Former Cop Hit with Felony Charges After Shooting Hunting Dog 🐶

The weekend might not be here just 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 24-or-so hours. 

Here's what's worth reading about today:

• Dog killer nailed - Yet another hunting dog killer is facing felony charges 👮

• Rallied for rescues - Alaska bush pilots band together for incredible rescue ✈️

• CWD in Manassas - The first case has been confirmed by the NPS 🤢

• Moving along - Kansas waterfowl bill being moved along 🦆

• Herding cats deer - Wisconsin police officers use drone to usher drowning deer to safety 🚁

• Time for a tub - Watch as this bear takes over the family hot tub…and with good reason 🌅 

DON’T SHOOT THE DAMN DOG
FORMER COP HIT WITH FELONY CHARGES AFTER SHOOTING HUNTING DOG

A former Indiana police officer has found himself on the wrong side of the law after allegedly shooting and killing a hunting dog that had wandered onto his mother’s property. 

The accused, David Gene Diehl, 56, who has ties to local law enforcement and once ran for Steuben County sheriff, now faces a Level 6 felony charge of animal cruelty following the shooting.

The incident took place back on February 2 as local hunter Tyler Steury was chasing coyotes with his dogs on a neighboring property along C.R. 725E, in Steuben County. One of his prized hounds, valued at an estimated $15,000 and fitted with a tracking collar, strayed about 25 yards onto Diehl’s mother’s land. According to court records, at the sight of the dog, Diehl claimed the dog “approached” him and his 28-year-old son, Brandon, and feeling threatened, admitted to shoot the hound in the head, killing it on the spot...

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✈️ Bush Pilot Community Rallies to Save Pilot and Daughters from Icy Crash. An Alaskan pilot and his two young daughters, of elementary and middle school age, survived a harrowing 12 hours atop the wing of their crashed Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser, partially submerged in icy Tustumena Lake on Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula.

The family was on a sightseeing flight from Soldotna to Skilak Lake when the plane went down Sunday afternoon, lacking a locator beacon. Spotted Monday morning by pilot Terry Godes—who joined a dozen others scouring the rugged terrain after a desperate Facebook plea from the pilot’s father, John Morris—the trio waved, alive and responsive despite a cold, windy night in the 20s. The Alaska Army National Guard rescued them from the lake’s eastern edge, airlifting them to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Lt. Col. Brendon Holbrook of the National Guard noted the pilot was hypothermic after time in the water, though the girls stayed surprisingly dry in basic flight gear. In a state where small planes are lifelines across roadless expanses, this rescue—unlike recent deadly crashes near Nome and Soldotna—stands out as a rare win against Alaska’s unforgiving wilds.

🤢 CWD Hits Manassas: First Positive Deer Sparks Regional Concern. During some recent white-tailed deer reduction efforts at Manassas National Battlefield Park in Prince William County, Virginia, one whitetail deer has tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), marking the first confirmed case at the park. The operation, aimed at protecting native plants, fostering healthy forests, and preserving historic landscapes, is part of a broader effort across national parks in Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia.

These parks routinely sample for CWD to monitor wildlife health, and until this year, all tests had come back negative. In 2024, however, nearby Antietam National Battlefield, Monocacy National Battlefield, and Harpers Ferry National Historical Park in Maryland and West Virginia also reported their first CWD-positive results.

The venison from the Manassas deer was destroyed to eliminate any risk.

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🛁 This fella was just looking to warm up and take in that stunning sunrise. Watch as this black bear wanders on to this east Tennessee homeowner’s deck, spots the tub and decides it was a great time for a soak.

I mean, for that view, I can’t say I blame him…

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Kansas lawmakers move waterfowl hunting restriction bill along as hunters say public lands are too crowded: The local Kansas Backcountry Hunters and Anglers group says a recent proposal in the statehouse to limit days of the week out-of-state hunters can hunt waterfowl on public land would help create a better environment for waterfowl hunting. Read the full story.

Hunters have until April 1 to apply for Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s big game hunting primary draw: Hunters have until 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 1, to apply for Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s primary draw application. Corrections to submitted applications can be made until this deadline.  Read the full story.

Right to Hunt and Fish Amendments Advance in Iowa and Maine: Currently 24 states have constitutionally protected RTHF amendments safeguarding hunting, fishing and other means of wildlife harvesting. Such protection is also important for wildlife conservation.  Read the full story.

Deer overpopulation sparks debate as Metro Detroit community discusses cull plan : “They would shoot 150 deer. The cull will be performed at night using thermals,” said Farmington Hills Deputy Director for the Department of Special Services, Bryan Farmer.  Read the full story.

Wis. PD uses drone to herd deer to safety after they fell into lake: WBAY reported the deer, a doe and her two fawns, could be seen 200 yards from the shore in water 40 feet deep on March 15. Every attempt to climb out onto solid ice led them farther and farther from land. Read the full story.

Minnesota deer farmers, DNR clash over fence rules intended to curb spread of chronic wasting disease: At issue was chronic wasting disease and whether captive, farmed white-tailed deer need to be kept at a distance from their free-range cousins to keep the disease from spreading. Read the full story.

Howlin’ into the weekend over here.

📸 :@mkluckhohn_photography

Oh, and one more thing…

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