# Federal jury sides with widow of TV outdoors host Fred Trost over his son



## John Ingersoll

1988, said his son promised to cover $109,000 in back taxes and loans owed by his father in exchange for tapes and memorabilia from the shows. The shows were in her name after Fred Trost lost a $4 million judgment over his claims that a deer attractant contained cow urine rather than deer urine. Sherry Trost and a long-time worker took ownership of the television company so that Fred Trost could get back on TV. His shows aired on PBS.
He had promised to pay his wife back with money from an expected inheritance, but he died before receiving the money. She contended that his son, who received the inheritance, was aware of the agreement.
The son said he got rid of most of the tapes, and said that any 
GRAND RAPIDS  A federal jury on Wednesday awarded the widow of TV outdoorsman Fred Trost nearly $195,000 in her lawsuit against his son.
Sherry Trost sued Trosts son, Zachary Trost, in a dispute over debts and tapes from Fred Trosts years as host of Michigan Outdoors and Practical Sportsman.


Fred Trost, who lived in the Lansing area, died unexpectedly in 2007.
Sherry Trost, who married Fred Trost in agreement was between Sherry and Fred Trost.

Attorney Troy Hendrickson said Sherry Trost didnt want to file a lawsuit but felt she had no choice. He said the son obtained all of the property related to both shows after agreeing to cover the $109,000 debt.
Sherry Trost was an unbelievably supportive wife to her husband, Fred Trost. She was also a loving mother to her stepson, Zachary Trost. 


Unfortunately, Zachary Trost took advantage of her kindness and trust. ... As a result, she was left with no option but to file this lawsuit. Sherry Trost certainly never wished for it to come to this and never wished for the family dispute to become public.


After trial this week in U.S. District Court in Grand Rapids, the jury determined that Sherry and Zachary Trost entered into a contract, and set damages at $194,725.30, not including attorney fees or court costs.
Fred Trost, who left no will, died at 61. He joined Michigan Outdoors in 1982, and later started Practical Sportsman.


_E-mail John Agar: [email protected] and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/grpressagar_


http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2012/02/federal_jury_sides_with_widow.html


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## WAUB-MUKWA

Sure do miss him. As much as we complained about some of his shows you have to admit it was fun watching. 

Can't stand his theme music band though. The singer sounds like a yodeling irishman.


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## old graybeard

.............and just what is wrong with yodeling Irishman


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## cmark

I wonder if Zack is collectible.


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## Steve

Wow, the story that will never end.


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## thelastlemming

I can remember watching the show as a young kid in the early days after he had took over. Trost sitting around the log table with Dixie Dave, talking food, and later Trost sitting at a card table I think? In a mostly empty room asking for donations after being sued by Buck Stop. 
More often than not I liked his show, especially in the earlier years when he probably. Had a bigger budget, and spoke less about the law. To bad he past at a still young age.


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## QDMAMAN

I still remember with a grin the "traditional" deer camp episode he did with the borrowed RV from Annie Rae in DeWitt. While navigating tite quarters in the woods he proceeded to rip the turd pipes out of the bottom of the unit.:lol::lol::lol: "Oh Well" he says, that's all part of the experience. Easy for him to say, he had "0" invested.:lol::lol:
The other one was the entire 30 minute show dedicated to getting his truck unstuck from the snow behind his HQ. Now THAT was outdoor entertainment!:lol::lol:
R.I.P. Fred, you sure left a mess for your family to deal with.
Think I'll give my Life Insurance agent a buzz.

Big T


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## KalamazooKid

QDMAMAN said:


> I still remember with a grin the "traditional" deer camp episode he did with the borrowed RV from Annie Rae in DeWitt. While navigating tite quarters in the woods he proceeded to rip the turd pipes out of the bottom of the unit.:lol::lol::lol: "Oh Well" he says, that's all part of the experience. Easy for him to say, he had "0" invested.:lol::lol:
> The other one was the entire 30 minute show dedicated to getting his truck unstuck from the snow behind his HQ. Now THAT was outdoor entertainment!:lol::lol:
> R.I.P. Fred, you sure left a mess for your family to deal with.
> Think I'll give my Life Insurance agent a buzz.
> 
> Big T


Doubt anyone ever said you had to watch.


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## Sr.Blood

How about the time a crock pot full of chili tipped over in his SUV, on the carpeting....or how he always seemed to shoot the smallest bucks, spikes mostly. He wore his heart on his sleeve and it was fun to watch. He seemed to roll with the punch. He had a better down to earth show than the many, many big production shows now a days. They all seem to be a big act, in how excited they get!!!
Feel bad for the family.
RIP Fred


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## Lumberman

I was always fan. The guy outdoorsmen goofy sometimes but I liked him all the same. 

Does anyone know where the beef between him and buck stop started?


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## QDMAMAN

> John Ingersoll said:
> 
> 
> 
> Fred Trost lost a $4 million judgment over his claims that a deer attractant contained *cow urine* rather than deer urine.
Click to expand...




> Lumberman said:
> 
> 
> 
> Does anyone know where *the beef* between him and buck stop started?
Click to expand...

:lol::lol:


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## QDMAMAN

KalamazooKid said:


> Doubt anyone ever said you had to watch.


Right! What was I thinking?


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## augustus0603

Steve said:


> Wow, the story that will never end.


In before the lock!

Cougars, wolves in southern lower, and Mitch Rompola.


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## augustus0603

Lumberman said:


> Does anyone know where the beef between him and buck stop started?


Could it have been the slander?


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## JimP

Joe lunch bucket like most of the rest of us.
Just getting outdoors was a great place to be.
He demonstrated on air a couple tips I sent in over the years. 
PVC and plank ice rod holder, Pop bottle base cutouts for deer decoy eyes and replied but didn't air a holster cutout design for scoped handguns...suggested I send it to manufacturers.


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## Still Wait'n

I really got a kick out of the episode where Fred was introduced to fishing with Helgrimites (sp). The guy had Fred reach into the container, and one of them latched onto Fred's finger and drew blood. The guy that had him do it about pissed himself from laughing.


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## WAUB-MUKWA

Still Wait'n said:


> I really got a kick out of the episode where Fred was introduced to fishing with Helgrimites (sp). The guy had Fred reach into the container, and one of them latched onto Fred's finger and drew blood. The guy that had him do it about pissed himself from laughing.


I still laugh when I see that clip on AFV every once in awhile. In slow motion him and his cussing dancing in pain.


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## onenationhere

I was in touch with Zach trost a while back after watching a video of his dad that he had posted on Youtube. He said something was in the works, a best of compilation DVD of The Practical Sportsman or something similar.
That was probably 3 or 4 years ago though,doesn't seem likely to happen.Kind of bummed that something like that is probably not going to be released,I liked Fred a lot and would buy a best of DVD in a heartbeat.


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## onenationhere

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaYMX3Q-GTg"]Fred Trost - YouTube[/ame]


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## onenationhere

Wow,I guess its been a while since I searched ole Fred on Youtube.I just did and it looks like Zach or someone else has made a channel with plenty of clips and interviews.
The name of the channel is TrostOutdoors on Youtube.


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## Scott K

Still Wait'n said:


> I really got a kick out of the episode where Fred was introduced to fishing with Helgrimites (sp). The guy had Fred reach into the container, and one of them latched onto Fred's finger and drew blood. The guy that had him do it about pissed himself from laughing.


Yeah, that was a good one.

My favorite was him going after the snapping turtles by hand in that muddy creek.


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## WALLEYEvision

Lumberman said:


> ...Does anyone know where the beef between him and buck stop started?


Here you go. (You'll probably have to adjust the zoom on your monitor to view it better)


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## WALLEYEvision




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## WALLEYEvision




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## ih772

Still Wait'n said:


> I really got a kick out of the episode where Fred was introduced to fishing with Helgrimites (sp). The guy had Fred reach into the container, and one of them latched onto Fred's finger and drew blood. The guy that had him do it about pissed himself from laughing.


I think that was the funniest episode ever. :lol:


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## lang49

Sorry...Couldn't resist!

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaYMX3Q-GTg"]Fred Trost - YouTube[/ame]


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## Alan

Talking of lost sporting shows, does anyone know what happen to the Great Lakes Outdoors show?


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## Overdew

I always liked Fred wish we could have went somewhere with him.

I don't understand why his son did the wrong things, seemed like a nice guy.


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## Overdew

Overdew said:


> I always liked Fred wish we could have went somewhere with him.
> 
> I don't understand why his son did the wrong things, seemed like a nice guy.


 
So I read the Mlive story in full. Zach should have gave all those videos (that were to hard to store) to us at M-S.com we we would have a blast editing them. :lol:


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## Jimbos

And how in the heck did Fred manage to lose that lawsuit?

What did Buck Stop have for a deer heard? Like 15-20 does? And then claimed the stuff in the bottles was 100% deer urine taken from does in their prime 2 or 3 days of mating which in effect lasted a day or so before losing it's strength.

All of which was proven to be misleading advertising.


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## Parkerman

That's why he learned to become a lawyer. And by the way why has no one mentioned Bob G. throwing Fred under the bus during this time and taking control of the Michigan Outdoors name..Or is that not talked about.....


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## fanrwing

augustus0603 said:


> Could it have been the slander?


 
If I remember it correctly, he had several shows where he ranted about scent companies. Where he screwed up was by saying they were committing Fraud. They sued claiming lost revenue and took him to court and he had to prove that they were committing fraud. The company didn't have to prove anything since Fred had accused them he had to prove his claim.

During the shows he talked about how his attorney was representing him for free. He got what most people do when they have free legal advice.


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## limige

I stand with Fred on the scent debate. No efing way are all those bottles deer piss.. what a shame he lost that suit


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## Petronius

Alan said:


> Talking of lost sporting shows, does anyone know what happen to the Great Lakes Outdoors show?


It seems Rob Trott is a member of the Lapeer County Tea Party Patriots. http://lapeerteaparty.ning.com/profile/RobTrott

Take a look at post #6. According to Bruno "I talked to him and his wife at Meijer here in Lapeer not to long ago and he said it was time to retire. They did a final show and that was it. They both looked healthy and happy."

http://www.michiganbear.com/forum/showthread.php?t=401463


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## Petronius

QDMAMAN said:


> I still remember with a grin the "traditional" deer camp episode he did with the borrowed RV from Annie Rae in DeWitt. While navigating tite quarters in the woods he proceeded to rip the turd pipes out of the bottom of the unit.:lol::lol::lol: "Oh Well" he says, that's all part of the experience. Easy for him to say, he had "0" invested.:lol::lol:
> The other one was the entire 30 minute show dedicated to getting his truck unstuck from the snow behind his HQ. Now THAT was outdoor entertainment!:lol::lol:
> R.I.P. Fred, you sure left a mess for your family to deal with.
> Think I'll give my Life Insurance agent a buzz.


The strange part of it all is he got his law degree but didn't have enough sense to write a will. I used to watch his show, but lost interest after Practical Sportsman was on for awhile.


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## SPITFIRE

Its too bad his son tried to screw his wife but as for the show I like what Jimmy and Jenny are doing with it now.


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## Petronius

John Ingersoll said:


> Attorney Troy Hendrickson said Sherry Trost didn&#8217;t want to file a lawsuit but felt she had no choice. He said the son obtained all of the property related to both shows after agreeing to cover the $109,000 debt.
> * &#8220;Sherry Trost was an unbelievably supportive wife to her husband, Fred Trost. She was also a loving mother to her stepson, Zachary Trost. *


A loving mother? She married Fred when Zach was 20 years old. It's not like she raised him as her own.

Here are a couple of links concerning the case.

http://mi.findacase.com/research/wfrmDocViewer.aspx/xq/fac.20110928_0001133.WMI.htm/qx

http://www.leagle.com/xmlresult.asp...8C41.xml&docbase=CSLWAR3-2007-CURR&SizeDisp=7


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## boehr

At one time, a long, long time ago, I enjoyed and looked forward to Fred's show but it looks like his kid ended up just like Fred did to his show. Like father like son, screwed it up.


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## Robert Holmes

To prove Fred right try this when you are hunting. Make a large mock scrape, urinate in it and check it in a couple of days. You will be amazed what happens.


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## WALLEYEvision

Robert Holmes said:


> To prove Fred right try this when you are hunting. Make a large mock scrape, urinate in it and check it in a couple of days. You will be amazed what happens.


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## WALLEYEvision




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## WALLEYEvision




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## WALLEYEvision




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## WALLEYEvision

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0MO8-Taq_E"]Fred Trost - Sight or Smell - Part 2 - YouTube[/ame]


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## WALLEYEvision




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## WALLEYEvision




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## WALLEYEvision




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## MichMatt

No will???


If you don't have a will get one and these headaches will be lessened and you'll still have a say, so to speak.


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## bobberbill

We lost our old chocolate lab, and eventually decided to get another. And along came 'Puppy Saturday'. One of the most enjoyable times in our life. Another chocolate, sleeping on the couch next to me right now. I toured the museum, and talked to Fred and Zach. Really nice personable people. I still call the Thursday night show 'Fred'..fond memories..


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## William H Bonney

I'm pretty sure Zach was a member on here for a while,, wasn't he?


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## ih772

William H Bonney said:


> I'm pretty sure Zach was a member on here for a while,, wasn't he?


http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/forum/showthread.php?t=246409


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## Overdew

ih772 said:


> http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/forum/showthread.php?t=246409


Well he sure didn't last long with a whopping total of 2 posts


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## Petronius

Overdew said:


> Well he sure didn't last long with a whopping total of 2 posts


Yeah, he introduced himself and left. His blog hasn't had any activity for a few years also. 

http://www.outdoor-michigan.com/Blog.htm


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## loweboats

bobberbill said:


> We lost our old chocolate lab, and eventually decided to get another. And along came 'Puppy Saturday'. One of the most enjoyable times in our life. Another chocolate, sleeping on the couch next to me right now. I toured the museum, and talked to Fred and Zach. Really nice personable people. I still call the Thursday night show 'Fred'..fond memories..


 
I also got my GSL from puppy saturday. She is 8 years old now. My dad and I went to Fred's memorial service after he passed. It is sad what happened between Zach and his stepmom but we will never know what really happened. 

hope you are still RIP Fred...miss you buddy.


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## MDH

Growing up with the show, I absolutely loved it. Even when my Dad complained about the show, I still watched religiously. I have a lot of memories watching that show. Still miss you Fred! 

MDH

Outdoor Hub mobile, the outdoor information engine


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## Uncle Boopoo

Something about watching those old episodes posted above gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling inside! Takes me back...


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## JOHNL

Thursday night was a big deal when I was little because of Fred. Here are my views as I paid attention to this ordeal through the years. Fred got screwed with the Buck-stop case 2. Bob Garner stabbed Fred in the back 3. Jimmy's show (which is a fine show since he took it over) is not the "Michigan Outdoors" that Mort Neff started and passed on to Fred.


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## on_point

I love watching these old Mi Outdoors vids. Thanks for posting them. I completely forgot until watching some of these that back in the day we all used to have to wear the backtags to show we had our license. I think I might still have one laying around in a shoebox somewhere come to think of it.


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## Craves

I loved watching the show going back to the days of Mort Neff. 7:30 on Thursday night was the night to watch and see all the great outdoor activities we have in this state.

Fred wore was his heart on his sleeve and his passion for the outdoors was great. I cringed everytime he screwed up and said or did the wrong thing, but I don't think you could ever question his love for Michigan and our great resources.

Don't get me wrong, I think that Jimmy & Jenny are doing a GREAT job, but it is kind of sad that we are down to just one outdoor show that features our state. With Great Lakes Outdoors now off the air, and the loss of Rick Collier's Fishing Michigan ( anyone remember that one?) years ago, there is plenty of room for some more shows.

Now if we could just the Detroit PBS station to put Michigan Outdoors back on at 7:30 on Thursdays...


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## Parkerman

JOHNL said:


> Thursday night was a big deal when I was little because of Fred. Here are my views as I paid attention to this ordeal through the years. Fred got screwed with the Buck-stop case 2. Bob Garner stabbed Fred in the back 3. Jimmy's show (which is a fine show since he took it over) is not the "Michigan Outdoors" that Mort Neff started and passed on to Fred.


 
Totally agree and too see Bob on Michigan Outdoors or their pledge drive makes me gag...:rant: Well last time he was on the pledge drive it made me not pledge, good job Bob...:lol:


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