Dick McCormick Response:
In fairness toMr. McCormickand CIO here is a response by Dick to this issue that was posted on one of the apparently multiple message boards it was posted to:

There are 2 sides [/align][hr]

First, I want to respond to Mr. Flati's accusations, and then you can all make your own decisions. I have been in business for 4 years now, and I run one of the largest outfitting operations in central IL of about 20,000 acres. I wouldn't have been able to do that without regular, or as Mr. Flati says, "small" clients. We rebook about 60%-70% , so we must do something right. Mr. Flati's comments to me were that "I am incompetent and a liar." I would not be in business if that were true. I am offended that a guy I tried to work with, and help out so he could hunt in IL has created this type of situation.
Nov. 23, 2005, Mr Flati contacted me by phone and said that he could not afford one of our hunts, but would like an "unguided", or what he calls a "semi-guided" hunt. We don't offer unguided hunts;however, he called me a few more times asking for a semi-guided hunt. I ended up telling him we could put him on one of our properties, we would post the property lines and he could hunt for $1500.00. Then he sent me a letter stating his hunt would include lodging and food, which was not part of the original conversation. I can't do that, out of fairness to all the other hunters who paid full price to hunt with us. Essentially, Mr. Flati wants a guided hunt, but doesn't want to pay what we charge. Secondly, he never sent a check or a deposit. We require a deposit before we book any hunters. He sent me his letter, if he really sent a deposit, why didn't he include it with that letter. We send confirmations as soon as we recieve a check. He has never asked for his money back, did he really send it? We never recived it if he sent it, but obviously received his letter. Lastly, he never set a specific date of when he was going to come. It was narrowed down to either the first or second week of Nov, and that was still apart of the conversations. I asked him to send a deposit and the dates he could hunt, and we would work it out.
As I told Mr. Flati, the offer still stands, and that he can come out for an unguided hunt, but he will have to find his own food and lodging.
One point that I want to address and set the record straight was that Mr. Flati WAS the one who said he would love to sit in camp and trade stories with the celebrities. I never brought up the professional hunters we have had the privlidge to deal with, he did. We enjoy and want to help all whitetail hunters obtain a trophy, and try to show them a good time.
Mr. Flati has nothing to lose, however, I have my reputation and business. I have worked hard to build this business, and I am truly disappointed in the immature way Mr. Flati has handled this situation. The last thing Mr. Flati said to me was that "he was going to get me."
This is my only reponse to these accusations where all the facts haven't been presented very accurately. I am a working man just like all of you, and I have two young children. It is an extremely unfair representation of what I have tired to build over the last 4 years.
Dick McCormick[/align]