Big time fines and prison time for Washington poacher 🦅

If you’re still with us, that means you’ve made it to the middle of one hell of a week.

With the election now in the rearview and sunny skies ahead, let’s all take a minute to grab a coffee or whiskey (no judgement) and get another mid-week dispatch out the door.

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

• Big time fines & prison time - Washington man gets wrecked on poaching charges 🦅

• Mo’ money, mo’ problems - Colorado’s wolf program is burning cash 💸

• Shot down - Colorado mountain lion hunting ban defeated (almost) 🙌

• I know my rights - Florida passes right to hunt and fish amendment 🗳️

• Gov overreach kills - An innocent squirrel is laid to rest 🐿️

• Hell yeah - Two bull moose duke it out in the Rockies 🫎

“HE FORFEITED THE VERY FREEDOM THE BALD EAGLE SYMBOLIZES”
WASHINGTON STATE MAN HIT WITH FINES & FEDERAL PRISON TIME IN ILLEGAL EAGLE “KILLING SPREES”

A Washington State man has had his day in court and it went as well as any of us would expect, given the incredible allegations against him. 

According to court documents, 49-year-old Travis John Branson of Cusick, Washington, along with his accomplice (who remains a fugitive), Simon Paul, are tied to the killing of 118 eagles and 107 hawks between the years of 2009 and 2021 all while raking in upwards of $360,000 in illegal money.

According to reports, Branson would travel from Washington to the Flathead Reservation, where he would meet Paul and shoot, transport and ship both golden and bald eagles on the black market. The pair would lure in eagles and other large birds of prey using dead deer carcasses and would target young golden eagles for their highly sought after white and black wing feathers…

💸 Colorado’s wolf reintroduction program has cost taxpayers more than double what they expected. The good folks over at the Denver Post have gone ahead and audited the ultra-successful wolf reintroduction program that has been the focus of just a wee bit of controversy as of late.  According to the report, it’s cost Colorado $4.8 million so far and, while that is within the total amount appropriated, it’s more than double what voters were told it would be during the 2020 election.

Given that state lawmakers didn’t want the onus to fall entirely on hunters and anglers, they used a combination of funding from the state’s general fund, the Species Conservation Trust fund and the Colorado Nongame Conservation and Wildlife Restoration cash fund to foot the bill. 

And while many of us with a rifle in our hands appreciate the gesture, Colorado taxpayers have got to be getting a bit fed up with all the spending. The fact remains that these base costs are set to continue to rise as Colorado Parks and Wildlife presses forward with additional reintroduction efforts, which could happen as early as next month.

As voters headed to the ballot boxes yesterday, the focus was off of wolves and instead focused on mountain lions and bobcats. Thus serving as the perfect distraction for voters created by politicians looking to forget broken campaign promises and reckless spending under the guise of sensible wildlife management.

Speaking of which…

🙌 Colorado’s ban on mountain lion and bobcat hunting is heading for defeat. In sticking with the Centennial State, a controversial ballot measure that affects all of us in the hunting community looks to be heading in the right direction. As of this writing, it has yet to have been called, but the margin of about 10 points is about all we need to state that this thing has all but been defeated.

Marking the second time in four years that voters were set to decide state wildlife management practices, the defeat of Proposition 127 at the ballot box is a win for common sense, science-based wildlife management practices.

Dan Gates, who chairs the opposition against 127 remains optimistic about the results.

“We feel comfortable given the amount of precincts that have reported,” Gates said. “And that if it continues to hold like we believe it will, it will show a significant level of support of individuals concerned about science-based wildlife management.”

🗳️ Florida voters usher in the ‘Right to Hunt and Fish’ as a constitutional amendment passes. Florida voters were busy yesterday at the ballot boxes voting for our re-installed president along with a number of other key amendments. One of which was Amendment 2 which would give all Floridians the constitutional right to hunt and fish. As with all amendments in the great state of Florida, they require 60 percent of the vote to pass. The ballot measure, which makes Florida the 24th state to adopt a right to hunt and fish resolution, passed with 67 percent of voters in favor of it. 

Contrary to those that oppose these kinds of measures, it does not change any existing fishing regulations or the agency’s ability to set seasons, bag limits, or methods and sportsmen will still have to purchase fishing and hunting licenses.

Pennsylvania Amish boy fatally shot while hunting chipmunks with friends: Troopers said they received a report about an 11-year-old shot in the head shortly before noon on Saturday in East Fallowfield Township, Crawford County. The boy was taken to UPMC Children's Hospital, where police said he died on Sunday. Read more at CBS News.

MN Firearms Deer Season Around the Corner:  Over 400,000 deer hunters are gearing up to hit the Minnesota terrain, as firearms deer season is set to open this upcoming Saturday. Read more at LPTV.

Maryland’s Junior Deer Hunt Opens November 16:  AThe Maryland Department of Natural Resources encourages experienced deer hunters to take advantage of these days to introduce young people to the time-honored tradition of hunting.  Read more at Maryland DNR.

7-year-old Pa. girl gets hunting triple trophy of black bear, buck and turkey: A 7-year-old Pennsylvania girl is celebrating getting a black bear, a buck and a gobbler in less than two weeks to complete her goal of earning the triple trophy of hunting in one license year.  Read more at GoErie.

West Virginia Hunting and Trapping Seasons Open with New Guidelines for Small Game and Fur-Bearers: While small game hunting is generally allowed throughout West Virginia’s deer season, it is restricted during the first three days of the buck firearms season. Read more at WV News.

Aerial Elk Surveys Set to Shape Future Hunting Regulations in California: CDFW officials say that due to elk’s open habitat, aerial surveys provide an efficient and rapid method of data collection, affording CDFW biologists the ability to cover larger areas in relatively shorter time periods. Read more at Sierra Daily News.

CONTROVERSY // ^{_{THIS WEEK’S SH*T DISTURBER}}

🐿️ New York DEC shows massive use of force in historic takedown of man harboring an illegal pet squirrel. Yes, our tax dollars continue to be hard at work in an effort to disrupt and incarcerate criminals. In fact, one particular criminally-implicated squirrel by the name of Peanut was the most recent to be strategically placed in the crosshairs of a government agency.

In a world where I find myself continually stating that you can’t make this shit up, a man and his internet-famous pet squirrel were at the center of a huge sting operation that turned deadly last week. According to reports, between 10 and 12 NY Department of Environmental Conservation officials stormed the home of a New York man named Mark Longo in search of the squirrel who could only be accused of breaking the internet on an occasion or two. With a following of over 550,000, Peanut was rescued after the squirrel’s mother was hit by a car.  After the incident, Longo captured the rogue rodent and made plans to rehabilitate it and re-release it into the wild.

To the surprise of Longo, the squirrel was unable to be rewilded and ended up back at his home with half a tail, prompting the New York man to take him in as a pet. In fact, it prompted Longo to do much more than that. He went on to establish a non-profit organization that specializes in animal rescues including horses, geese, alpacas along with many other orphaned animals, including the now famous squirrel.

Now, it’s worth stating that it is technically illegal to have a pet squirrel in the state of New York, but the use of force does seem to be a bit over the top.

“Ten to twelve DEC officers raided my house as if I was a drug dealer. I was sat outside my house for five hours. I had to get a police escort to my bathroom. I wasn’t even allowed to feed my rescue horses breakfast or lunch. I was sat there like a criminal after they interrogated my wife to check out her immigration status.”

Following the raid DEC officers captured a rescue raccoon that was also found inside the home, along with the rehabilitated but illegally housed squirrel.  It was later reported that both of the animals were euthanized after the squirrel reportedly bit one of his captors and had to be tested for rabies post mortem.

While I am not here to speculate that any one law should be given more credence than another. I believe all laws should be adhered to and dealt with by the authorities according to their sound judgment. 

That said, I am willing to say that this story does, however, do a wonderful job of proving that government overreach does, in fact, kill.

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

🫎 Guys will watch this and just say “Hell Yeah!” A photographer captures the moment a pair of massive bull moose get into it with the picturesque Rocky Mountains in the background.

🪞 Scared of its own shadow reflection. A young moose was caught on a Ring camera frolicking in the freshly dropped snow. That is, until it caught a glimpse of its reflection in the cabin window.

Oh, and one more thing…