TV host charged with hunting violations........

Moose

Administrator
Staff member
Contributor
I'm not surprised it's not his first time. The Kentucky violation years ago was tied to people he hired to manage a property for him. I dont believe they were able to tie him directly to it and I believe he denied knowledge of it. But let's say there was a lot of smoke around it. So he should know that going forward where ever he sets up the authorities will be watching him closely. And for those who don't know who this guy is he is the former owner of Thompson Center.
 
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whitty

Six Pointer
Seems like he got in trouble in Kentucky too, I can’t remember for what though. What a tool bag!
 

Buxndiverdux

Old Mossy Horns
I’ve heard of and seen headless deer left, but never heard of someone leaving the antlers too.

My personal speculation with no verifiable intel... The buck was a dink by Ritz standards, but was needed for hunt footage. After recovery and video completing the hunt, he was done. Basic exploitation of wildlife for personal gain. The penalties should be double imo.
 

sky hawk

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I thought the same thing. He’s making money off the public resource through illegal take, then leaving it to rot. Sounds like his own people turned him in.
 

Scrub

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
Certainly this will make Outdoor Channel rethink his show.


Doesn't work that way. Those guys buy that slot of time on the Outdoor Channel and then sell the commercial time to sponsors they've picked up to recoup cost. His sponsors would be the one that would force him to drop the show. Bigger ones like Realtree, MossyOak etc keep all there commercial time to advertise their products. Letters to who's buying his commercial time is where it would hurt him and im sure they don't want to be associated with it if its causing them pain.
 

FITZH2O

Old Mossy Horns
Doesn't work that way. Those guys buy that slot of time on the Outdoor Channel and then sell the commercial time to sponsors they've picked up to recoup cost. His sponsors would be the one that would force him to drop the show. Bigger ones like Realtree, MossyOak etc keep all there commercial time to advertise their products. Letters to who's buying his commercial time is where it would hurt him and im sure they don't want to be associated with it if its causing them pain.
Not to side track... But... is that how all tv shows/channels work? I never knew that.
 

Scrub

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
Not to side track... But... is that how all tv shows/channels work? I never knew that.

No clue about other channels. We ate breakfast in MO coming back from Iowa and some of the guys from Mossy Oak sat down behind us. Real nice guys and we were talking about shows and I said some of those it makes you wonder how they got a TV show. That's when they explained how it worked. You buy that 30 minute slot to air your show and commercials. Air times were a big thing, those the channels could dictate which one got the peak slots. Shows like Lee and Tiffany that had a big viewership would garner the peak times. That's been 10 years ago but i would think its probably the same now.
 

FITZH2O

Old Mossy Horns
No clue about other channels. We ate breakfast in MO coming back from Iowa and some of the guys from Mossy Oak sat down behind us. Real nice guys and we were talking about shows and I said some of those it makes you wonder how they got a TV show. That's when they explained how it worked. You buy that 30 minute slot to air your show and commercials. Air times were a big thing, those the channels could dictate which one got the peak slots. Shows like Lee and Tiffany that had a big viewership would garner the peak times. That's been 10 years ago but i would think its probably the same now.
10 4
 
Dang. I hate to hear this. I watched an episode of his show with his three daughters on it and the Mayor of the town where his farm is. Seemed like he was doing a good job teaching his daughters and exposing them to the sport. Was real friendly with the town Mayor. Im not gonna bust his balls for hunting over bait but to let a deer lay and not use the meat is disgraceful. Should lose his license.
 

billyf

Six Pointer
I would believe that if I were a part of his crew and was along on the hunt helping out I would clean the animal myself and find a use for it if he didn't want it. This may be an indictment of his entire group. I am assuming there are more people than just himself in setting up these shows.
 

Buxndiverdux

Old Mossy Horns
I would believe that if I were a part of his crew and was along on the hunt helping out I would clean the animal myself and find a use for it if he didn't want it. This may be an indictment of his entire group. I am assuming there are more people than just himself in setting up these shows.

The baiting part of it seems pretty iron clad. The wanton waste of the animal could simply be an employees dereliction of duty. Ultimately the responsibility of the animal is Ritz’s since he pulled the trigger.

I could easily see that happening in this case, but I have no clue.
 

DC-DXT

Twelve Pointer
The baiting part of it seems pretty iron clad. The wanton waste of the animal could simply be an employees dereliction of duty. Ultimately the responsibility of the animal is Ritz’s since he pulled the trigger.

I could easily see that happening in this case, but I have no clue.
His tag, his deer, his responsibility. I’ve hunted MO before and can guarantee there would be tons of locals that would take that deer and eat it. He probably could’ve pulled into the local gas station and said free deer and problem solved. We had a local try to buy the bucks we had in the back of the truck.
 

Buxndiverdux

Old Mossy Horns
His tag, his deer, his responsibility. I’ve hunted MO before and can guarantee there would be tons of locals that would take that deer and eat it. He probably could’ve pulled into the local gas station and said free deer and problem solved. We had a local try to buy the bucks we had in the back of the truck.

I agree 100%. Not trying to justify anything he did. He just seems like the type of guy that doesn't clean his own deer/animals. He travels to hunt all over the globe and his schedule is packed with hunts every fall. He has employees that manage his "farms" while he is gone. Many of the things we love about hunting(scouting, food plots, hanging stands, gutting deer, meat preparation) are done by others for people like Greg Ritz. He is normally on a plane somewhere else before the blood dries for the next hunt and footage for his show. It's a business, for profit. Completely different type of reasons for hunting animals. Once they are dead, the recovery footage is shot, hero pics are taken for sponsors, he is on to the next one.
 

sky hawk

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I agree 100%. Not trying to justify anything he did. He just seems like the type of guy that doesn't clean his own deer/animals. He travels to hunt all over the globe and his schedule is packed with hunts every fall. He has employees that manage his "farms" while he is gone. Many of the things we love about hunting(scouting, food plots, hanging stands, gutting deer, meat preparation) are done by others for people like Greg Ritz. He is normally on a plane somewhere else before the blood dries for the next hunt and footage for his show. It's a business, for profit. Completely different type of reasons for hunting animals. Once they are dead, the recovery footage is shot, hero pics are taken for sponsors, he is on to the next one.

That is exactly the impression I’ve always had of him- the kind of guy who has people to get their hands dirty because he doesn’t want to. The guy who is set up on every animal he kills and couldn’t kill much of anything if you just turned him out in the woods. A corporate sponsor type who was only concerned with selling footage.

This type of person eventually messes up because they have no inherent respect for the game they hunt. Even though they are smart enough to know better, their pride leads them to complacency. What they seem to ignore is there are a lot of little guys involved in their operation, and it only takes him slighting one of them to blow the lid on it.

He was onsite when the choice was made (both times) to leave the deer in the field.
 

Buxndiverdux

Old Mossy Horns
That is exactly the impression I’ve always had of him- the kind of guy who has people to get their hands dirty because he doesn’t want to. The guy who is set up on every animal he kills and couldn’t kill much of anything if you just turned him out in the woods. A corporate sponsor type who was only concerned with selling footage.

This type of person eventually messes up because they have no inherent respect for the game they hunt. Even though they are smart enough to know better, their pride leads them to complacency. What they seem to ignore is there are a lot of little guys involved in their operation, and it only takes him slighting one of them to blow the lid on it.

He was onsite when the choice was made (both times) to leave the deer in the field.

I remember reading he left it in woods over night, but don't remember reading about the second time. It's been a few months.
 

30/06

Twelve Pointer
Never cared for him and all the BS that comes out of his mouth. Not surprising.

saw a show a while back that really chapped me, was Whitetail properties show. Shot 2 bucks on the same farm, of course pushing land ownership. Deer were killed as they said months apart but last “scene” was both of them with their bucks. So they threw one in a walk in freezer or cooler for months just for a photo opp? No effort to utilize the meat. Like leaving a deer overnight when it’s warm out doesn’t make sense to me.
 

sky hawk

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I remember reading he left it in woods over night, but don't remember reading about the second time. It's been a few months.
What I read said he left it overnight after recovering it. That risks coyotes eating it. Then he came back the next day for additional photos/video, and left it there again. Normally I would think the guys on hand would go ahead and load it in the truck and take it back, but they chose to leave it again.
 

ellwoodjake

Twelve Pointer
I have a problem with all guys like this. I hunt for food.....period. If I'm not gonna eat it, I don't shoot it. Not that I'm not generous, as I tend to slide a few older church members a backstrap from time to time, and my adult children also know where my freezer is. I just don't like hearing talk from a lot of dudes who are more financially secure than I am, bragging about a bow elk kill in Colorado, and antelope in Kansas, grand slam turkey season, etc. etc. and the whole time I'm thinking, "where are you keeping all this meat"? If I ask for a piece of muley/alligator/etc, it allways seems like someone else on the hunting party kept it. I guess I'll never be in the big leagues, but it don't bother me one bit. I am just as happy shooting a doe or a mess of bunnies. I don't need a trophy on the wall to relive the hunt; that stew cooking in May is the only reminder I need. If I have to start driving down to the local gas station and asking "who wants a deer"?, maybe I should have let that one walk to someone else.
 
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