Another TV guy gets caught and pays; but not enough

[dwm4375]

Just messaged this to the Outdoor Channel:

I'm writing to let you know that I cancelled my cable in 2015, and that the poor quality of outdoor programming is the main reason. The Bill Busbice poaching conviction brought this topic to mind and I decided to write instead of letting myself be just another anonymous cord-cutter. I watched your channel religiously when it first came out and was the only option for hunting TV other than Saturday mornings on ESPN. Over time I grew tired of watching the same formulaic shows where a hunting "celebrity" would show up on a private ranch, which are many times high-fenced but never acknowledged. The hunter would shoot a monster buck, measure the rack, and make an ass of him/herself for 30 minutes, never displaying the least bit of hunting ability or physical exertion. The viewer is subjected to numerous product placement commercials within the body of the show, further distancing us from an authentic hunting experience. Often the hunters were "unsure of their shot", and would back out of the woods and allow the animal to spoil overnight so they can get the discovery footage in proper filming light. Very few of your shows ever hunt public land or pursue animals that actually face hunting pressure. I now get my fix of outdoor content from YouTube, forums, and podcasts, notably Steven Rinella and Randy Newberg. I would consider subscribing to cable again someday if the quality of outdoor programming changed and you had new blood of hunters who hunt public land, locate their own animals, hunt using fair chase ethics, stalk close enough to take ethical shots, and process their own meat. I have no interest in the same old thing you've been broadcasting for the past 20 or so years.

 

[teej89]

Just messaged this to the Outdoor Channel:

I'm writing to let you know that I cancelled my cable in 2015, and that the poor quality of outdoor programming is the main reason. The Bill Busbice poaching conviction brought this topic to mind and I decided to write instead of letting myself be just another anonymous cord-cutter. I watched your channel religiously when it first came out and was the only option for hunting TV other than Saturday mornings on ESPN. Over time I grew tired of watching the same formulaic shows where a hunting "celebrity" would show up on a private ranch, which are many times high-fenced but never acknowledged. The hunter would shoot a monster buck, measure the rack, and make an ass of him/herself for 30 minutes, never displaying the least bit of hunting ability or physical exertion. The viewer is subjected to numerous product placement commercials within the body of the show, further distancing us from an authentic hunting experience. Often the hunters were "unsure of their shot", and would back out of the woods and allow the animal to spoil overnight so they can get the discovery footage in proper filming light. Very few of your shows ever hunt public land or pursue animals that actually face hunting pressure. I now get my fix of outdoor content from YouTube, forums, and podcasts, notably Steven Rinella and Randy Newberg. I would consider subscribing to cable again someday if the quality of outdoor programming changed and you had new blood of hunters who hunt public land, locate their own animals, hunt using fair chase ethics, stalk close enough to take ethical shots, and process their own meat. I have no interest in the same old thing you've been broadcasting for the past 20 or so years.

that's awesome! Where'd you send that to? Do they display an email contact or an address for a letter?

 

[JDH]

I sent a email to Mathews yesterday morning and have yet to receive a response.

 

[dwm4375]

that's awesome! Where'd you send that to? Do they display an email contact or an address for a letter?

Messaged it to their Facebook page. They deserve to hear the message from all of us at as many points of contact as we can find.

 

[Rainer]

Ever notice most of the "Realtree Staffers" have been in some shady areas and or make hunting look bad.

 

[shootbrownelk]

I sent a email to Mathews yesterday morning and have yet to receive a response.

I didn't get a response from any of them.

 

[dwm4375]

Statement by Bill Busbice
Last October, I inadvertently shot a female calf elk while attempting to shoot a bull elk. To make matters worse, I left the scene and failed to report the incident to the warden. The failure to immediately notify the warden was horrible judgement on my part, and for that, I was fined, placed on probation, and lost my privilege to hunt. To be clear, the shot was an accident, and while the failure to report my mistake was inexcusable, I have never and would never intentionally poach. This incident is not reflective of who I am as an outdoorsman. I have spent over 40 years speaking out against poaching and will continue to do everything I can to rebuild trust with the outdoor community.
I am deeply sorry for what I did and I am aware that I breached the trust of my fellow hunters in the process. I have accepted the consequences of my mistake and hope everyone will forgive my lapse in judgement.

Respectfully,
Bill Busbice


He left out the part where earlier in 2016 he tried to buy a resident elk license as a nonresident, and purchased more than his limit of deer tags, and was convicted of that and fined $1400. He also left out the part about hiding the calf elk in a ditch and leaving it to rot, and the part about saying on camera "we need to get rid of the calf", and the part about gutting his bull in a stream to wash away the evidence. He's a liar and a thief, and he's only sorry he got caught. You can bet it's not the first time he's pulled something like this.

 

[COEngineer]

Statement by Bill Busbice
Last October, I inadvertently shot a female calf elk while attempting to shoot a bull elk. To make matters worse, I left the scene and failed to report the incident to the warden. The failure to immediately notify the warden was horrible judgement on my part, and for that, I was fined, placed on probation, and lost my privilege to hunt. To be clear, the shot was an accident, and while the failure to report my mistake was inexcusable, I have never and would never intentionally poach. This incident is not reflective of who I am as an outdoorsman. I have spent over 40 years speaking out against poaching and will continue to do everything I can to rebuild trust with the outdoor community.
I am deeply sorry for what I did and I am aware that I breached the trust of my fellow hunters in the process. I have accepted the consequences of my mistake and hope everyone will forgive my lapse in judgement.

Respectfully,
Bill Busbice


He left out the part where earlier in 2016 he tried to buy a resident elk license as a nonresident, and purchased more than his limit of deer tags, and was convicted of that and fined $1400. He also left out the part about hiding the calf elk in a ditch and leaving it to rot, and the part about saying on camera "we need to get rid of the calf", and the part about gutting his bull in a stream to wash away the evidence. He's a liar and a thief, and he's only sorry he got caught. You can bet it's not the first time he's pulled something like this.

Accidentally shooting a calf is one thing. Not reporting it is another. But letting it go to waste, and not doing any of the hard work himself... I have no patience for any of it. Has anyone seen any of his sponsors drop him?

Time to write more letters.

 

[JohnCushman]

An Important Message from:
David E. Dudick, Chief Executive Officer
Over the course of the past 48 hours, Plano Synergy became aware of a situation which required swift and decisive action.
Today, Bill Busbice and Plano Synergy mutually agreed to end their association. Bill Busbice and his partners sold their outdoor brands to Plano Synergy in 2013. Since then, Bill has been providing services under contract to Plano Synergy, principally as a host of the Wildgame Nation television program, until today when that relationship was severed. Plano Synergy will also be cancelling the Wildgame Nation TV show.
Plano Synergy has a culture that is grounded in integrity and great respect for the outdoors. This comes with the expectation that we will always do the right thing. Our decisions will always reflect our commitments to our customers and consumers. We have a deep respect for the law, tradition and the ethical practices of our sports. We take pride in serving our industry and promote the fair and lawful practices of game hunting. Every day we strive to be a company that is trustworthy, respectful and fair with our consumers, employees, customers and business partners.
We thank you for your trust.
Sincerely,
David E. Dudick
Chief Executive Officer

 

[Tradewind]

So I open the latest copy of Petersen's Hunting while at the eye DR today. There in the middle of the mag is a 2 page spread in bold letters:

AMERICA STRONG
Ten years strong
and still America's
favorite reality
hunting show

Wildgame Nation
Sunday 8:30 pm on the
Outdoor Channel

Yup:hump:

 

[jryoung]

Disgust and anger time is over, time for memes.

 

[dannyb278]

time to get rid of those poor quality game cameras anyway. What boggles my mind is the people on his sons FB page where the apology is posted, saying "aw well, we all make mistakes, and God has forgiven you"

Apparently all you need for quick forgiveness is a bit of fame, some money and a couple good ranch hands.

 

[beginnerhunter]

time to get rid of those poor quality game cameras anyway. What boggles my mind is the people on his sons FB page where the apology is posted, saying "aw well, we all make mistakes, and God has forgiven you"

Apparently all you need for quick forgiveness is a bit of fame, some money and a couple good ranch hands.

I'm all for forgiveness. But his apology was full of sugercoated details trying to make it look less severe than what it was. He didn't poach an elk calf, he wasted an elk calf and poached a trophy bull. It wasnt poor judgement, it was a series of illegal and unethical decisions without a hint of remorse. He is clearly more frustrated about being caught than sorry for what he did.

 

[JohnCushman]

He's like Ted Nugent and Spook Span...people worship them and they can do no wrong in some people's eyes. Hell, Ted and Spook have both been busted breaking the law a couple of times and they're still going strong and still have shows.

 

[dwm4375]

He's like Ted Nugent and Spook Span...people worship them and they can do no wrong in some people's eyes. Hell, Ted and Spook have both been busted breaking the law a couple of times and they're still going strong and still have shows.

As a veteran I don't understand the Nugent-love, and I never vote for him on the NRA board. Don't know why he hasn't been run off the air yet either.

 

[warmer]

A quick Wikipedia search tells me that all but Masschusetts and Hawaii belong to the IWVC. Massachusetts has legislation pending. Why is Hawaii not a member? Any one know?

 

[warmer]

Was channel surfing tonight and "Wild Game Nation" was on the Outdoor Channel. So much for cancelling the show.

 

[N2TRKYS]

Was channel surfing tonight and "Wild Game Nation" was on the Outdoor Channel. So much for cancelling the show.

Was it actually airing or just on the guide?

 

[3855WIN]

From what I've heard, Big Bill's FIL made a fortune in natural gas. They bought up a bunch of timber company land in Louisiana and put up a high fence, trapping some small landowners inside. Local political pull allowed this to happen. Big Bill likes to run deer hounds in the pen to hunt them. High fence types are bad for hunting.
Bill is a killer, not a sportsmen.

 

[belly-deep]

Only the biggest of fooktards could aim at a bull and kill a calf