If you are a TV hunter you are always going to under the microscope, so must always cross your T’s and dot your I’s. Some of the violations were simple mistakes with no intent to break the law, but others were blatant acts of poaching.
Ted Nugent, Spirit of the Wild
Rock star, Ted Nugent has had a couple of wild life violations. First in 2009 he was cited by Alaska after making a non-lethal hit on a black bear in that area that considered any hit bear a “Filled Tag.” He then killed another bear later in the hunt making that bear illegal. He says he was unaware of the law. He was fined $10,000 and agreed not to hunt in Alaska or Forest Service land for 1 Year.
In 2010 he pleaded no contest to deer hunting violations. He shot a spike buck over bait both of which are illegal in California. In a statement he said he was following the instructions for his guides and wished he had checked the law book for himself. He was fined $1,750.
Warren “Spook” Spann, Spook Nation
In 2007 Spook killed a 230 inch whitetail for which he did not have a tag for. It took until 2013 for the investigation to charge and convict him. He was fined $20,000, banned from hunting in Kansas for a year, and anywhere in the U.S. for six months. Spann also had to forfeit the trophy buck’s antlers. During that probation he was caught hunting turkey in his home state of Tennessee. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail and a one year worldwide hunting ban.
Bryan “Pigman” Quaca, Pigman
Shot a turkey in Oklahoma while only possessing 5-day Non-Resident Hunting License instead of an annual Non-Resident Hunting License, which is required to harvest a turkey. He was unaware of his violation until after the show aired and he received a call from the game warden. He was fined $972.25.
Ricky J. Mills and Jimmy G. Duncan, Hunting in the Sticks
In 2016 both men harvested Wyoming bull elk in a limited draw hunting unit that they did not have tags for. Ricky Mills was sentenced to pay $7,460 in fines, $6,000 in restitution and lost his hunting privileges for 15 years. Jimmy Duncan was sentenced to pay $7,500 in fines, $6,000 in restitution for the bull elk he killed, $4,000 in restitution for the antelope in 2013 and lost his hunting privileges for 15 years.
Matthew Alwine, Trophy State of Mind
Matthew was convicted in Montana for trespassing and illegally hunting deer and elk. He pleaded guilty to five counts of failing to obtain landowner permission while hunting game animals. The Violations occurred between 2010 and 2014. He was fined $12,215 and received a 4 year hunting ban.
Lee Lakosky, The Crush with Lee and Tiffany
Lee used the wrong tag to check in a deer he killed in Iowa. He had a valid tag for the deer but accidentally used a different tag to check it in. He was fined $100