in fines and another $11,000 in penalties. That includes $6,000 in lieu of forfeiting his pickup truck.
He was also ordered to make a separate $5,000 contribution to the Ohio Turn In a Poacher program and pay court costs on every charge within 30 days.
Hickey’s case comes just weeks after two other Ohio hunting creators were sentenced over a separate poaching investigation.
Creek Kings Outdoors YouTubers William Bethel and Justin Booth pleaded guilty to 40 charges between them, receiving jail time, five-year hunting bans and more than $37,000 in combined financial penalties.
I’m Abhishek Sharma, an author at TigerJek.com. I enjoy exploring games, testing different strategies, and turning what I learn into clear, useful guides. My goal is to help players understand the game better and improve without the usual confusion.
