Idaho Man Faces Lifetime Hunting Ban and $180K Fines in High Profile Poaching Case 🧑‍⚖️

While we continue to slowly inch back towards the weekend, let’s all take a minute to grab a coffee or whiskey (no judgement) and get into what this beautiful Tuesday has to offer.

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

• Another plea deal - Karl Studer gets off easy in poaching scheme 🚁

• Mike Lee walks it back (kind of) - Everyone’s favorite Senator is vowing to make “changes” to public land sales 🤡

• Connecticut opens up Sunday hunting - Well, at least on private property 🧑‍⚖️

• The real deal- Watch as this little girl proudly shows off her stuffed moose to a real life one 🫎

COULD HAVE BEEN HARDER ON THIS GUY
KARL STUDER FACES LIFETIME HUNTING BAN AND $180K IN FINES IN HIGH PROFILE POACHING CASE

In one of Idaho’s most prolific poaching cases, the man at the center of it all was finally awarded with his day in court and was handed down some harsh sentencing. As part of a poaching scheme dating back to 2020, Karl Studer of Rupert took a plea deal in court yesterday after offering a guilty plea to a reduced poaching charge.

The case, stemming from a 2023 Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) investigation, exposed Studer’s use of a helicopter to illegally scout and harass wildlife, including killing two trophy bull elk, a bull moose, and a pronghorn antelope, often using tags belonging to others or exceeding legal limits. Using Landowner Appreciation Tags, which are available to landowners to apply for controlled hunt tags for certain species and sexes, Studer spent over $150,000 to acquire a number of these specialized tags and even tried to sell them as part of the scheme…

🤡 Senator Mike Lee vows to make “changes” to public land sales after immense blow back from the outdoors community. There are unlovable people and then there is Utah Senator Mike Lee. Yes, the dude that has been spearheading the sale of anywhere between 2 and 250 million acres of our public lands is about as popular as Iran’s nuclear weapons program right now - and we all saw how that turned out.

His plan, which includes the sale of yuge swaths of public lands to build AI data centers, resorts, and mining operations affordable housing, came under fire just as quickly as the words were buried into the Senate’s budget reconciliation bill. Hunters, anglers and other outdoor enthusiasts mounted what is perhaps one of the most prolific responses to a bill in quite some time. The response, at least for the moment, has seemed to have forced Senator Lee into something of a defensive position. Over the weekend, he announced that changes were on the way which included the removal of Forest Service land and a reduction in total BLM land from the proposal. 

And while this might seem like a step in the right direction, it remains a far cry from keeping public lands in public hands, a sentiment that the outdoor community has forever clung to. And rightfully should.

As of right now, at least four Republican Senators have come out in opposition to Lee’s provision including Montana’s Steve Daines and Tim Sheehy, along with Idaho’s Mike Crapo and Jim Risch. Given that the Republicans own a 53-47 majority stake in the Senate, the party can only afford to lose three votes. If these fellas hold the line, Lee will once again, be forced to head back to the drawing board regarding his proposal.

🧑‍⚖️ Connecticut Lifts Sunday Hunting Ban on Private Land, Keeps Public Land Restrictions. Earlier this month, the Connecticut General Assembly passed Public Act 25-138, repealing a long-standing “blue law” that banned hunting on Sundays, a restriction tied to the state’s Protestant heritage. The new law, awaiting Governor Ned Lamont’s signature, permits hunting on Sundays but only on private properties of 10 or more acres, and is expected to be effective during this year’s upcoming fall seasons.

In order to hunt on private property on Sundays, hunters will be required to carry written landowner permission and maintain a 40-yard distance from public trails to help address safety concerns. The law excludes migratory waterfowl from Sunday hunting and builds on a 2015 measure allowing Sunday bowhunting for deer in specific areas.

The legislation was championed by sportsmen’s organizations who see it as a way to increase hunting access for working families and youth while supporting conservation through license fees and taxes, which generate significant economic benefits for Connecticut. However, non-hunters are still being sticklers for the the change, citing potential safety risks and loss of a quiet day in nature. By limiting Sunday hunting to private land, the law aims to balance these concerns while modernizing hunting regulations, following similar trends in states like Virginia and North Carolina.

1. Never have I ever: Flushed a urinal by hand. I won’t do it.

2. Middle East news is crack cocaine for news junkies. There’s always something going on. It’s the hard shit. Once you get into that, it’s over.

3. What’s important > what’s urgent

4. I can honestly say that I never thought that I’d be on the side of minority when it came to tattoos. I thought it would pass like a fad. But here I am. A blank canvas in a sea of painted people.

5. Sometimes wild flowers grow among the weeds. 🙏

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

🫎 The moment your daughter holds up her own moose to meet a real one in the back yard. Watch as this Park City mom films the moment the two meet for the first time.

Now that’s just wholesome right there…

Oh, and one more thing…