TOPEKA — You won’t see this episode on his TV shows. Professional hunter and satellite TV notable William “Spook” Spann has pleaded guilty to a Lacey Act violation in Kansas. Spann admitted that in mid-November 2007 he illegally shot a white-tailed deer in Stafford County, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said. On a scouting trip to central Kansas, Spann and a cameraman spotted a deer at a distance of several hundred yards and with camera rolling, Spann stalked to within 10 yards of the deer, drew his bow and killed the deer with an arrow. Spann killed the deer on land owned by another person, in violation of Spann’s hunting permit, which entitled him to hunt only on land that he owned, Grissom said. Federal investigators searched Spann’s home in Tennessee where they seized the antlers of the Kansas deer. Sentencing is Feb. 28. Prosecutors and his attorneys have agreed to a deal that will put Spann on three years of probation, a six-month suspension of his hunting privileges in the U.S., and another six months in which he’s banned from hunting in Kansas. He will pay $20,000 in fines and restitution. In addition, he will be ordered not to promote his unlawful hunting acts on his shows or hunting Web site, Grissom said.
Nov. 29, 10 a.m.
