Alaskan deer hunter found dead in apparent brown bear mauling 🙏

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

But before we get to all the goodness, we aren’t going to talk again before Tuesday and I feel compelled to remind each and every one of you to get out there and vote this week, if you haven’t already.

The future remains in the hands of those ready and willing to change it, and I will forever implore everyone with a heartbeat (and who is of legal age/residency) to cast a vote every time they get a chance. 🇺🇸

Alright, rant over. Let’s grab some 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 so far this week:

• Died doin’ what he loved - Sitka deer hunter found dead in apparent bear mauling 🙏

• Say cheese, idiot - Trail cameras catch serial poacher in the act 📸

• A series of unfortunate events - SC man arrested in illegal night hunting and murder case 👮

• Got his buck - A 101-year-old man has done it again ✋

• No re-wilding necessary - Ricky the bear shows his captors he’s still got it 👊

Listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

THE RISKS OF BIG BEAR COUNTRY
DEER HUNTER FOUND DEAD IN APPARENT BROWN BEAR ATTACK

A Sitka, Alaska man was found dead earlier this week in an apparent bear attack in a remote area. According to reports, 50-year-old Tad Fujioka was reported overdue from returning from a deer hunt on Tuesday, prompting search teams to head out into the remote wilderness in an attempt to locate him.

Both Alaska State troopers and Fish and Game officials set out into the area he was believed to have been hunting in and came across his remains around 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning. Search teams were quick to note that upon locating Fujioka, “he was likely the victim of a fatal bear mauling,” the agency said.

Tim DeSpain, an information officer with the fish and game department, said Fujioka had killed a deer before being attacked by what they believed to have been a brown bear given the location.

"The area is remote and there are a lot of bears," DeSpain told NPR.

Following the discovery of the body, officials searched for bears "until daylight constraints affected the search, and did not locate the bears,” DeSpain said. “The bears consumed the deer and left the immediate area which is remote and difficult to access.”

Members of Fujioka's family have been notified, the public safety department said.

📸 Oregon State Police release footage of man suspected for poaching multiple deer on private property. With some pretty damning video recovered from a private property, Oregon State Police are asking for the public’s help in locating a possible serial poaching suspect. According to a release, the video was taken on Oct. 19 and shows the suspect looking off into the distance before dragging a dead deer out of view. 

OSP believes the suspect was illegally hunting in Trask Wildlife Management Unit between Oct. 18-20 and again between Oct. 25-27. 

"The suspect shot numerous doe deer with a high-powered rifle from the roadway on private property. On one occasion, the suspect shot a doe from a residential front yard before fleeing the area. He returned after dark and recovered the deer carcass, ignoring posted 'No Trespass' signs," OSP said in a release.

Anyone with information is urged to contact OSP dispatch.

👮 South Carolina man arrested in illegal night hunting and murder charge. An evening walk with their dog turned deadly earlier this week after a man, who was illegally hunting at night, shot and killed a woman he mistook for a deer. An arrest warrant from the Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office shows that the accused, 20-year-old Kristopher Kelle McDonald, fired three to four rounds from a 20-gauge shotgun at what he believed to be a deer while illegally hunting at night. 

Upon arrival, local EMS located two individuals suffering from gunshot wounds and the female was pronounced deceased at the scene. Her male companion was taken to hospital for treatment. 

McDonald was arrested and charged with Assault and Battery of a High and Aggravated Nature, and Involuntary Manslaughter on Tuesday. The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) has also issued warrants for additional charges including criminal negligent use of a firearm resulting in death, criminal negligent use of a firearm resulting in great bodily harm, and night hunting.

😷 Oregon dodged a CWD-laced bullet this month after hunters brought home two infected Wyoming carcasses. As one of the shrinking number of states not currently experiencing the deadly effects of chronic wasting disease, Oregon dodged a bullet as two hunters accidentally imported a pair of infected carcasses earlier this month. 

According to reports, two hunters brought back a pair of ‘uncleaned’ mule deer heads they had previously killed in the Cody, Wyoming area. While they made the mistake of importing the deer, the hunters did end up sending in the animal’s lymph nodes for testing, which is what fortunately caught their attention after the test results came back positive for CWD. Once they found out that their deer were infected, the two hunters did the right thing and called wildlife officials. 

The department said that all infected parts were then incinerated and the two hunters have since been cited for illegally transporting certain carcass parts into Oregon.

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New record: Hunters harvest 15 black bears during Missouri’s fourth hunting season: Missouri’s fourth such season began Oct. 21 and ended Wednesday. This year’s total increased from three black bears harvested last year. Hunters harvested 10 male and five female bears, according to MDC officials. Read more at Fox2.

Georgia Deer Hunting Reports: Warm, Dry… But Good Hunting:  Rain will come, and in the meantime acorns are falling and the bucks are laying down sign. It’s the best of times in the deer woods. Read more at GON.

Arkansas hunters get a free sausage biscuit at Hardee’s with hunting license Nov. 6:  All participating Hardee’s restaurants in Arkansas will give a free sausage biscuit to anyone who shows their valid hunting license to the cashier during normal breakfast hours Nov. 6. Read more at Arkansas Game & Fish.

Pa. hunter gets a buck with his crossbow the day after his 101st birthday: “Well, I was disappointed with myself because I thought I could do it on my birthday, but he had a mind of his own,” he said about the deer. Read more at GoErie.

Iowa works to recruit 20-somethings to take up hunting: The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is exploring ways to address a national decline in the number of hunters, and to prevent the drop from happening here. Read more at Radio Iowa.

WVDNR Natural Resources Police mentor 43 youth hunters during antlerless deer season: The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR) today announced that police officers from its Law Enforcement Section trained and assisted 43 young hunters during the state’s antlerless deer season for youth as part of the agency’s ongoing initiative to recruit new hunters to the sport. Read more at WVDNR.

What to know ahead of the 2024 gun deer hunting season in Wisconsin: Hunters in Wisconsin are gearing up for the start of gun deer season, which begins on Saturday, November 23rd. Read more at WQOW.

Utah DWR conservation officers seek information after buck deer illegally killed near Bears Ears National Monument: Utah Division of Wildlife Resources conservation officers are seeking information after a buck deer was shot and left to waste earlier this month in San Juan County. Read more at Utah DWR.

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🐻 Ricky the bear is wildin’ out after his release. So, the story goes that Ricky the bear was hit by a car and eventually rehabbed and prepped for release. Obviously everyone was worried about how he’d deal with the wilderness after human contact. Upon his release, it’s safe to say Ricky made it clear he was nothing to F with.

🍽️ Video of grizzly taking down a deer in the water serves as a reminder that nature is a harsh place. The comments alongside this video say it all as clueless onlookers and viewers clamor on about trying to help this young deer. That young deer is food and I, for one, am not getting in the way of food and that big ol’ grizz.

Yup.

📸 by @dellpickles

Oh, and one more thing…

Listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.