Hunting show hosts go after Conservation Officer in $2.4 million suit 🧑‍⚖️

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:

• See your as* in court - BC couple launches massive suit at Conservation Officer 🧑‍⚖️

• An influencer stole my wombat - American influencer in hot water in Australia 🇦🇺

• New pack - The ‘Jackson 5’ pack is officially official near National Elk Refuge 🐺

• Silver gobbler - Mississippi girl gets an extra-special bird 🦃

• All I see is as*holes - Watch as some dude bear sprays a moose for being on his trail 😒

OBSESSED OR ON TO SOMETHING?
PREVIOUSLY FINED HUNTING SHOW HOST SUING BC CONSERVATION OFFICER FOR $2.4 MILLION

A British Columbia conservation officer is being sued for harassment by a hunting show host who was previously fined and banned from hunting for a year.

Michel Beaulieu, a self-proclaimed hunter, TV personality, and businessman, alleges that conservation Officer Wyatt Pile's "malicious, obsessive and compulsive" harassment campaign caused him significant financial losses, including his YouTube channel, sponsorships, clothing deals, and equity in his house. According to the lawsuit filed in BC’s Supreme Court, Beaulieu is now seeking upwards of $2.4 million in damages.

The lawsuit claims that Pile's harassment began in 2020 after Beaulieu illegally shared a hunting tag with his wife. A subsequent two-year investigation by both BC and Alberta officials led to more fines for the couple, who admitted to the violations but attributed them to ignorance rather than malicious intent. According to reports, the couple shot a big horn ram in a restricted area of Alberta and were tangled up in an apparent licensing issue regarding an Alberta moose and a BC bear they killed…

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🇦🇺 Wyoming influencer in hot water after snatching a baby wombat from its mother. Well, in the event that you didn’t get enough news about influencers acting like complete idiots influencers this week, this story out of Australia should come as no surprise. American social media influencer, Samantha Strable, also known as Sam Jones, sparked outrage in Australia after a video showed her taking a baby wombat from its mother. 

The now infamous 34-second video clip captioned “My dream of holding a wombat has been realised!”, Jones can be seen picking up a baby wombat from the side of the road and running off with it. The joey's seemingly distressed mother follows as Jones exclaims “I caught a baby wombat!” while the joey hisses. Noticing how pissed the baby’s mother was, she did quickly return the joey to its mother, but not before the entire world noticed.

The incident has since led to widespread condemnation, with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese criticizing her actions. Strable's visa is currently under review, and there have been calls for her to be deported, although she has allegedly already voluntarily left the country.

Good call, Sam.

🐺 New wolf pack aptly named the “Jackson 5” forms near the National Elk Refuge. After first spotting a lone male who was later joined by a female wolf last year, the pair have since gone on to establish a new pack located closeWyoming’s National Elk Refuge. Emerging in January with two pups of their own, they have also since been accompanied by a newly-recruited yearling to round out the pack.

While guides have been calling them the Jackson 5, wildlife officials have given them the more pronounced moniker of the Blacktail Butte Pack. The new pack’s formation now makes them the third group of wolves living in and around the refuge, joining the Lower Gros Ventre pack, which controls the refuge itself, and the Horsetail Creek pack. 

Biologists have stated that they will be watching the newly-formed pack closely as the overlap in territory could very well result in conflicts with other packs, elk calves and livestock. State game and fish officials waste no time removing problem wolves from the landscape, so only time will tell how this new pack fares over the spring months.

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🫎 Imagine being the kind of asshole that bear sprays a moose because it was on “your trail”? Well, according to this video coming out of Jackson, Wyoming that’s exactly who this guy is. According to the dude that recorded the incident “This guy was pissed because he couldn't do his morning walk because the moose were on the walking trail. We reported him to Wyoming Game and Fish.”

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Washtenaw becomes Michigan's 15th county with CWD-positive wild deer: the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reported a case of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in Washtenaw County, making it the state's 15th county in which the fatal neurologic disease has been found in free-ranging deer. Read the full story.

Illinois hunters harvest a record-breaking number of bobcats this year: A total of 649 bobcats were harvested in the state during the 2024-2025 hunting season, IDNR said in a news release.  Read the full story.

Two men cited, fined by LDWF for hunting violations in early March: LDWF conducted an investigation earlier this month after receiving a complaint that someone harvested over the limit during the 2024-2025 hunting season. Chase Cothran, 27, and Blaze Templet, 24, were both fined. Read the full story.

MS turkey hunting: Mississippi girl harvests rare silver-colored gobbler: A Mississippi girl was hunting with a shotgun passed down from her grandfather and as exciting as it was that she harvested her first gobbler on opening day of youth season, it was even more so with her second gobbler that was a rare silver-colored bird.  Read the full story.

CWD detected at 3rd elk feedground, risking western Wyoming wapiti's health: The Wyoming Game and Fish Department on Tuesday announced that chronic wasting disease was detected in an elk carcass at the Black Butte Feedground in the Pinedale region, making it the third feedground to have a confirmed case this year.  Read the full story.

Shed Hunt Responsibly: Idaho reminds hunters that just because snow has melted doesn’t mean winter is over for elk and deer: Unlike other hunting seasons, there aren’t typically set open and close dates or daily bag limits unless the Fish and Game Commission chooses to close a portion of the state due to severe winters. Being respectful of wintering wildlife is part of the sport. Chances are, if it feels too early to start shed hunting, it probably is.  Read the full story.

Out there searching for the weekend.

📸 :@kristoffdruvawildlife

Oh, and one more thing…