I attended the Texas Trophy Hunters' Extravaganza in Fort Worth, Texas, today and saw something that really curdled my milk!

A guy named Charles Beatty was a taxidermist in Fort Worth and awhile back was caught poaching whitetail deer on a large, very well known ranch in deep south Texas. Several law enforcement agencies had been trying to catch him for some time and when they finally did, it was a pretty big deal.

As I'm walking through the show today I see a display booth with a large sign that has blown up copies of all the newspaper coverage about Beatty's arrest. I thought it was part of the Texas Parks and Wildlife booth called the "Hall of Shame" where they show some of the fruits of criminal investigations that they have successfully closed.

As I looked closer, I saw a "used car salesman looking" guy (sorry, it's the best way I can describe him) standing inside the booth with a nametag identifying him as Charles Beatty. To myself I thought that the TP&W had him there to be part of their display (i.e. tell how bad poaching is, etc.).

Then I looked at the rest of the display and noticed that this scumbag had written a book about his life as a poacher in Texas over several years. He described in his book how he had evaded capture and had made megabucks dealing in illegal game.

Here he is promoting his new book and PEOPLE ARE BUYING IT!!!!! Give me a break!!!

Am I the only one thoroughly disgusted with this piece of dog c**p actually making money off of his past illegal activity? I know it's a free country and he has freedom of speech and all that constitutional stuff, but there is just something about this whole thing that stinks to me!!!

Comments?

Thanks for listening>

JDS

Holy Cow JD! What a jerk.

Did you complain to Jerry Jones or any of the staff? Not that he gives a crap...

I am going to go down there tomorrow, what booth was this guy in? About where was he located?

I would find selling porn more acceptable than what this guy is doing. What kind of message does this send to our youth?

That is just unacceptable.

Poachers + birdshot = One sore ass and no more poaching on our land.

If you are caught twice, ekspekt buck shot.

Johan

Sounds to me like someone following the Dream by:
1. Exercising his First Amendment rights.
2. Participating in the free enterprise market system.
Out of curiousity,in Texas, does the landowner own the wildlife? Or is wildlife considered to be in the public domain? I ask because it varies in perception and in fact around the world. Regards, Bill.

I am sure that people more informed about Texas law will be able to comment on this, but I understand that Texans own the right to hunt on their private land, but not the wildlife itself, unless the land is fenced so that the wildlife cannot leave. This is an important distinction, because the Texas government still sets the seasons and means of harvest for wildlife.

In cases such as this, it is important to know the facts. I suspect that the man involved did commit immoral acts. However, IT IS IMPORTANT to separate morality from legality. There are innumerable laws on the books. Many of them require people to act immoraly. JUST BECAUSE SOMETHING IS ILLEGAL DOES NOT MEAN THAT IT IS IMMORAL OR WRONG.

Please excuse the shouting, but I still find it incredible that so many people don't understand this simple concept.

Sound like Texas has the same laws as Norway on this one!

The land owner owns the right to hunt, but the wildlife doesn't belong to anyone.

The goverment sets the seasons and metods, the landowner is free to reduse the season, but not lenghten it.

Johan

Distasteful but not surprising. Think of all the elephant poachers that have books written about them as if they were national heroes or something, i.e. Shadrek and Bvekenya.

JohnTheGreek

Desert Rat is right, the state owns the wildlife and sets the season.

There are numerous "exceptions" to this when you get into fenced properties. I do not know enough about these to comment.

For fenced and some unfenced properties, your Deer season can be lengthened by almost two months by subscribing to a recommended harvest program which limits the number of Bucks you can shoot, but lengthens the season.

Now, back to the argument.

I support capatilism, I love it! I support free speech as well. What this man did was illegal (his poaching ring). He was convicted for his crimes. (or at least the crimes they could pin on him).

There is nothing wrong with writing a book about your crimes. There is nothing illegal about marketing and selling this book. His presence at the show is not illegal or "technically" unethical, because he is only selling a book.

Here is where I have a problem with it.

He takes his book to a convention who claims to be pro-conservation, and anti-poaching. Then they let this guy come in and flaunt his crimes against wildlife? Bragging and profiting from acts that we, as law abiding hunters, find simply horrid and unacceptable.

I do not like the signal this sends to children... that it is ok and admarible to be a competent poacher.

A lot of children attend these conventions. We protect children from pornography, why can't we protect them from this as well.

I guess my problem lies with the Texas Trophy Hunter's Organization. They are a whore for money if they knew what this guy was selling and let him in anyway. They are two-faced, lying whores.

His product has no place in this convention.

Wendell,

As I write this you are probably already at the show. He was in the back left corner as you walk in the main hall.

I guess I don't understand the questions about who owned the wildlife / right to hunt, etc. The state owns the wildlife even though it crosses private property. But that is not the point . . . as Wendell so aptly put it, what message is this sending to the youth - and there were a ton of kids at the show!

I fully understand the freedom of speech vs. legality vs morality, etc. - heck, I've been a cop for over 23 years! This particular situation just struck a nerve with me!

We recently had a serial rapist that worked over the south west part of the DFW Metroplex for about 3 years. He was recently caught trying to commit yet another brutal rape.

My question would be . . . if your wife, mother, or daughter were one of his victims, how would you feel if after he got out of prison he wrote a book with explicit detail of each of his rapes. Yes, that's a little different - but it's also very much the same!

I don't have the answer . . . just the irritation.

Thanks for listening!

JDS

Some criminals can write about their exploits but are not legally allowed to profit by them. This is called the "Son of Sam" law.

JohnTheGreek

Texas Trophy Hunters Assn. should be very embarrassed to let this man into the hall.

JTG may be right about this. The proceeds may be going to support wildlife somehow. As much as it pains me to agree with Wendell , either way the message is all wrong. The people responsible from the Texas Trophy Hunter's Organization for allowing him to have a booth there should be strung up by the nads. At one time I thought of joining that organization. This just made my decision for me not to.

FYI, this is their e-mail address. extravaganza@ttha.com

Enjoy!