Alaska Officials Seek to Continue Culling Wolves and Bears Despite Court Ruling 👊

Welcome to 4th best day of the week besides Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. As we dig into another week, we’ve got some ridiculous ruling in Alaska getting in the way of sound wildlife management, a Kansas bill going after non-res hunters and a possible lion hunt in the Sooner State.

So, while we continue to slowly inch back towards the weekend, let’s all take a minute to grab a coffee or whiskey (no judgement) and get into what this beautiful Tuesday has to offer.

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

• Emergency order - Alaskan officials declare emergency after bogus court ruling 👊

• You’ll get three days and you’ll be happy - New Kansas bill putting extreme limits on out-of-staters 🦆

• Possible lion hunt - Oklahoma officials are prepping for a possible limited hunt 🐈

• Lake-nado - Watch as these fisherman (and their dog) get caught in the eye of a tornado out on the lake🌪️

A BOGUS RULING
ALASKA OFFICIALS SEEK TO CONTINUE CULLING WOLVES AND BEARS DESPITE COURT RULING

Alaska's Department of Fish and Game is seeking emergency authorization to continue its predator control program in the Mulchatna Caribou Herd's range, despite a recent court ruling declaring the program unconstitutional. The department petitioned the state Board of Game last week for an emergency regulation to allow the "intensive management" program to continue for a third year.

The program, which involves killing bears and wolves, aims to increase the caribou population, which has dwindled from 200,000 in 1997 to about 13,000 today. Hunting has been closed for several years, and the department argues that removing predators is necessary to allow the herd to recover.

The department claims that the program has already benefited the herd by increasing the number of calves born, and that continuing the program is "critical" to the goal of allowing hunting to resume. Since 2023, the program has killed nearly 200 bears and 19 wolves…

🦆 Kansas lawmakers ruffle feathers with new waterfowl proposal. Officials in the Sunflower State are stirring the pot with a new hunting proposal that would severely limit non-resident hunting The plan involves limiting out-of-state waterfowlers to just three days a week—Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays—on most public lands, plus it would hike up the price of those migratory waterfowl habitat stamps for everyone. Residents would pay up to $20 (up from $10), while nonresidents could upwards of $100. Supporters, like Sen. Virgil Peck, say it’s all about giving local hunters a fair shot at the good spots and easing the pressure on bird populations, claiming too many out-of-staters are messing with migration patterns.

The bill’s got some wiggle room—walk-in properties, navigable rivers, and the light goose season all dodge the potential restrictions, and private land remains fair game. It zipped through the Senate last week, thanks to Peck tacking it onto SB 213, and now it’s headed for a House showdown. Peck argues that it is a win for Kansas hunters, pointing to stats showing nonresidents made up over 40% of waterfowl hunters recently (way up from the usual 28%). Some folks blame the “Covid Bump” for the surge, but the numbers haven’t budged much since. 

Despite the kind sentiment from those in agreement with Peck, bot everyone’s on board, though. Some reps are griping about the stamp price jump for locals and warning that squeezing nonresidents could tank conservation cash and tourism dollars. Waterfowl outfitters are sweating the possibility as well—fewer hunting days for their out-of-state clients could kneecap their business, and weekend warriors from Missouri might skip Kansas altogether if they can’t hunt Saturday. Reps like Dale Helwig and Webster Roth are pushing back, worried about the economic hit to rural areas. The bill’s now with the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, and any changes would kick in by 2026. Stay tuned.

🐈 Mountain Lion Hunting Bill Sparks Fierce Debate in Oklahoma. Introduced as Senate Bill 1073, this new proposal would let the state’s Department of Wildlife hand out up to five special permits through a lottery system to hunt Sooner cougars. The bill’s author says the permit fees would go directly to charity and might even work to boost tourism, but as you can imagine,  not everyone’s roaring with excitement. Wildlife advocate groups like Wildcare Oklahoma are pushing back hard, saying hunting mountain lions just isn’t sporting. Brendan Hoover from the Kirkpatrick Policy Group put it bluntly: “It’s not fair chase—hunters use dogs to tree the lions and then shoot ‘em down. We don’t think Oklahoma needs this.”

While the opposition might have some stats to back things up—like stating that the state has only had 81 confirmed lion sightings since 2002 - the bill’s defenders think it could draw out-of-state hunters and their wallets. Despite the lure of another way to bolster charity donations,  critics say tourism’s a lousy excuse to greenlight what they refer to as “trophy hunting” after decades of it being off-limits.

All said, the feline fight in Oklahoma is heating up fast. If SB 1073 claws its way through the Senate this week, it’s off to the House for round two.

1. Choices are the hinges of destiny.

2. Life has zero meaning without children. It’s not even debatable. Have more kids.

3. Pay peanuts and you get monkeys.

4. As a foreigner, one of the things I’ve learned about Americans is that they genuinely want to see you win. I love that part of the culture here - thankful to (legally!) be here 🇺🇸

5. There would be no verse in the Bible about being weary in well doing if there wasn’t a natural weariness in doing well. 🙏

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

🌪️ These fellas found themselves right in the middle of a damn tornado. According to the post, two fishermen and their dog were out fishing last December near Port Arthur, TX. Unable to outrun the storm, the trio found themselves smack dab in the middle of an EF3 tornado and had the camera rolling.

The three of them miraculously survived with very little injuries…

Oh, and one more thing…