Most guys who hunt the right way try to keep their head down and do things by the book—permission, tags, seasons, and a clean kill. That’s why cases like this one hit so hard: two Ohio cousins didn’t just break rules, they filmed themselves chasing deer where hunting wasn’t allowed and stacked up a combined 40 guilty pleas once the evidence caught up with them.
The details came out in the original post from Outdoor Life, which also ties their case to another Ohio poaching investigation involving a young traveling hunter and a long list of wildlife violations across multiple states. Different situations, same theme: social media “content” doesn’t excuse illegal hunting.
A city park isn’t “public land hunting”
The cousins—William Bethel, 28, and Justin Booth, 23—were caught pursuing deer inside Three Creeks Metro Park, a roughly 1,100-acre city park where hunting is not allowed. That’s not a gray area or a “rules are confusing” situation. If hunting is closed, it’s closed, even if there are deer everywhere and even if the place looks like perfect habitat.
A lot of hunters hear “park” and think trails, playgrounds, and dog walkers. That matters, because discharging a weapon around urban edges or high-traffic recreation areas is where a bad decision can turn into a tragedy fast—even before you get to the poaching side of it.
The case was built on proof, not rumors
According to the report, evidence was collected at the park using trail cameras. That’s a big point for anybody dealing with trespass or illegal hunting pressure: proof changes everything. A hunch, a rumor, or “my buddy said” doesn’t carry the same weight as images that show exactly who was there and what they were doing…