Young male Columbian black-tailed deer, Walter Siegmund

Gun nut and 70s rock start Ted Nugent just pled no contest to two hunting violation in California. Game wardens originally filed 11 violations, including baiting a deer and hunting a buck that was too young, against him after seeing an episode of his “Spirit of the Wild” TV show. Once again we see that hunters may talk a lot about “fair chase,” but never seem to let it get in their way of a good time.

Nugent seems to have gotten off pretty lightly. The Sacremento Bee says he plead no contest “Friday in Yuba County Superior Court to two misdemeanors: baiting a deer and failing to have a deer hunting tag signed by a reviewing official after a kill. He was fined $1,750.” I didn’t know law enforcement offered the “neither admit nor deny any wrongdoing” deal to anybody but Wall Street crooks. Now, in his defense, I’d have to say that he truly didn’t understand the rules if he aired what he was doing on TV. But, if you hold yourself out as a defender of righteous hunting, then you better know and follow the rules.

Nugent posted a lame half-apology:

To my Fellow Outdoorsmen…. You may have read the news that I pled no contest to two misdemeanor game violations. I should have been better informed, more aware and I take full responsibility. The honorable hunting lifestyle is my deepest passion.

Ted Nugent

California bans hunting over bait–as most

Keep reading Ted Nugent: What Happened to Fair Chase Hunting?