Florida guides charged after passing off farmed turkeys for wild Osceolas 🦃

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's worth reading about so far this week:

• Turkeys in disguise - Four Florida men busted for using fake birds 🦃

• Always carry a clip - Young woman’s hair clip saves her life in bear attack 🪮

• New wolf regs? - Yellowstone’s superintendent wants some 🐺

• Nevada men busted for poaching - Pair were caught where they were not supposed to be 🚔

• So many idiots - Today’s video section is full of them 🙈

SCUMBAGS
FOUR CHARGED IN FLORIDA OSCEOLA HUNTING SCAM

Many come down to the great state of Florida to escape the winter months, evil politicians and, in some cases, to chase some incredibly unique birds. Yes, the Sunshine State is the only place on the planet that hunters can chase the ever-elusive Osceola subspecies of turkey, most commonly found in the middle of our fair peninsula.

For those looking to complete a North American turkey grand slam, many arrive here in hopes of checking off the Osceola subspecies to go along with the Merriam’s, Rio Grande and Eastern varieties of gobblers.

As any one can imagine, having access to one truly unique subspecies in a fairly limited body of land – a lot of which happens to be privately owned – and you’ve got the makings for sky high outfitting prices and, in some cases, dodgy business dealings.  With hunts ranging anywhere from $3,000 to $10,000 per bird, things can get competitive as out-of-state hunters come flush with cash looking to get a shot at one of these birds. And with that kind of money floating around, some folks will do whatever it takes to line their pockets when the going is good…

🪮 Hair clip saves Kaska woman’s life after grizzly attack in the Yukon. Heading out for her run earlier this month in the remote town of Haines Junction, Vanessa Chaput was quickly intercepted by a trio of grizzly bears. Having grown up in bear country, Chaput knows a thing or two about these apex predators and did her best to put that knowledge to work for her.

Although she gave the bears ample space, her dog, Luna, got off the leash and sprinted in their direction. 

While two of the bears dispersed, the large male decided against it and instead formed a charge at the defenseless young woman. As the bear took her down with her head in its mouth, she immediately took to the fetal position in an effort to protect her vitals. She heard a loud crunch and later realized it was a large hair clip that she had fastened in her hair that shattered in the bear’s mouth, prompting the animal to relent for a moment. She took the opportunity to flee and took shelter behind a large tree. The bear was ready to mount another attack when her dog Luna interrupted him with incessant barking, allowing Chaput to sprint to the nearby highway to get help. She spent a couple of weeks in hospital recovering from puncture wounds, broken bones and torn triceps. Three bears matching the description of her attacker were later euthanized. 

Yellowstone Park Superintendent calls for stricter wolf hunting regs. After 13 gray wolves that were known to live in the park were killed by humans, superintendent Cameron Sholly is calling on Montana’s Fish and Wildlife Commission to enact changes to the state’s wolf hunting regulations in the management unit that borders the national park. According to the letter, of the 13 gray wolves killed, six were legally harvested by hunters in WMU 313; two were harvested outside WMU 313 but near the park boundary; one radio-collared wolf was poached inside WMU 313 in February; and two collared wolves reportedly died (one inside the park boundary and one adjacent to it) from gunshot wounds that were likely sustained inside WMU 313. The other two wolves were harvested legally by hunters in Idaho and Wyoming.

“These losses represented approximately ten percent of the winter 2023/2024 Yellowstone wolf population,” Sholly wrote in a June 26 letter. “Yellowstone is recognized as the best place in the world to view and study free-ranging wolves, which attracts millions of visitors and generates significant economic activity for the region.” 

In his words, Sholly is asking for additional changes that would aid Yellowstone in “achieving wildlife conservation and economic objectives.” His proposal includes breaking wolf hunting unit 313 into two and then distributing the current wolf-kill quota of six animals amongst the two new areas. Alternatively, if wolf hunting unit 313 is kept intact, he asked Montana wildlife managers to slash the quota to four wolves to ease the impact on park packs.

🚔 Pair of Nevada men busted for illegally hunting bear in Washoe Valley. The Nevada Department of Wildlife has confirmed the arrests of two men earlier this month accused of illegally hunting and killing a black bear outside of a managed hunting zone. Despite NDOW being mum on the open investigation, court documents revealed that Joe Freeman Crim Jr. and Michael Lane Stremler were both arrested on category E felony charges for the killing of a big game animal and a misdemeanor for unlawful wildlife act. The incident allegedly took place in November of last year in a closed area above Bowers Mansion in Washoe Valley.

The pair have been released on $3,000 bail and are scheduled to appear in court on August 20, 2024.

QUICK HITS // ^{_{FROM AROUND THE WEB}}

Approved updates coming to Michigan deer hunting by fall 2024 season. The Michigan Natural Resources Commission has approved and announced scheduled deer hunting regulation changes beginning in time for the fall 2024 season. Read more at Detroit Free Press.

Indiana DNR seeking public input on proposed deer hunting changes. The new rules will be more straightforward and transparent for Indiana’s hunting community than the current regulations. Read more at WBIW.

Delta Junction bison hunting permits to be reduced after apparent mass drowning. The number of permits for the 2024 Delta Junction bison hunting season have been slashed after the animal population was reduced significantly in an apparent drowning, according to state officials. Read more at Alaska’s News Source.

Legislation seeks to redesignate Apostle Islands as Wisconsin’s first national park. The proposal would redesignate the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore as the Apostle Islands National Park and Preserve. The country has 63 national parks, but Wisconsin currently lacks any such designation. Read more at Wisconsin Public Radio.

Wyoming identifies a new deer herd. The classification — being used for the first time — comes with an absence of protections officials say is warranted by fewer threats. Read more at WyoFile.

Ohio DNR to offer ‘special’ deer hunting at these nearby nature preserves. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) has identified eight nature preserves across the state where deer populations threaten native plant life. Read more at WDTN.

Roanoke City leaders approve $40,000 to reduce deer population. City leaders say they approved $40,000 for deer culling, which will take place sometime this fall and winter although locations haven’t been finalized yet. Read more at WSLS.

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

🐻 You, sir are an idiot. Watch as a man comes within inches of his life after attempting to hand-feed a wild grizzly bear.

Is it just me or should we just let nature sort these types of folks out? Unbelievable.

🙈 There are plenty of boat ramp fails here in Florida, but this one might be the most idiotic. Watch as a couple of apparently intoxicated Floridian men attempt to replace a winch with their own human strength - or lack thereof.

The way he fell looks like it was God’s way of ensuring he doesn’t procreate…

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.

On Wednesday I asked, With all of this talk about animals and cocaine, which 'cocaine animal' are you least likely to mess with?

To which you ALL replied:

• Cocaine Miami Man

Which leads me to believe that we are all, in fact, more worried about humans than wild animals.

Here’s today’s question…

Oh, and one more thing…