Poached elk meat and random Russian dudes 🪆

Well, we've made it to the middle of yet another week. With that in mind, let's all take a minute to grab your 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...

• Elk Meat and Russian dudes - Washington man charged after sting operation 🪆

• Cyclists vs. lion- Four men battle cougar to save their friend 🚴

• No hunting for you- Tennessee father-son duo get suspensions for poaching 🧑‍⚖️

• Maury Povich goes fishing - Lie detector tests foil fishing tournament in CT 🎣

• Bobcat hunting- Florida bobcat attempts to take out a whitetail 🐈

Thanks for following along. Don't forget to tell your friends.

HOW TO GET CAUGHT POACHING 101
SELLING POACHED ELK MEAT TO A "RUSSIAN DUDE IN PORTLAND"

A Washington man is set to appear in court for wildlife trafficking in the most brazen way possible.

Undercover wildlife officers caught 41-year-old Braden Takheal in the act following an extensive investigation that kicked off in 2019. An anonymous tip revealed that Takheal was knocking down elk in the pastures beside his home and selling them to a “Russian dude in Portland”.

Takheal was a member of the the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation. Having its own tribal wildlife management and hunting laws, he overstepped their boundaries by hawking illegal meat roughly 30 miles off the reservation. Court documents later revealed that Takheal was letting full bull elk go for $1,000 a piece and cows at a slightly discounted rate of $800...

🚴 Cyclists vs. Mountain Lion: A group of mountain bikers did everything they could to help their friend in need. While cycling in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains, a lion sprung out and attacked a 60-year-old member of the 5-man crew. Banding together, the four others rallied against the lion and eventually used one of their bikes to pin it down as they waited for assistance.

🧑‍⚖️ Lifetime suspensions: Tennessee father-son duo nailed for variety of hunting violations.  After complaints were filed about suspected road hunting, officials began their investigation into the accused and later found that they illegally killed an 8-point buck from a roadway. Shelby Gene Church, 73, and Gene Allen Church, 47, pleaded guilty, losing their equipment, deer meat and hunting privileges.

🎣 Lie detectors and fair fishing: Taking a page out of the great Maury Povich's playbook, a Connecticut fishing tournament is using polygraph tests to weed out potential cheaters and it might be working. As part of his year's "The Greatest Bluefish Tournament on Earth”, two of the top three anglers were disqualified for failing the lie detector test.

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

🏊 The water's fine!: Watch as a deer breaks into a rec complex and dives into the pool.

🐈 Predator > Prey: Watch trail cam footage that captures a Florida bobcat attempting to take down a whitetail.