19-Year-Old Pulls the Trigger on Pack of Wolves After Being Surrounded in Duck Blind 🐺

The weekend might not be here yet, but your favorite dispatch from the great outdoors is. 

So grab your coffee or whiskey (no judgement) and let's get caught up on the outdoor news and views from the past few days. 

Here's what's worth reading about so far this week:

• Surrounded - A group of young hunters make a tough call when surrounded by wolves 🐺

• Spring bear hunt helps - When it comes to helping moose, spring bear hunting goes a long way 🫎

• Charged up - NY man nailed for falsifying tags, shooting too many bucks 🧑‍⚖️

• Idaho looking for help - A mule deer was found poached in western Idaho 🕵️

• Chipping for elk - Driving range jackass takes aim at elk 🤦

Listen on Spotify or Apple.

A CLOSE CALL FOR THESE YOUNG MEN
19-YEAR-OLD PULLS THE TRIGGER ON PACK OF WOLVES AFTER BEING SURROUNDED IN DUCK BLIND

In a rare case now under investigation by Wisconsin’s DNR, a group of young hunters were allegedly surrounded while sitting in their duck blind and threatened by a pack of wolves.

After arriving at their blind in the darkness of the early morning, 19-year-old Chase Melton and a group of hunters - one as young as 13 years of age - began setting up for the morning’s sit.

“We pulled up to the spot at like 3:45 in the morning to get our spot because it was opening morning. We got to the spot we built our blind. A little bit before shooting light, we threw our decoy outs we had some goose silhouettes some mallards and some teal,” said Chase Melton the 19-year-old hunter.

As the group settled in, one of the hunters noticed something approaching the group. Originally thinking it was a small deer, Melton stood up to get a better look and quickly realized it was a wolf that was approaching the blind just as the sun was rising for the day. 

🫎 Recent study finds that spring bear hunting proves to be beneficial for moose populations. In an effort to prove something we all tend to believe to be true, a study published in The Journal of Wildlife Management found that reducing bear populations via a spring hunting season is, in fact, beneficial to moose.

The study was spread out across 11 seasons and closely examined moose calf mortality on Minnesota’s Grand Portage Indian Reservation. Using both regions that had a spring bear hunt and regions without a spring season, the multi-year study’s results were captivating to say the least. 

Researchers reported a 68 percent decrease in bear predations on moose calves when spring hunts took place - even with consistent wolf predation. On the other hand, in those regions that did not offer a spring bear hunting season, moose calf predation attributed to bears was nearly 5 times higher.

Even with increasing wolf density during the study period in Minnesota, the results showed no increase whatsoever in wolf predation during the years in which a spring bear hunt was offered. Researchers believe the increased availability of food by way of bait stations as well as changed bear behavior during spring hunting seasons are contributing factors to the dramatic reduction in bear predation on calves.

The study ultimately showed that the simple addition of a spring bear hunt, during a time when moose calves are most vulnerable, has the potential to increase calf survival, even with the presence of wolves on the landscape.

NY man charged with taking more bucks than legally allowed during last year’s hunting season. A man from Wyoming County, NY is facing charges after shooting one (or two) too many bucks during last year’s hunting season. An investigation kicked off in January of this year, after NY DEC officers were tipped off that a local man had shot more bucks than he should have after learning they were in a nearby taxidermy shop.

Game wardens paid the taxidermist a visit where they were told that a man had dropped off four antlered deer, two of which had his own tags on them and the others having been allegedly tagged by his brother. After taking a deeper look into his brother’s tags, wardens subpoenaed the brother’s attendance records at his place of employment and found that he was at work both of the days his tags were punched. The brother later admitted that he had given his two tags to his brother. The hunter then went on to claim that he had hunted the two bucks that he had originally tagged and found two more deer already dead, which he then tagged with his brother’s tags.

The hunter has since been charged with offering a false instrument for filing, taking deer over the limit, and accepting tags of another. The man’s brother was also hit with two violations of lending tags to another.

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

These are the Utah laws deer hunters most commonly violate, accidentally or otherwise: Authorities stated that hunters and anglers are responsible for knowing the rules of the sport ahead of time -- a practice that can prevent license revocation, hefty fines, or even jail time. Read more at 2KUTV.

Southern Illinois Hunting and Fishing Days returns for 37th year:  The long-running family-friendly event will have more than 200 vendors with demonstrations, free fishing, educational programs, crafts, food, contests and more. Read more at KFVS.

Gov. Pillen Proclaims Saturday as National Hunting and Fishing Day in Nebraska:  “(Today, we) recognize hunters and anglers for their immense contribution to fish and wildlife conservation and to society,” Pillen said. “Thanks for all that you do to help Nebraskans enjoy our extraordinary quality of life.” Read more at ChadRad.

New Hampshire’s 2024 Moose Hunt Is October 19–27: For nine exciting days, October 19–27, a group of lucky moose permit holders and their hunting partners will have the experience of a lifetime taking part in New Hampshire’s annual moose hunt. Read more at NHFG.

FWC chairman: Hiking, fishing, and hunting ‘essential’ to Florida lifestyle: “We’ve been blessed because of the leadership of Governor Ron DeSantis and the other leaders who help us preserve this lifestyle. It’s important because Governor DeSantis isn’t going to be here forever,” Barreto said in an interview. Read more at Florida’s Voice.

Wisconsin DNR Announces Grant To Build Hunting Community: Funding from the grant program is used to help grow the number of hunters in Wisconsin and support novices who want to learn to hunt. Read more at WDNR.

More Kentucky deer are being sickened by suspected viral illness. Here’s what to know: Cases of suspected hemorrhagic disease, an illness that can sometimes kill off deer in large numbers, are on the rise among white-tailed deer in Kentucky, according to the state Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources. Read more at Lexington Herald Leader.

Idaho F&G seeks information about mule deer buck illegally shot near Emmett: Idaho Fish and Game conservation officers are asking the public for any information they may have about a mule deer buck that was illegally shot north of Emmet, near Van Deusen Road in Unit 32. Read more at IFG.

THE POD // ^{_{LISTEN UP Y’ALL}}

When I started recording this thing, I thought no one would listen. But just in the same way that this newsletter keeps growing, so too does our podcast and for that, I am appreciative.

Be sure to tune in for each week’s Week in Review episode where I break down the week’s top stories. I keep promising more Stories from the Field episodes and I do have them in production, so please stay tuned for that. One of these days I’ll get off my ass and finish them. Pinky promise.

Until then, thanks for subscribing, thanks for listening and thanks for supporting my bad habits.

-Ryan

Listen on Spotify or Apple.

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

🐂 Dude unsuccessfully tries to capture the last of the escaped bulls in Massachusetts. A bunch of bulls busted loose from a rodeo in Mass. last weekend and wreaked a bit of havoc. Watch this guy go all “I’m the dude from Jurassic Park” and try to wrangle this last one.

⛳️ Jackass at the driving range takes aim at group of elk. I realize that the soft-lobbed balls are very unlikely to do any damage to the big ol’ bull, but I still think this is in bad taste.

CAMP TALK // ^{_{BEFORE YOU GO}}

We get a lot of questions and comments on here, and we figure it’s time to repay the favor. As part of our new Camp Talk section, we’re going to ask you, the reader, your opinion on some serious (and not so serious) topics to close out each newsletter.

Last week I asked; Are hefty fines or rewards more likely to get hunters and anglers to comply?

To which 54% of you replied:

I'm not going to break the law no matter what

The rest of you were split evenly between:

• I'm more likely to comply out of fear of harsh penalties

• I'd rather be rewarded (like being paid to use non-toxic shells, for example)

Here’s today’s question…

Oh, and one more thing…

Listen on Spotify or Apple.