Sportsman Channel suspends hunting show amid federal poaching allegations

The Sportsman Channel has suspended a hunting show and launched its own investigation after the show's host was charged with felonies related to poaching in a national preserve in Alaska.

The cable channel said Tuesday it has suspended "The Syndicate" effective immediately. Network CEO Jim Liberatore says if the allegations are true, it's "clearly unacceptable, unethical and against everything" the network stands for.

Prosecutors say grizzly bears, moose, caribou and Dall sheep were illegally killed in the Noatak (NOH'-ah-tak) National Preserve, and the illegal kills ended up on the show.

Federal prosecutors in Alaska charged the host, Clark W. Dixon, of Hazlehurst, Mississippi, with two felonies Monday. Nine other people and two production companies face related misdemeanors or tickets.

The show is independently produced and buys air time from the network.