Hunting TV celebrity busted

[----]

Not if he keeps hunting all over the world....

Exactly, I don't think they'll care in Africa and Argentina what he did in Idaho.

 

[Corax]

Lets see- maps, ammo, compass, license - aww, the licence must be on top of the dresser at home. No problem. Lets go.

 

[Zach]

Hank was one hell of a bird dog.

I met Dez Young and Hank several years ago through a buddy at QU. I got a very different perspective on his show after talking to the producer, Bob I think his name was, for a few hours. Not in a bad way, just different. Still one of the best hunting shows ever.

 

[Zach]

Would I be deemed as a poacher if I shot an animal, albeit the 2nd one after the 1st was taken legally, without a tag?

.02

 

[----]

Would I be deemed as a poacher if I shot an animal, albeit the 2nd one after the 1st was taken legally, without a tag?

.02

Yes?

Why does tagging one before hand make a difference? Illegal take is illegal take.

 

[wyoming556]

Hey, at least he kills stuff on his show....

Hehehehe. I wonder how long the shot was, thats whats really important right?

 

[KRasmussen]

Is that the bear whisperer guy?

No....It is one of the other so-called long range shows. I think I saw part of the episode the other night where he took a white tail at 1100 yds.

I watched one episode a year or so ago where he and his wife took an animal, don't recall species, and while they were showing it off he laid his rifle down across the belly of the animal and it was pointed right at her head. In fact, they both looked at the rifle but never moved it. I don't care for the TV hunters who have to show off their weapons by lying them across the animal. I did email Bob and pointed out the error and his response was that I was correct and that he would "try to do better" in the future. Its the first rule of gun safety. If he cant get that right it doesnt surprise me that he "forgot" the tag.

 

[Joe Hulburt]

I am going to have to get to the bottom of this I guess. His latest side of the story sure doesn't sound anything like the original story that hit print. He says
"I did however receive a violation, for in legal terms, not possessing the second part of my documents." which I read to mean he shot a second deer without a tag! That is poaching isn't it?


Will the Sportsman Channel really not pull his show? I can't imagine.....

 

[mixedbag]

Kind of funny when you tag a deer,and realize thats the only tag but keep hunting.How do you not know you only have one tag???Don't know how you could get away with that one

 

[mtlion]

Hehehehe. I wonder how long the shot was, thats whats really important right?

From his website:

Bob Beck – A Land Developer, by trade, in the Greater Northwest. Born and raised in Oregon, his hunting career originated over 20 years ago. His Western Big Game hunts have included High Country Mule Deer, Rocky Mountain Elk, Coastal Black Tail and Black Bear, Antelope and Northern Whitetail, in addition to several species in Africa and South America.

One of his greatest hunting experiences was hunting on horseback in Wyoming’s backcountry with the end result being a 725 yard kill on a trophy High Country Mule Deer.

Among his long range hunting accomplishments are a confirmed 1,125 yard kill on an antelope, a 1,076 yd kill on a Rocky Mountain Elk, 885 yard kill on a Coastal Black Bear and a couple Texas Whitetail’s at the 1,100 yard mark.

 

[wyoming556]

From his website:

I don't see th Idaho whitetail in question on the list of accomplishments. Must not have been that long of a shot.

 

[2rocky]

This was on another web forum. Truth is folks love to pile on when a high profile person steps out of line. I don't know the guy except seeing a few of his shows. Not up to OYOA standards, but few are.

I'm curious what Randy and Co. do with such a busy schedule, and careers outside of hunting to prevent overlooking details on licenses, tags and seasons?

Bob Beck
I would like to make a statement in regards to a recent article that was written in an Idaho publication that made several inaccurate claims regarding me as a poacher.

I was on a hunt in Idaho in 2010. I had a license, and a tag, during a legal season. I however had a admin problem in the office during our busy schedule and did not have all of the proper documents for the deer that were taken. I absolutely was convinced that I had everything in order before I left on the hunt, but did not double check. Until it was to late, I was unaware that any rules had been broken. Once I realized the problem, I did not compound the problem with any further attempts to try and make my situation worse. Once I was confronted I openly admitted to the mistake. The state of Idaho and myself came to a very good agreement, this agreement was good for both. I agreed to the fine and restitution for the animal. They agreed to not hold any charges or further actions against me. This was a simple agreement. There would be no compact punishment, or Lacey act issues, as I have hunted Idaho for 13 years and have never had a single thing out of
order. This was recognized by both parties, and as I mentioned was totally agreeable to the parties involved.

Now as the media does best, they have blown this out of proportion against me for the benefit of filling some print space. I am between a rock and a hard place, and have decided to take the high road with our viewers and fans, and explain this in depth directly to them, as I am a regular guy and have taken responsibility for my mistake.

My sponsors are behind me 110%. I could not be luckier to be associated with such a great group of companies, but more importantly a great bunch of people. They have been completely understanding as mistakes do happen. I am a professional and sometimes professionals do make mistakes at their jobs. It just so happened when I did, the media was right there to try to destroy me.

We will be filming as usual with no changes to our schedule to insure we continue to meet the needs of our fans and viewers. We hope this will not diminish any of our integrity.

Thanks for everyone's support and understanding on this matter.


Bob Beck
Extreme Outer Limits TV
__________________
Bob Beck
Extreme Outer Limits TV

 

[Oak]

Once I was confronted I openly admitted to the mistake.

It doesn't sound like Bob was completely forthright. I think that Randy had an issue with not getting the cow tag that he wanted in CO last year, but he didn't wait to find out until he shot a cow?

 

[Big Fin]

Below is the story printed in the St. Maries, Idaho, newspaper, a different paper than what Oak provided a link to.

TV host cited for illegal deer kill

This is the first deer Bob Beck shot in the hunt for his television show. He killed a second deer, (which is legal in Idaho) without buying a second tag - which is not legal. -Submitted By Mary Orr

Published: Tuesday, March 20, 2012 4:18 PM PDT

Note to hunters: If you plan to poach, don’t do it on national television.

Bob Beck, Oregon resident and host of the television show, “Extreme Outer Limits,” pleaded guilty to several game infractions last month.

Choice of locations for filming the show, which airs on the Sportsman Channel, could be impacted. As part of the penalty for poaching, Mr. Beck’s hunting license is effectively suspended in 37 states. All his hunts for the next year will have to take place outside of those states or on private property, where a license is not required. On this week’s episode Mr. Beck heads back to the Diamond K in Brady, Texas to take some long-range whitetails.

His own television broadcast from 2010 was used as evidence against him.

Mr. Beck filmed the incriminating episode while hunting whitetail deer on Mutch Creek near St. Maries in the fall of 2010. In the video, he killed two deer and explained Idaho’s hunting regulations allow hunters to take two deer with the purchase of an additional tag.

However well Mr. Beck understood the requirements, he did not follow them.

A year after the program aired, Idaho Fish and Game received a tip. An investigation revealed that Mr. Beck had in fact killed two deer, but purchased only one tag.

He was charged and pleaded guilty in February.

Deer tags cost $301 for non-residents in 2010.

Mr. Beck was required to pay $2,600, which included a $400 fine, restitution of $2,000 to Fish and Game and costs of $145. He also lost hunting privileges in Idaho and 37 other states for one year.

Benewah County Prosecutor Doug Payne said the case puzzled him. He is unsure why Mr. Beck didn’t buy two tags to begin with.

“What is somewhat mystifying about the case is that he could have done it legally, but he didn’t,” he said. “He says in the video he has hunted here for years, and in the video he schools the audience on how you can hunt in Idaho with two tags. So it is clear that he understood the rules.”

Mr. Beck never offered an explanation for his actions.

IFG Regional Investigator Dave Overman said this is not the first time Fish and Game has prosecuted a hunting show personality for violating regulations.

In 2004, they caught Keith “Doc” Ainsley, who killed a sow black bear accompanied by her cubs. In 2005, Glenn Berry, owner of Big Bull Productions, a company that specializes in producing videos of big game hunts all around the globe, filmed himself killing a bull elk in Idaho with a Montana tag.

“This, like many types of violations, probably happen more often than I could imagine,” Mr. Overman said. “I only caught up with this case because an alert sportsman took the time to report what he thought might be a potential violation.”

He also said it is his belief that the pressure or need to attain sufficient film footage for their television programs may be the factor that leads these hosts to commit game violations.

Idaho requires that every person hunting big game have a valid tag for that particular game in their possession at the time they are hunting.

Mr. Beck shot his first deer while in possession of a valid tag, but he failed to validate and attach that tag to the deer he killed; making possession of the first deer illegal. He then took his invalid (un-validated) deer tag into the field to kill his second deer; nothing about the second kill was legal except that season was open, according to Mr. Overman.

He said Doug Payne did a good job prosecuting the case.

“Mr. Beck was sentenced with no less, nor more, than the standard fine and court costs which any other person would have received with similar violations,” he said. “Mr. Payne was persistent in seeking, and ultimately receiving, a trophy civil restitution of $2,000 sentence for the illegal deer.”

Obivously, there are different versions of the events between ID G&F, the prosecutor, and Mr. Beck.

I guess if there is something wrong with what is reported, eventually that will come out. Either via a retraction, or via a lawsuit. For the time being, we have what is reported and quoted by the news papers.

I do agree with Mr. Beck. Mistakes can be made. And, owning up to them is the way to go about it.

I know someday I may possibly make a mistake. If/when I do, I expect that my profile as a TV host is going to give me a lot more attention and exposure than if it was a non-TV person. That comes with the territory.

I disagree with his comment that this is media doing what they do best and trying to make his life difficult. Media is supposed to report issues relevant to their readers. In this case, along with the other TV hunter cases mentioned, there exists a continuing pattern of TV guys getting crossways with hunting regulations.

That is important for outdoor columnists to report. If there is an error in what was reported, they should be called out. So far, I see nothing in Mr. Beck's rebuttal that states what was reported by these newspapers was incorrect. Maybe that is coming.

If it was incorrect, that would be too bad. But, given the degree of attention that would come with reporting this, I suspect the reporters did a good job of verifying the facts. I guess we can watch for a retraction in coming days, if in fact such every occurs.

The point to me is this. As TV people we get more attention, whether right or wrong, good or bad. The exposure we have to the hunting audience makes our actions much more scrutinized, and it should be. TV is the most popular media platform for any subject matter. Those of us on TV are providing the image of hunting to new hunters and non-hunters. I don't find it unreasonable for the hunting audience to hold us TV guys to a higher standard than the non-TV guy.

We can't have it both ways by asking everyone to watch what we produce, then saying that we are being picked on by the media when we make a mistake. It comes with the territory. Anyone who is in TV needs accept that fact.

I hope we never make a mistake that puts us in a situation Mr. Beck finds himself in today. It is surely possible, but I can tell you that we triple cross every 'T" and double dot every "i" to try prevent such from happening. Still could happen to us. If it does, I will expect some very harsh criticism.

I do know this. Anything that could have this level of legal ramifications is my responsibility. Not my wife's, not the production company's, but my eventual responsibility. I may ask others to help with the administrative tasks involved, but before we head afield, we have the checklist of tags, licenses, filming permits, etc. I go through the checklist. If something was not on the list and I ignored it or went forward regardless of a missing detail, that is on me, not some admin person.

Maybe I am old school, but for Mr. Beck to come out and blame someone else, when he was pulling the trigger on two deer when he knew he only had one tag, does not fly with me. Just the way I see it.

I wish nothing bad for Mr. Beck. Met him once in the Denver airport and he seemed like a nice guy.

I hope no more TV guys get sideways with legal issues. We have enough problems convincing the world that hunting TV has value. When you look at the case of TV guys who were mentioned in these articles, Nugent having problems in CA, Noel Feather and his problems, the dude caught shooting and wasting all the geese, the guy who poached the mule deer and now likes to hunt on landowner voucher in premier CO units, the guy .........

As my one friend says, somewhat tongue in cheek, knowing I am involved in the TV gig - "God did not need to invent PETA, the TV hunting shows are accomplishing the same objective."

 

[Oak]

Well that new article paints Mr. Beck as a liar, based on the statement he released. I would like to know who is telling the truth.

 

[Zach]

Why does tagging one before hand make a difference? Illegal take is illegal take.

Exactly my point.

 

[TheTone]

He has now also pulled the Idaho whitetail hunt pictures off the show's facebook page as well. I'm thinking if he wanted to own up to his mistake this would have been handled back in November of 2010 when he killed two deer with only one tag (and didn't tag the first one killed), not in March of 2012. The justice system can be slow at times, but not that slow.

 

[Bob Beck]

My side of the story

Gentlemen,

Not quite the way I would have liked to join the forum, but here we go.

When this hunt happened I was in the pre production of EOL TV, as well as running two other companies, on top of normal day responsibilities. Now no excuse, just a fact of how this got overlooked. I have hunted Idaho for 13 years, almost all of them with two tags. Now some of you may know there is a certain date in which you have to wait until the second can be purchased. I have always gotten that done. That year it simply was just missed by me. No one to blame, just me. When we went on the hunt I had my tag envelope full and ready to go. When I shot the first deer I pulled a tag and tagged it. Not sure how it was ever said I didn't tag the first one. I did... The envelope was still full of my license, and what ended up being the reporting documents that look similar to the tag. So the hunt continued. When I shot the second deer and went for the tag I knew I had a problem. Without any further mistakes I decided to research when returning to the office if I had misplaced it. Immediately when I was confronted I openly admitted and offered to take responsibility for my mistake. At this point Oregon talked to me for Idaho. I never talked to Idaho, this may have been where some of the confusion started. Anyhow they were easy to work with as my record was perfect. They agreed to no felony, no Lacey act, and no compact issues. Just the citation. So off we went, back to work. And now here we are.

I am sorry for this mistake, and very humbled by this experience. I will surely learn from this and move on. Guys I am human, and the same can be said for anyone who has ever made a mistake at his or her job. We are all human, mistakes can happen.

Thanks for hearing my side, and sorry for the let down.

Bob Beck
Extreme Outer Limits TV

 

[Wyodeerhunter]

I can't understand why you waited to be confronted instead of turning yourself in? This all should of been handled as soon as you were back within cell phone coverage.

Mistake it may be, but its how you handle them that matters.

 

[spook12]

So you shot the second deer, went for the tag didn't have one ''knew you had a problem''. Then left the state? Waited to be ''confronted''? LAME !