More TV poachers

[Big Fin]

Looks like another week of TV hosts doing all they can to set the standards for criminal activity. Wish they both would have gotten it handed to them even worse. If the regular hunting public had a trail of criminal activities like that seeming to be prevalent in the hunting TV world, there would be no game left in the hills. Idgits!


http://m.nbcmontana.com/news/-Troph...enced-for-Montana-hunting-violations/35331956

http://www.denverpost.com/opinioncolumnists/ci_28811935/hunting-show-host-charged-poaching-alaska

 

[deputy338]

How disappointing. My kids are not old enough to join me in the field but they do enjoy watching hunting on TV. When are people going to wake up and realize that the actual harvesting of game isnt the biggest factor of the hunt. I would rather watch a guy/gal bust their hump and not fill a tag then find out later they tresspassed or poached an animal for the sake of a job....

 

[genesis273]

The "Trophy State of Mind" guys only received a $11,000 fine for one guy and less than $200 for the other two guys!? That, for a few years of illegally killing elk and whitetail and not having landowner permission?
One good elk hunt or two would cost more than that. The time spent by the wildlife guys cost more than that. Very light penalties if you ask me! The risk is almost worth it to a poacher.

Well, you do have the 48 months of not being able to hunt....legally!

 

[dcopas78]

I would gander to say if one of the "common folk" had the list of violations the "trophy" dude did, it would be an automatic lifetime ban of hunting. That's why you are one of the only guys I watch on T.V., Randy.

 

[Southwind]

I like he way Alaska seems to be going after them. In Kansas the fines start out o.k. but are ALWAYS reduced way way down.

Our judiciary just don't take poaching crimes seriously.

 

[have gun will travel]

I believe the penalties should be steeper, if one is poaching for profit.

 

[sbhooper]

People that watch his program should step up and cost him a lot more than those fines. He could be shut out of TV hunting if people made enough fuss.-

 

[1_pointer]

I agree, I don't the punishment doled meets the gravity of the situation. That said, I think they only way we'll see fewer of this is if the channels that air the shows, or to a lesser extent some of the larger sponsers, start taking action against those convicted of crimes. Until then, the $11K probably isn't all that big of a hindrance for a successful show or hunting 'celebrity'.

Be interesting to see what states "Trophy State of Mind" hunts for the next 48 months as there are quite a few states now in the compact. Then again, it wouldn't be hard for the "host" to be along on another's hunt in a state that is a part of the compact.

 

[maxx]

If the guy truly made his money from the TV show the lack of sponsorship and the loss of hunting privileges will hurt more than the fines. That being said you would pay more for one buck taken illegally here in Iowa than that.

This really doesn't surprise me. There are turds in every walk of life. The good news is typically the percentage of turds is small in comparison to most people.

Look at the NFL right now. I would argue 90% of the guys are good dudes but the 10% of dumb arses are ruining it for the rest of the league.

The more competitive and the more money that is out there for hunting type stuff the more of this you are going to see. Sad fact of life.

 

[Flatrock]

When are people going to wake up and realize that the actual harvesting of game isnt the biggest factor of the hunt. I would rather watch a guy/gal bust their hump and not fill a tag then find out later they tresspassed or poached an animal for the sake of a job....

I'd say for the majority of the population, never. Thus, I don't think much will change unfortunately.

 

[Flatrock]

Anybody know who some of his sponsors are? I'd like to contact them and express my disgust about this.

 

[Gellar]

The more competitive and the more money that is out there for hunting type stuff the more of this you are going to see. Sad fact of life.

With the quality (or lack there of) of outdoor shows I have a sneaking suspicion that situations like this one are much more prevalent than we know of.

 

[DRAFTSTUD]

They need to spend time with Bubba at the local detention center. Fact. John

 

[genesis273]

One good thing about the one show we all enjoy watching (Fresh Tracks) and the host (Randy) is that we know he would never contemplate doing anything close to something like this. Not only because he is very ethical, but poor Randy would not make it in prison!

 

[Big Fin]

When are people going to wake up and realize that the actual harvesting of game isnt the biggest factor of the hunt. I would rather watch a guy/gal bust their hump and not fill a tag then find out later they tresspassed or poached an animal for the sake of a job....

I agree, but that is not the model that drives sponsorship and network promotion. I know of a lot of other people that "cut corners." In the second link, it talks about Csonka getting a $5,000 fine for not having a film permit. If that was enforced, most of the shows doing the occasional public land hunts would be hammered.

If a warden sat and watched most of the shows, he would probably be taking copious notes. Sometimes producers try to cover it up, but as someone who produces outdoor TV, you can easily spot the cover up efforts.

Example: A Montana bighorn hunt aired earlier this season. It was a hunter from NC, seemed like a great guy who was super thankful for the tag in Unit 680. Montana law requires a guide to wear hunter orange while in the field. Non-guides are not required to do so. This guy has two guides who in most of the show are not wearing hunter orange. Yet, when they go back and shoot some b-roll and re-enactments, the guides are now wearing hunter orange. It is that kind of stuff that makes me laugh and shake my head at the same time.

Another example: While filming last fall a huge group of elk were coming off private on to public. We are set up and waiting for them to come another 200 yards and be on public. All of a sudden some shots ring out and the elk do a one-eighty back into private. Whoever shot was either trespassing on private or taking 1,000 shots at moving elk in a 25 mph cross wind at elk that were still on private. They then commence to chasing the elk and cross some private to get to them. Three of us watched the entire thing. The next day, the guy rolls into our camp to say, Hello. Little did he know we watched all this and he starts telling the story of how they had a shot at some elk on the hill above us the prior day. I tell him I watched the entire thing and he either was trespassing or likes shooting at moving elk from 1,000 yards and if he had lucked out and hit one, how would he have retrieved it from private. He started with a line of bullshit and I told him he can say what he wanted, but he is wasting his breath on me. I have hunted this spot for years and I know exactly every boundary. Knowing he has no filming permit, I ask him if he is filming and he says, "not really". His brother and father ran into me the day before and went out of their way to tell me they were not filming. Sure enough, I see the hunt is now part of his library that is being published, along with his hunt from the same BLM land the year earlier, for which no film permit was acquired. It is this kind of shit that continues every day.

I could go on and on about stuff like that. Accidents happen, where people make a mistake out of ignorance and that can happen to anyone. Not a good excuse, but the intent is not criminal. Most of the time, the stuff I notice is rather blatant.

A friend of mine is known for saying, "Society did not need to invent the idea of anti-hunters, because along came outdoor TV." Unfortunately, ass clowns like the two guys in these links prove just that.

 

[Southwind]

Once again Randy I do appreciate your efforts in doing it right.

This does lead me to a question for Randy. Are there "ethical" or "morale" clauses for cancellation of sponsorship in those contracts?

I went to the Alaska offenders web page and he does have a "partners" or sponsor page there.

Were I one of them I would be demanding my name be taken off their page immediately.

 

[jakesdad]

Its a sad fact but a very big percentage of TV hunters are more concerned with their "cool,bad-ass,team me image" than they are with any sort of game laws or ethics.

I would really like to know what percentage of the mega whitetail hunters are hunting under the disguise of the high fence? Very few if any game laws apply,shoot mega monster deer with relative ease and rise to the top of popularity of the big hunter wanna bes.I'm sure its a bigger percentage than one would think. Hey if you get "busted" hunting high fence you can just claim the "we never said we werent doing it" defense and its not illegal.

As far as out west I think many,many people think that there's a better chance of getting struck by lightning than getting caught breaking a law. The mindset of who's going to see us on xx million acres? This aint Uncle Bobs back 40 outside of town we're huntin on ya know.

This is why I stick to watching Randy and Steve Rinella. As much as people dont want to admit it,this is what 99% of their hunting is probably like. Sometimes you come home empty handed(Randy) and sometimes you shoot an animal because you're there to hunt for the freezer and have a good time in GODs great outdoors(Steve).

Like everything else once money and ego's get involved shit goes to hell in a very big hurry.Kudos to the likes of Randy Newberg and Steve Rinella for keeping it real. Shame on those who can't seem to grasp what it's really about.

 

[MT_elk]

Yeah, it is sad to see this kinda of stuff happening. You will never go wrong by doing right. Keep up the good work Randy! We appreciate your hard work and good hunting ethics. Blessings!

 

[Dan O]

Randy I appreciate your sticking to your guns and doing it the right way. Sure you don't always fill your tag but hey who does if they are hunting and not poaching. This BS will continue until the penalty is greater than the risk of getting caught. It's time not only to hit them with huge fines, seizures when possible and JAIL TIME!!!!! That will get their attention and put people on notice we the people are tired of the BS. Lifetime ban's should be considered or at least 5 to 10 years and not be associated with hunting either guiding, filming or assisting in the field.
Dan

 

[nmelktrout]

Stating the obvious here. We will continue to see this type of awful activity continue across the board until such time that harsh penalties including incarceration are dished out. Nothing but a slap on the wrist, however Alwine's "hunting career" is finished. Having one sponsor in common with this guy I can tell you that he has already been removed from any and all industry websites. Erased and forever branded as a poacher.

In my mind the sad thing driving a lot of this behavior is the need for guys to feel like they need to “produce” on every hunt so as to stay relevant with both their sponsors and their social media and/or show following. I’ve seen this mentality creep into the minds of several hunters I know over the past few years and it’s not a pretty thing. It overwhelms them and they stop hunting for the right reasons and begin to hunt for the purpose of getting kill shots on film, trophy photos and as much print and digital media attention as possible. In short, they lose touch with enjoying the act of hunting - focusing on killing as many animals as possible and doing anything in their power to obtain a kill. In this case and with many others, that means breaking the law to achieve what they are otherwise unable to do. It seems that so many hunters are driven less by getting out and truly enjoying a hunt than they are to go out and kill their next magazine bull for Huntin’ Fool, Eastmans or Facebook. Often times the people who film their hunts or show up with regularity in magazines are no better at hunting than you or me. They are celebrities not because of a high level of hunting prowess, but only because they promote themselves. In fact, were you to stick half of these camera personalities in a general over-the-counter unit on a general tag you would see what they are really made of. Don’t get me wrong, there are some great guys and gals in the industry who are what I call next level hunters, but they are far and few between.

Thank goodness there are industry guys out there who still know how to enjoy every minute of a hunt and aren’t afraid to pull the trigger on a raghorn bull or go home empty-handed. They hunt with enthusiasm and appreciation for the lands they hunt as well as the animals they pursue.

-Cody