House Advances Midnight Amendment to sell Public Lands in Utah and Nevada🕵️‍♀️

I’m currently at the “it’s Thursday already?” phase of the workweek and am unsure as to whether or not that is a good thing as of yet.

With that in mind, let’s all take a minute to grab a coffee or whiskey (no judgement) and get this Thursday morning dispatch out the door.

Here's what's worth reading about today:

• Night moves - A sneaky midnight amendment threatens public lands 🕵️‍♀️

• First goring of the season - Florida man is on the board in Yellowstone 🦬

• Cali rally - Sheriffs in California rally against proposed coyote regs 🐺

• $50/tail - Maui Nui is putting a bounty on Axis deer 🏝️

• Fighting the dead - Watch this buck fight another buck that had just been arrowed 🦌 

SNEAKY?
HOUSE ADVANCES MIDNIGHT AMENDMENT TO SELL PUBLIC LANDS IN NEVADA AND UTAH

In a late-night move on Tuesday, the House Natural Resources Committee approved a controversial amendment to sell vast swaths of federal public lands in Nevada and Utah. Tucked into a sprawling budget reconciliation package, the amendment, which was spearheaded by Reps. Mark Amodei (R-Nevada) and Celeste Maloy (R-Utah), has sparked outrage among conservationists, outdoor enthusiasts, and many others who warn it threatens the future of America’s public lands.

The midnight maneuver was introduced around 11:30 p.m. during an exhausting committee session, a timing critics say was designed to evade public scrutiny. With little debate, the Republican-majority committee greenlit the measure, rejecting nearly 140 Democratic amendments aimed at protecting public lands and environmental safeguards. Rep. Joe Neguse (Colorado) decried the process, stating, “This was a deliberate attempt to ram through a land grab under cover of darkness.”

🧑‍⚖️ Florida Man Gored by Bison in Yellowstone, Marking the First Incident of 2025 Season. On Sunday, a 47-year-old man from Cape Coral, Florida, became the first person injured by a bison in Yellowstone National Park for the season. The incident occurred around 3:15 p.m. in the Lake Village area when the man approached a bison too closely, prompting the animal to gore him. He sustained minor injuries, was treated by emergency medical personnel, leaving the incident under investigation by park officials. This marks the first reported bison goring of 2025, following a pair of similar incidents in 2024 and one in 2023.

The National Park Service emphasized the dangers of approaching wildlife, noting that bison have injured more people in Yellowstone than any other animal. Visitors are required to maintain a minimum distance of 25 yards from large animals like bison and 100 yards from bears and wolves. The park’s guidelines aim to protect both visitors and wildlife, with tools like the Jackson Hole Travel & Tourism Board’s Selfie Control app helping tourists gauge safe distances for photography.

“Bison will defend their space when threatened and have injured more people in Yellowstone than any other animal,” a press release from the park said. “They are unpredictable and can run three times faster than humans.”

✊ California Sheriffs Rally Against Proposed Coyote Hunting Restrictions. In a unified stand, sheriff’s departments across California are rallying behind livestock producers to oppose potential changes to coyote hunting regulations. The issue, set to be discussed at the California Fish and Game Commission’s Wildlife Resources Committee (WRC) meeting on May 15th, has sparked concern among rural communities who rely on unrestricted coyote hunting to protect livestock and property. Sheriffs, including Lassen County Sheriff John McGarva, argue that the proposed restrictions could exacerbate predator-related losses, threatening the livelihoods of ranchers and the safety of rural areas.

The WRC has been exploring changes to the management of non-game species, including coyotes, for two years, with a February 2025 recommendation suggesting future rulemaking to limit coyote hunting to cases with direct evidence of agricultural or property damage. Currently, California classifies coyotes as non-game animals, allowing year-round hunting without bag limits under Title 14, Section 472 of the California Code of Regulations. Sheriffs and ranchers fear that requiring proof of damage would impose burdensome regulations, ignoring the widespread presence of coyotes—estimated at 250,000 to 750,000 statewide—and their impact on livestock, pets, and even public safety. Sheriff McGarva emphasized, “Coyotes are everywhere in Lassen County, and I don’t see the science justifying this level of regulation.”

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife clarifies that the WRC is not proposing new regulations or reclassifying coyotes as game species but is instead seeking stakeholder input to better understand existing laws and community needs. However, the sheriffs’ call to action urges ranchers to attend the WRC meeting and voice opposition, reflecting deep skepticism about the commission’s intentions.

🏝️ Maui Nui Offers Bounty to Curb Invasive Axis Deer Population. In an effort to address the growing threat of axis deer across Maui Nui, the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) has launched a bounty program targeting private landowners on Maui, Molokaʻi, and Lānaʻi. Announced on Monday, the Landowner Incentive Program (LIP) offers up to $50 per axis deer tail to encourage landowners to reduce deer numbers on their properties. With a May 19th, application deadline, the 12-month program aims to mitigate the severe ecological and economic damage caused by these invasive ungulates, which threaten forests, farmlands, and watersheds.

Axis deer, introduced to Hawaii in the 1860s, have no natural predators and breed year-round, leading to populations estimated at 18,000 to 60,000 on Maui alone. Their overgrazing devastates native plants, spreads invasive weeds, and causes millions in damages to agriculture and watersheds. Recent harvest rates show progress, with 17,000 deer culled in 2024, aligning with DOFAW’s goal of 15,000–20,000 annually to balance environmental protection with hunting and subsistence needs. However, concerns persist about the program’s reliance on large landowners and limited access for public hunters, potentially hindering long-term control. The initiative, backed by $6.1 million in state funds, should serve as the incentive we’ve all been looking for to book that bucket list Hawaiian hunt.

🤪 When he’s so rutty that he locks up with the deer you just arrowed. Alright, this is a pretty crazy story coming out of my home state of Florida (surprised, right?). According to the dude that filmed this, he had just arrowed his first buck when this other buck charges in and locks up with the one he just shot.

He’s ends up freeing himself and almost wipes out the other hunters in the process…

🎣 Fishing Robinson Crusoe Island: Strapped inside the noisy, four-seater cabin of a twin-engine Piper, I felt a sudden change in pressure in my ears, confirming our descent. Glancing out the window, I took in my first view of a barren, nondescript lump of brown rock amidst an expanse of indigo blue that stretched to the horizon. After many months of planning, we were about to fish the unsullied waters surrounding Robinson Crusoe Island.

Many anglers believe there are no “new” fisheries left to discover. I’ve fallen into that lot myself, yet at 64, I’m fortunate to have fished and traveled extensively. Then I heard of a destination neither I nor any of my traveling fishing friends were aware of — a South Pacific location reputed for its wide range of game fish, most of which I was unfamiliar with and had yet to catch. Read the full story.

☕️ Coffee Can Help Even When It's Gone: Ice clung to their gun barrels, and the old Lab's teeth chattered like a railcar. Three men and one boy hunkered with their collars up, chins tucked like prize fighters and hands buried in coat pockets. The thermometer said 10 degrees, but it was closer to minus 10 on the shallow, windswept water. Shane elbowed his father sitting next to him in the blind and asked what time it was.

"It's about 8. You in a hurry?"

"No," said Shane. But he had a secret he could never tell. His toes were so cold—well past numb and back around to searing pain again—that he thought they might actually feel better if he cut them off with his knife. Yet he didn't dare mention any of this because no one else had complained and he wasn't about to either.

So Shane sat, thinking only about his toes turning black and sloughing off. He wiggled each one 100 times, but he could barely move them because they were so tight in his boots with the three pairs of socks he'd worn. He began tapping them on the wooden floor of the blind. It still didn't help. Twenty minutes later, Shane's toes were colder than ever.  Read the full story.

✍️ The Old Man and Me:  Just before dawn and the breeze comes drifting in across the bay, the sun not far behind it, casting the first pink rays of morning across the water. The clean, honest air is ripe with possibility. The possibility draws all sportsman to the big water and to the wild places. Our boat captain is a broad, genial man, tanned deep brown by the Florida sun. He has an affinity for calling each one of us “Big Daddy,” among other nicknames. I like him immediately. Our crew is rounded out by my father and grandfather, both anxious for a successful trip after the harsh weather that postponed our first outing. 

The captain greets us with firm handshakes and ‘how are ya’s’ as we load the boat. It is a twenty-two-foot center console, well-adjusted to the gulf coast and its tides. We idle out of the marina, passing all manner of vessels from catamarans to humble skiffs, each with names as colorful as the people who pilot them. Once in the bay, the captain throttles down and the boat jettisons up onto plane.  We skim smoothly across the water’s surface, like a flat stone skipped across a pond. The wind, cool and salty, puts me instantly at ease and it occurs to me I am smiling.  Read the full story.

Oh, and one more thing…