1,200 charges laid in massive deer smuggling bust 🚨

In the event that the weekend wasn’t quite long enough for you, here’s to hoping that your favorite dispatch from the outdoor world can give you 5-or-so minutes to prep yourself for yet another week.

So, without further adieu, let’s grab that coffee or whiskey (no judgement) and get caught up on the outdoor news and views from the past few days. 

Here's what's worth reading about today:

• Tip of the iceberg - TX game wardens unravel massive deer smuggling ring 🧊

• Rabid deer - Maryland county looking for possible infected hunters 🧟

• Calving szn - WV has strong elk calving season 👶

• Increases coming - Michigan Democrats looking to hit outdoorsmen with 30% increase 💸

• Moby Dick - More whales devouring boats 😳

TIP OF THE ICEBERG
TEXAS GAME WARDENS HIT SUSPECTS WITH 1,200 CHARGES IN DEER SMUGGLING BUST

After a South Texas deer breeder and his business partner were caught attempting to smuggle seven deer from a licensed deer breeding facility earlier this month, the investigation has since been blown wide open.

According to Texas Parks and Wildlife, the men were intending on illegally releasing the deer into the wild on a private property for hunting purposes. The two men eventually pleaded guilty to and were convicted of more than 50 violations related to deer breeding in the state of Texas.

And while that bust was seemingly big enough, Texas officials soon learned that what had been uncovered during that routing traffic stop in Houston, turned out to be just the tip of the iceberg.

In a release last week, Texas officials stated that a follow-up investigation into the operation implicated 22 suspects who were allegedly churning out a sophisticated black-market deer breeding scheme across 11 Texas counties…

QUICK HITS // ^{_{FROM AROUND THE WEB}}

Wyoming Game and Fish seeks public input on 2025 hunting regulations: A formal comment period is now open for a range of hunting-related rules, including those governing antelope, deer, elk, moose, and bighorn sheep seasons.  Read the full story.

Health officials search for people who may have had contact with rabid deer in Maryland: The Prince George's County Health Department (PGHD) seeks assistance in finding individuals in contact with the infected deer reported on Feb. 24, 2025 at around 6 pm. The deer wondered around Livingston Road in Oxon Hill. Read the full story.

West Virginia Elk calving strong for this year, but mortality was also up: This past year’s reproduction for elk in the southern West Virginia coalfields appears to be the best since the animals were reintroduced in 2016. The Division of Natural Resources” Elk Project Leader Randy Kelley and his team have been hard at work since the first of the year to lay hands on as many of the 2024 calves as possible. Read the full story.

Michigan pushes to increase hunting, fishing license fees amid wildlife funding ‘crisis’: Michigan Democrats are considering legislation to increase fees for hunting, fishing and boating by 30% or more, and automatically charge drivers for a state park pass when auto registrations are renewed.  Read the full story.

VIDEO // ^{_{SOME THINGS JUST HAVE TO BE SEEN}}

🐋 I had no idea whales tried to Moby Dick us so much. I figured they jumped on boats and otherwise kind of messed with us just because of their sheer size, but I had no idea they legit tried to consume us.

WTF?

Could go for this type of landing right now…

📸 : @fridayharborseaplanes

Oh, and one more thing…