Two Ohio YouTubers who built an online following by sharing hunting videos have been sentenced after admitting to dozens of wildlife offences linked to illegal deer hunting. William Bethel, 28, and Justin Booth, 23, the creators behind the Creek Kings Outdoors YouTube channel, pleaded guilty to a combined 40 deer poaching-related charges following a lengthy investigation by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR). The court ordered the pair to serve jail time, pay more than $37,000 in financial penalties and restitution, and surrender their hunting, fishing and trapping privileges for five years. Investigators said some of the evidence came from videos the duo posted on their own YouTube channel.
Who are the Ohio’s Creek Kings Outdoors YouTubers?
Creek Kings Outdoors is a YouTube channel operated by William Bethel and Justin Booth that focused on hunting and outdoor adventures, particularly white-tailed deer hunting. The pair regularly uploaded videos featuring trophy deer and hunting trips. According to ODNR, investigators found that some of the deer featured in those videos had been harvested illegally in Ohio. Authorities also alleged the men falsely claimed that some animals had been legally hunted in neighbouring Kentucky when, in fact, they had been taken unlawfully in Ohio.
What were the YouTubers charged with?
The investigation revealed that Bethel and Booth illegally hunted deer between 2019 and 2024 at Three Creeks Metro Park and several other public and private properties where they did not have permission to hunt. Each man pleaded guilty to 20 charges, including hunting deer without permits, hunting without landowner permission, criminal trespass, possessing illegally taken deer and failing to properly game-check harvested animals. Booth also admitted to aiding a wildlife offender and obstructing official business, while Bethel pleaded guilty to additional counts involving hunting during the closed season and possessing untagged deer parts.
How authorities uncovered the alleged poaching
The case stemmed from a year-long investigation carried out by wildlife officers from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources in collaboration with Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks. Investigators reviewed videos uploaded to the Creek Kings Outdoors YouTube channel, along with other evidence gathered during the inquiry. Officials said the footage documented several illegally harvested white-tailed deer and contradicted the creators’ claims that some of the animals had been legally taken outside Ohio.
What sentence did the court impose?
As part of their sentence, Bethel and Booth were ordered to serve nine days in jail during the 2026-27 hunting season, while an additional 531 days of jail time were suspended. The court also placed both men on five years of probation, prohibited them from entering Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks during that period, and suspended their hunting, fishing and trapping privileges for five years.In addition to the custodial sentence, the court ordered the pair to pay a combined $29,219.32 in wildlife restitution, with fines, court costs and other fees bringing the total financial penalty to more than $37,000.Wildlife restitution is separate from criminal fines and is designed to compensate the state for the unlawful loss of wildlife resources. Ohio law allows courts to assign a monetary value to animals taken illegally, particularly trophy white-tailed deer, because of their ecological and conservation importance. Wildlife officials say restitution helps support conservation efforts while reinforcing the consequences of poaching.The case has drawn significant attention because investigators said publicly available YouTube videos played an important role in building the prosecution. Wildlife authorities say the investigation demonstrates how online content can become evidence when criminal activity is documented and shared publicly. It has also sparked discussion within the hunting community, where ethical hunters have long argued that poaching undermines conservation efforts, damages wildlife populations and harms the reputation of law-abiding sportsmen.
