Is it time to hunt Teddy's bears? 🧸

The weekend might not be here 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 few days. 

Here's what caught our eye this week...

• Teddy's hunt- Louisiana looking to bring back the bear hunt  🐻

• Hell of a year - Missouri hunters get it done 🥇

• Get your sunscreen - Despite warm temps, Michigan hunters bag nearly 100 elk 🕶️

• Karma is a b*tch - Snowmobilers learn the hard way not to mess with moose  🧘

DON’T CALL IT A COMEBACK
LOUISIANA SETS ITS SIGHTS ON 2024 BEAR HUNT

Popularized by Teddy Roosevelt’s infamous Louisiana hunting expedition in 1902, the Louisiana black bear became a national symbol, inspiring the creation of the iconic teddy bear toy. While many of us would side with Roosevelt’s decision not to shoot a bear tied to a tree, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the animals should not be hunted at all.

The idea of bear hunting in the Bayou State has been a contentious one for the past few decades. With the last hunt taking place in 1988, the Louisiana black bear has been placed in the crosshairs of conservation, politics and animal welfare. 

Generally speaking, the Louisiana black bear has been taken care of since it was nearly wiped out during the 60s and 70s. Since 1988, the bear has been afforded federal protection under the Endangered Species Act allowing both state and federal wildlife managers the opportunity to get population numbers back to where they need to be.

In 2016, all federal protections were lifted, a true conservation success story. In some cases, the Endangered Species Act has been utilized to offer lifelong protections for certain species, but in Louisiana it was used as designed – to offer enough protection to allow for a comeback.

And comeback they did..

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🥇 Record year: Missouri posts record-setting deer harvest numbers.

🤭 Garage sale: Two elk get their heads caught in chairs and other household items in NM neighborhood.

🕶️ Seasonally unaffected: Despite warm temps, Michigan hunters still manage to bag nearly 100 elk in late season.

🌽 Corn-fed criminals: Virginia duck hunters nailed for filling a 1/4 acre pond with corn and blasting nearly 100 birds.

🧑‍⚖️ Family matters: Colorado man enters guilty plea for poaching sow and two cubs on his property

🐈‍⬛ Let's try this again: New bill aimed at reintroducing bobcat hunting in the Hoosier State.

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WEEKEND MEME // ^{_{RIGHT IN THE THICK OF IT}}

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Is mildly attacked by a mountain lion really a thing? Why the beaver might be America's best shot at battling forest fires. There's only one place on Earth where you can hunt dinosaurs. Alcohol prescriptions were once a thing. Here's how Churchill got one in America during prohibition. 

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@creekbedphotography