The Game’s Over: Hunting Show Host Caught Poaching, Pays the Price

Popular YouTube and CarbonTV personality Matt Jennings, who hosts The Game - a popular hunting show - has found himself in the middle of a legal firestorm after illegally blasting Kansas whitetails as part of his show.

In addition to the internet dragging this guy through the dirt like a gutted deer, after spending a day in court on Tuesday, the outlaw influencer from Bowdon, Georgia, has also been shackled with a lifetime Kansas hunting ban and $25,000 in fines and restitution. The 35-year-old’s saga is the ultimate lesson in how to shoot yourself in the foot while foolishly aiming for internet glory.

The Jennings debacle kicked off back in November 2022, after the seemingly untouchable influencer dropped a nice whitetail buck near Florence, Kansas. The problem with the kill, which was showcased in an episode in season 4 of The Game, was that the deer was killed in a hunting unit where his tag was invalid.  According to the US Attorney’s Office, his permit ended up being valid way out in Wakeeney and Hill City, which just happens to be nowhere near Florence. Naturally, Jennings did what any wildlife wrongdoer would do in this situation and hauled the deer across state lines to Oklahoma and fudged an electronic tag to make it look legit. 

Just eight days later, on November 19, Matty was at it again, this time in Wakeeney, where his tag was valid. Feeling good about getting away with his previous crime, Jennings, who was already one deer deep in a state that restricts hunters to one antlered deer per season, decided to drop another nice buck. Airing both of the kills on his show, Jennings appears to be patting himself on the back while simultaneously giving a big middle finger to the rule books as he calls the deer “one of the biggest whitetails I’ve ever shot in my life”.

And while Jennings was living out his glory days through on-air grip and grins, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service quietly put together a cabal of investigating agencies to have a closer look at Jennings’ exploits. The investigation pulled in a whole posse of investigators including Oklahoma, Missouri, Georgia, and Alabama wildlife agencies, and, weirdly, even the U.S. Secret Service (because why not?). Together authorities used phone data and Jennings' social media posts to confirm the locations and details of the illegal hunts they needed to help build their case.

Following charges, Jennings stood in a Wichita federal courtroom earlier this week where he pleaded guilty to two counts of violating the Lacey Act, a federal law prohibiting the illegal taking and interstate transport of wildlife.

During sentencing, the judge rightfully took the opportunity to throw the book at him which included five years of probation, a lifetime hunting and fishing ban in Kansas, $15,000 in restitution to KDWP, a $10,000 fine, and the antlers from his illegal kills being confiscated. 

Additionally, he’s barred from even thinking about hunting, fishing, or guiding in eight other states including Nebraska, Missouri, Oklahoma, Colorado, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Minnesota while he’s on probation. 

And while the federal judge might have been hard on him, that’s nothing to what he’s facing from both the internet and his sponsors. With many fans vowing to disown him and his programming, if you’ve spent any time on social media this week, it’s apparent that Matty is going to be without the majority, if not all, of his sponsors by the end of the month.

In what is shaping up to be yet another cautionary tale of chasing clout, we’re all hopeful this will serve as a lesson for others considering breaking the law for likes, as a reminder that the only trophy you’ll bag is internet infamy.