Hunting addict ordered to shoot TikTok apology as poaching probe finds 115 lbs of illegal turkey meat

This poacher is finally going to have to talk turkey.

A judge ordered a wannabe outdoorsman influencer to post an apology on TikTok after he was convicted of a slew of illegal hunting charges and caught hoarding 115 pounds of turkey meat.

A poacher from Ohio was ordered by a judge to post an online apology video and pay $35,000 in fines while slapping him with only 15 days in jail. 

Ohio resident Carter Hickey, 21, pleaded guilty to 17 wildlife crimes related to poaching after an illegal hunting probe that stretched across almost 20 states found he routinely ignored hunting laws and restrictions, according to the US Fish and Wildlife Service. 

Hickey was ordered to pay $35,000 and spent 15 months in jail after he admitted to slaughtering wildlife during hunting off seasons, hunting without permission and even killing animals using a motor vehicle, the agency said. 

Carter Hickey, a 21-year-old Ohio, became the focus of a multi-state investigation after violating wildlife laws in at least 17 states. FWS

“These weren’t small mistakes,” said service spokesperson Tina Shaw, who added officers also seized his ill-gotten turkey meat and 47 whole or partial turkey fans.

“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.”

It appeared that Hickey hadn’t posted the apology by Sunday.

As part of his punishment, Hickey was also sentenced to 15 days in jail and ordered to complete two years of community control sanctions, pay court costs on every charge within 30 days and complete 80 hours of community service within 18 months. 

He was also ordered to pay $12,000 in restitution, $5,500 in fines and $11,000 in additional penalties — including $6,000 in lieu of forfeiting his pickup truck — plus a separate $5,000 contribution to the Ohio Turn In a Poacher program, and had his hunting license revoked for five years.

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