Plano Synergy ends relationship with Busbice, cancels Wildgame Nation TV show

Company severs ties in aftermath of Wyoming poaching sentence

The chief executive officer of Plano Synergy sent out a strongly-worded press release Thursday announcing his company’s decision to part ways with Billy Busbice Jr. — the host of Wildgame Nation on the Outdoor Channel — in the wake of his recent Wyoming poaching sentence.

The company, which offers an extensive line of hunting and fishing equipment from the likes of Frabill, Barnett Crossbows, HALO Optics and more, didn’t mince words in the letter sent out by CEO David E. Dudick.

“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,” Dudick wrote. “Plano Synergy will also be canceling the Wildgame Nation TV show.”

Busbice, who once served on the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Commission, including time as chairman, was sentenced last month to one and a half years of unsupervised probation and ordered to pay $23,000 in fines for allowing an antlerless elk to go to waste and for hunting without a proper license on his Wyoming ranch last fall. He also lost his hunting and fishing privileges in 45 states until 2019.

In separate incidents in 2016, Busbice also was cited in Wyoming for purchasing a resident general elk license as a nonresident and for purchasing more than the authorized number of deer licenses.

“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,” Dudick wrote in the release. “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.”

Media reports of the October 2016 poaching incident, which occurred while Busbice was filming the hunt for his show, indicate he accidentally shot a calf elk while attempting to harvest a large bull.