Hunter safety, Key Deer and a bear baiting scheme 👮

Well, it’s been a week since the big day, and in another week of firsts for us over here at the Venatic, we proudly present to you the inaugural Tuesday edition of your favorite outdoors newsletter.

With that in mind, let’s all take a minute to grab a coffee or whiskey (no judgement) and get into what Tuesday has to offer.

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

• Safety first - New study ranks states based on hunting accidents 📈

• Swept away by the sea - Are rising sea levels threatening Key Deer? 🏝️

• The mayor’s brother - Buffalo’s mayor’s brother dies in tree stand accident 🙏

• 9 out of 950 ain’t bad I guess - Group of Maryland hunters busted for baiting 🍭

• Mario Kart sh*t- Turtles are flying through windshields in Florida (naturally) 🐢

STAY SAFE THIS SEASON
NEW HUNTER SAFETY STUDY COMPILES LIST OF HIGH RISK STATES FOR HUNTING ACCIDENTS

‘Tis the season when headlines seem to be filled with news of deadly or near fatal hunting accidents across the country. With new stories rolling in by the day, it’s easy to assume that things are getting worse out there, but in actuality, a lot of states have been celebrating safer hunting seasons in recent seasons.

Nonetheless, hunter safety will always be a point of concern for all of us until that day comes when we have no accidents afield at all. While we all try to do our best, a Florida law firm has gone ahead and compiled a new study that aims to assign a safety score to certain states based on hunting accident data. 

As part of the study, Florida-based law firm Anidjar & Levine analyzed 2024 data from the FBI and the US Fish and Wildlife Service regarding the number of long-gun firearm checks and hunting licenses issued per 100,000 people. By cross-referencing the data, those states with the highest rates were given higher risk scores. 

Here’s what they found…

🌊 Rising sea levels affecting Florida Key Deer. Having been endangered for about 60 years, the Florida Key Deer inhabit the small chain of islands for which they are named. Despite having one hell of a comeback story, reports are indicating that these small deer might once again be at risk.

Ballooning from just 50 deer to about 800 today, their story is one of resilience and sound management practices. But as development continues in the Florida Keys, researchers are growing concerned that with rising sea levels, these deer will once again be in peril. While no one can accurately predict the future, there are mumblings that the sea level could rise by as much as 7 feet in the Florida Keys. And with numbers like that, it begs the question as to whether or not we should be more concerned about the deer or the humans and other species that inhabit those islands as well. No matter which way the seas decide to go, if it is as dire as some are saying, perhaps we need an exit strategy for everyone down there and not just the little deer.

🙏 Buffalo mayor’s brother killed in hunting accident. According to reports, New York State Police responded to a welfare check issued after a hunter failed to return to his truck in Cattaraugus County. Following an investigation, police later determined that 54-year-old Mark P. Scanlon, of Buffalo, fell from a treestand and died.

Police do not believe that there was any foul at play and that the incident was simply an unfortunate accident. In addition to being the acting mayor’s brother, Scanlon was a Sergeant with the Erie County Sheriff’s Office and died doing what he loved, according to his brother.

“Mark was a member of the Erie County Sheriff’s Department and a cherished husband, father, grandfather, son, brother, uncle, and friend, who was loved by those who knew him,” he added. “On behalf of my sister-in-law Amanda and entire family, I kindly ask for respect of our privacy during this very difficult time.”

🍭 Nine Maryland hunters rounded up in bear baiting scheme. With only 950 hunters receiving a bear tag this season across the state of Maryland, nine of those licensed hunters decided that using their tag legally was not something they were interested in.

Bear baiting laws in Maryland are tight and, as such, are tightly controlled. According to the state’s DNR:

"Baiting bears is prohibited and is a tightly-controlled aspect of the annual week-long black bear hunt. Due to the nature of the hunt, targeting bears must take place 150 yards or more from a baited location, and if hunting a location previously baited for deer, 10 days must pass after all bait has been removed. Hunters that violate the baiting law for black bears can face up to $1,500 for a first offense and up to $4,000 for a second offense."

Officers found hunters baiting bears with a variety of items including corn kernels, bacon & chicken grease, molasses, vanilla icing, licorice candy, “bear bomb” spray, dog food, apples, animal carcasses, syrup, and strawberry jam. 

1. Avoid taking advice from someone who gives advice for a living, unless there is some sort of penalty for their giving of bad advice.

2. We underestimate the importance of control. Hunting is fun, even when you’re cold. Being homeless is miserable, even when you’re warm.

3. +30 seconds is the only button a microwave needs.

4. I don’t know the next chapter, but I trust the author 🙏

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

🐢 There’s some Super Mario sh*t going on in Florida. But then again, what else is new? From what we can tell, it looks as though this young lady was simply cruising down the road when suddenly a turtle busted through her windshield.

CAMP TALK // ^{_{BEFORE YOU GO}}

We get a lot of questions and comments on here, and we figure it’s time to repay the favor. As part of our new Camp Talk section, we’re going to ask you, the reader, your opinion on some serious (and not so serious) topics to close out each newsletter.

Yesterday I asked, We're about to come at you every day of the week. How does that make you feel?

To which the majority of you thankfully responded with:

1. I love it. Give me more.

Here’s today’s question…

Oh, and one more thing…