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YouTuber Poaching Bust Was a Case of ‘Wildlife Commercialization with a Modern Twist,’ Says Investigating Warden
['Natalie Krebs', 'Executive Editor', 'John Phillips', 'Kris Millgate', 'Andrew Mckean', 'Dac Collins', 'Alex Robinson', 'Hayden Sammak', 'Outdoor Life Staff', 'Katie Hill']
Outdoor Life
Columbus residents William Bethel, 28, and Justin A. Booth, 23, were charged in September with dozens of wildlife violations documented from 2019 through 2025.
The motivation for these wildlife crimes was financial gain from their YouTube channel, said investigating warden Mark Williams, the wildlife officer for Franklin County.
“Every deer that they killed on their channel was killed or possessed illegally in some way, shape, or form.”
“Deer hunting is exciting.
Those included hunting deer without a permit, hunting deer without permissions, hunting deer in the closed season, failing to check deer, criminal trespass, and more.