Good Old Gregg Ritz in trouble!

I dont have out door shows on my cable so I dont watch them and part is due to learning many are or were filmed behind fences and so much is done just for TV and $ but it seems this guy will do anything for $
with his past issues
 
Thank you to the two CI's who came foreword with the information. These "hunting show heroes" put themselves in a position where they have to succeed time after time. Pretty much impossible without violating. I doubt there are many who do it right. I have seen very few who actually film a hunt where they do not succeed in killing the target specie ( Randy and Rinella are the only ones who come to mind). Thank you, and a "job well done" to the investigating Wardens !!!
 
Even Ritz’s own lie of leaving it until the next morning for pictures and video footage would be a d-bag move IMO knowing there could be predators in the area. It was a deer and I’m sure his utv or truck was close by and he had help to drag it out. It’s not like it was a 600 pound animal that required several packing trips through miserable terrain. Him and many other jackass tv celebs that continue to do things like this just need to go away. I agree with @F250 that Randy and Rinella and possibly a few others are definitely doing it right compared to these other losers.
 
The only reason to take the life of a ungulate game species is for the meat if provides. Leaving it for pictures goes against everything I was taught. If you have to leave an animal over night you take care of it so it doesn't spoil, and take precautions so other predators are discouraged from ruining it. Hunting and killing a animal for only the sake of a show is unacceptable IMO>
 
Unfortunately money talks and I would bet there was significant ground shrinkage and he walked away cause the animal wasn't up to his "standards". As someone said before, not his first time in trouble. Should be banned for life.

Ever wonder how certain Missouri and Iowa TV shows always harvest a huge buck in the middle/end of December in cut corn field? Crop Manipulation. They chop the standing corn, effectively spreading corn everywhere. It is illegal to hunt birds over a manipulated field, but big game it is legal... but you still can't "bait"... makes no sense to me..
 
I wonder why his hunting privileges were only taken away in a few states he violated game laws in? Why not Nationwide? Judges/Prosecutors dropped the ball IMO. This guy doesn't need to be given more chances to violate in other states.
 
Slm864 said:
Even Ritz’s own lie of leaving it until the next morning for pictures and video footage would be a d-bag move IMO knowing there could be predators in the area.
Click to expand...

This is very common in the TV world; almost the expected production guideline in the whitetail world to make sure you get the best morning light for footage and images. It pisses me off. I've stated so, many times.

When you see this happen on an episode, mostly on whitetail TV, it is almost purely for the benefit of better light. You will hear all kinds of reasons for doing it, but at the core, it is because they want better lighting. Occasionally you will see it happen due to a marginal shot, but that is seldom the reason for leaving an animal overnight.

I remember one time I did it, because an elk I knew was poorly hit got up out of his bed when we got close. We did recover him late the next morning, thanks to some miracle. He had only recently expired and the meat was all good.

Knowing how quickly an animal spoils when wearing a winter coat, and seeing how many of these animals are left overnight for purposes of better lighting, I wonder how much spoiled meat results. Maybe deer cool off quicker for them than they do in my experience. When it is a large body mass like an elk, I know they are not cooling off and there is spoiled meat.

The network is not going to do anything about this, even if a conviction results; Ritz and the network have a cozy relationship. It is one thing to have an unknown oversight and fess up to your mistake; it can happen to anyone. The network has a lot of folks in their stable who have events like this where citations are issued and contested, sometimes resulting in convictions and fines. Yet, there is no financial or other repercussion to the violator, unless so blatant that the network has no choice but to take action; Brackett, Busbice.

The network has a long history of supporting the shows that do this. The networks also have a littered history of looking the other way when repeat and habitual offenders happen to be the shows the networks make investments in. The networks used to be the "King Makers" by deciding who gets the best airtimes, driving sponsors to those shows, reducing the costs of airtime, promoting the hell out of them. Yet, when some of those folks do things like this, the network is tone deaf, yet will send out emails and messages of how important it is that hunting have a good image. Fortunately, the online opportunities are loosening the grip the networks historically had on deciding what content gets seen by viewers.

If the situation turns out to be as claimed in the citation and Ritz is found guilty, don't bet that the network will do anything. He produces a lot of shows that bring money to the network.
 
Big Fin said:
This is very common in the TV world; almost the expected production guideline in the whitetail world to make sure you get the best morning light for footage and images. It pisses me off. I've stated so, many times.

When you see this happen on an episode, mostly on whitetail TV, it is almost purely for the benefit of better light. You will hear all kinds of reasons for doing it, but at the core, it is because they want better lighting. Occasionally you will see it happen due to a marginal shot, but that is seldom the reason for leaving an animal overnight.

I remember one time I did it, because an elk I knew was poorly hit got up out of his bed when we got close. We did recover him late the next morning, thanks to some miracle. He had only recently expired and the meat was all good.

Knowing how quickly an animal spoils when wearing a winter coat, and seeing how many of these animals are left overnight for purposes of better lighting, I wonder how much spoiled meat results. Maybe deer cool off quicker for them than they do in my experience. When it is a large body mass like an elk, I know they are not cooling off and there is spoiled meat.

The network is not going to do anything about this, even if a conviction results; Ritz and the network have a cozy relationship. It is one thing to have an unknown oversight and fess up to your mistake; it can happen to anyone. The network has a lot of folks in their stable who have events like this where citations are issued and contested, sometimes resulting in convictions and fines. Yet, there is no financial or other repercussion to the violator, unless so blatant that the network has no choice but to take action; Brackett, Busbice.

The network has a long history of supporting the shows that do this. The networks also have a littered history of looking the other way when repeat and habitual offenders happen to be the shows the networks make investments in. The networks used to be the "King Makers" by deciding who gets the best airtimes, driving sponsors to those shows, reducing the costs of airtime, promoting the hell out of them. Yet, when some of those folks do things like this, the network is tone deaf, yet will send out emails and messages of how important it is that hunting have a good image. Fortunately, the online opportunities are loosening the grip the networks historically had on deciding what content gets seen by viewers.

If the situation turns out to be as claimed in the citation and Ritz is found guilty, don't bet that the network will do anything. He produces a lot of shows that bring money to the network.
Click to expand...
That's a more zoomed out view than I'd taken and really it highlights the evil of big horsepower in big networks (for me). As a hunter and game meat enthusiast, that type of waste makes me ill...I think of all of the times I wondered if my heart would give out packing out 6 miles from the truck in bad conditions...that I would have suffered a heart attack before leaving that meat on the ground. There is a really good reason guys like me only watch guys like you and Rinella - it's the respect for the animals, the meat, the resource, the land. Why is that so rare in outdoor tv?
 
Addicting said:
What surprises me is he left the antlers. Wonder if he thought by leaving them, it made wasting it it more ethical. Or was him just trying to justify it for his own conscience. Sad, good for the guys turning him in.
Click to expand...

The more you do something, the easier it gets and poaching is not immune from that. He clearly did it for pictures and footage, not for meat and the satisfaction of holding/displaying those antlers at home.

I try to take the best pictures I can given the circumstances, these are memories for me. The meat doesn't last long and the euro mounts don't always make the animal justice, it's always nice to go back and look at those field pictures you took. Some of my personal "trophies" have less than desirable pictures, either because I recovered them in the dark, bad weather or I had to hurry up to get the animal to my truck before dark.
 
It would piss me off if he had just been some guy who did that hunting on his own. Him benefiting from this financially makes it 10k worse for me for some. He wont care either I'm sure the money maid off that episode will far cover any legal costs he incurs.
 
shootbrownelk said:
I wonder why his hunting privileges were only taken away in a few states he violated game laws in? Why not Nationwide? Judges/Prosecutors dropped the ball IMO. This guy doesn't need to be given more chances to violate in other states.
Click to expand...
With the big money behind him I'm sure he was able to pay his way out of losing privileges.
 
Big Fin said:
This is very common in the TV world; almost the expected production guideline in the whitetail world to make sure you get the best morning light for footage and images. It pisses me off. I've stated so, many times.

When you see this happen on an episode, mostly on whitetail TV, it is almost purely for the benefit of better light. You will hear all kinds of reasons for doing it, but at the core, it is because they want better lighting. Occasionally you will see it happen due to a marginal shot, but that is seldom the reason for leaving an animal overnight.

I remember one time I did it, because an elk I knew was poorly hit got up out of his bed when we got close. We did recover him late the next morning, thanks to some miracle. He had only recently expired and the meat was all good.

Knowing how quickly an animal spoils when wearing a winter coat, and seeing how many of these animals are left overnight for purposes of better lighting, I wonder how much spoiled meat results. Maybe deer cool off quicker for them than they do in my experience. When it is a large body mass like an elk, I know they are not cooling off and there is spoiled meat.

The network is not going to do anything about this, even if a conviction results; Ritz and the network have a cozy relationship. It is one thing to have an unknown oversight and fess up to your mistake; it can happen to anyone. The network has a lot of folks in their stable who have events like this where citations are issued and contested, sometimes resulting in convictions and fines. Yet, there is no financial or other repercussion to the violator, unless so blatant that the network has no choice but to take action; Brackett, Busbice.

The network has a long history of supporting the shows that do this. The networks also have a littered history of looking the other way when repeat and habitual offenders happen to be the shows the networks make investments in. The networks used to be the "King Makers" by deciding who gets the best airtimes, driving sponsors to those shows, reducing the costs of airtime, promoting the hell out of them. Yet, when some of those folks do things like this, the network is tone deaf, yet will send out emails and messages of how important it is that hunting have a good image. Fortunately, the online opportunities are loosening the grip the networks historically had on deciding what content gets seen by viewers.

If the situation turns out to be as claimed in the citation and Ritz is found guilty, don't bet that the network will do anything. He produces a lot of shows that bring money to the network.
Click to expand...

some disappointing stuff to read regarding the network stuff but not surprised. What are your thoughts on how this might effect his sponsor relationships, especially where he runs a marketing company?

considering his past issues and assuming the officer report is correct and accurate I hope the court system pounds him
 
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