12/21/2019
Following a year of waiting, William Saiff III, a well-known North Country outdoors guide and outdoors TV personality, has been indicted again on charges connected with illegally baiting and shooting protected waterfowl.
Saiff, of Henderson, was charged Thursday in U.S. District Court in Syracuse with three counts of sale of wildlife, a federal offense, reported nny360.com.
Saiff, owner of Seaway Waterfowl professionals LLC, a business that supplied guide services to migratory bird hunters, allegedly took hunters “to ponds he knew had been baited for illegally taking migratory birds, in violation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.” He did it allegedly between October and November 2018. According to the indictment,”he charged hunters more than $350 per hunt,” nny360.com reported.
Saiff runs Bill Saiff Outdoors, which provides fishing and hunting trips. His fishing charters company has been among Lake Ontario’s largest private charter operation for several decades, according to his Facebook page. He hosted the popular hunting and shooting sports program, “Cabin Country” on public television stations across the country. He also owns the Westview Lodge in Henderson Harbor, which features a hotel, restaurant and full-service bar.
Saiff pleaded guilty in 2017 in U.S. District Court in Syracuse to two misdemeanor counts of guiding waterfowl hunters over baited ponds for profit. He had faced a maximum prison sentence of up to one year and fines of up to $100,000 per count.
Following his guilty pleas, he was sentenced by United States Magistrate Judge Therese Wiley Dancks to 17 months probation. In addition, he was hit with a $5,000 fine and required to make a $10,000 donation to a non-profit wildlife organization of his choice. He had all his state hunting or guiding privileges (other than fishing) taken away until Jan, 1, 2019. Finally, he was instructed to pay of the publishing of half page ads apologizing for his actions in the Water Town Times and New York Outdoors News.
In late 2018, he was back in court on allegations that he violated his probation. During a Dec. 19, 2018 court appearance, Saiff’s probation was continued and modified slightly by Judge Dancks to include “home confinement,” which his attorney said involved a daily curfew between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. and that he had to wear an electronic monitoring device.
The alleged probation violation case continued without resolution or change in the probation terms throughout this year. Thursday’s indictments are the most recent developments in the case.
The new allegations against Saiff came about as a result of investigations by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and state Department of Environmental Conservation officers.