After millions spent, is Staten Island’s deer vasectomy program paying off? 🤷

The long weekend is most definitely here, and so is your favorite dispatch from the great outdoors. 

So grab your coffee or whiskey (we’re on vacay) 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:

• Give ‘em the snip - Is Staten Island’s deer vasectomy program paying off? ✂️

• Monster sturgeon - A big ‘ol prehistoric fish was caught just upriver of NYC 🏙️

• Please stop shooting delivery drones - A Florida man demolished a Walmart drone with his 9mm and people are worried 🚁

• Don’t poach on Oprah’s ranch, k?- A pair of men were caught allegedly poaching on her Maui compound ⛔️

• Nature is a b*tch - Watch as a grizzly demolishes an elk that is still conscious 🐻

IT’S STILL A WASTE OF $
AFTER MILLIONS SPENT, STATEN ISLAND’S DEER VASECTOMY PROGRAM IS ALLEGEDLY PAYING OFF

I’ll admit it. When I first wrote about this program after it was introduced back in 2017, I was a skeptic. In a world where hunters are lining up for the opportunity to shoot a deer and head home with some meat, we’re going to allocate millions of dollars in an attempt to perform vasectomies on captured bucks?

Honestly, I still believe it to be a bunch of bullsh*t for the most part.

But, being as open-minded as I possibly can, I remain all-ears. And in the case of Staten Island’s vasectomy program, I have, at least so far, been kinda-sorta proven wrong. 

My honest assumption was that I half expected this thing to run out of money after a couple of seasons, but here we are. In an announcement made earlier this week, New York City’s Parks Department has extended its contract with White Buffalo Inc., the Connecticut-based outfit that has run the local deer vasectomy program since 2016. The new contract is set to run until September 2029 with an associated cost of nearly $2.5 million. And the good news is, according to the data, the program seems to be working…

🐡 Big ol’ sturgeon pulled from the Hudson River just upriver from New York City.  As part of a long-running sturgeon population assessment in the Hudson River, a group of fisheries biologists landed one hell of a catch last month. Operating under the New York Department of Environmental Conservation’s Hudson River Estuary Program, the 220-pound fish was caught using live capture nets. Given that Atlantic sturgeon are endangered, the research team caught the fish by utilizing a specialized research permit. The 6 foot long and 220-pound female was caught about 80 miles upriver from the Big Apple and was promptly tagged and released.

🚁 Report: American gun owners have to stop shooting down Walmart’s delivery drones. In what is allegedly growing into a pretty big problem, news outlets are beginning to plead with the gun-owning public to show some mercy on new high-flying drone deliveries. After a Florida man shot down a Walmart delivery drone as it passed by his home last week, drone delivery services are becoming weary.  According to reports, the 72-year-old, who sounds like a pretty damn good shot, nailed the drone dead-center from about 75 yards in the air, claiming it was surveilling him. 

While he was later arrested (it’s a crime, afterall), the incident is something retailers like Walmart and many others who are entering the drone delivery space continue to be worried about. Perhaps new flight plans that do not cross residential dwellings might be in order…

NO ANIMALS, BUT PLENTY OF GUNS
TWO MEN BUSTED FOR ALLEGEDLY TRYING TO POACH ON OPRAH’S MAUI RANCH

A pair of 19-year-old men were picked up by Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) officers after they were caught spotlighting. The arrests were made on a public road that leads through Oprah Winfrey’s ranch just before midnight on June 22nd. 

The suspects were later identified as Luke Allen and Ty Munoz, both of Upcountry Maui. The two men were arrested only on suspicion of illegal hunting, as the pair were never caught actually killing any animals.  Officers did, however, find a loaded shotgun, a loaded rifle and additional ammunition in their truck, which was enough to arrest them on suspicion.

By the time the sun rose on the following morning, the two were officially arrested under suspicion of hunting on private lands without permission, not having a hunting license, hunting with the use of an artificial light and other violations. Luke Allen was also arrested for an unregistered rifle in his possession.

The two men were booked at the Maui Police station and the case has since been passed on to the Maui County Prosecutor’s Office for review and final charges, and the case remains under investigation.

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

🍽️ A grizzly bear finds its next meal and it’s still breathing. If you need a reminder about how harsh the wild can be, this video just might be it. Watch as a grizzly happens upon an elk with a pair of broken legs and begins to mow down while she is still alive.

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, What’s on your grill tomorrow? 🇺🇸

You all unsurprisingly ranked accordingly:

1. Wild Game Meat

2. Ribs

3. Hotdogs and Burgers

Here’s today’s question…

Oh, and one more thing…