Big bear down- New Jersey season kicks off with success 🧸

Well, we made it to Wednesday. Give yourself a pat on the back and buckle up for another edition of your favorite outdoors newsletter.

Grab your coffee or whiskey (no judgement) and let's get another Wednesday dispatch out the door.

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

• Big bear down!- New Jersey season kicks off with success 🧸

• No peace in the garden - Florida deer attacks man in his garden 🌻

• When fat shaming is ok - Fat bear of the week has been crowned 👑

• Dog collared deer - Deer fitted with collar and "pet" painted on him 🦮

• Senseless loss- 3 elk illegally killed and left to waste 🫤

Thanks for following along. Don't forget to tell your friends.

A GREAT WAY TO BRING BACK THE HUNT
NEW JERSEY'S ARCHERY BEAR SEASON CLOSES WITH 330 BEARS ON THE GROUND

The first phase of the newly-instituted archery bear season concluded on Sunday with promising results for bruin hunters in the Garden State. After gaining approval from Governor Phil Murphy in September, bear hunting seasons have been cleared through 2028 to help contend with bulging populations.

Opening morning proved fruitful for those hitting the woods as early reporting numbers indicated that a total of 105 bears were taken. As the season marched on, hunters were forced to contend with a bit of rain, which slowed things down a bit, but in the end, the state has reported the harvest of 330 bears at the time of the season’s closing on Sunday.

As per the new policy instituted by the state this year, all bears must be reported through a number of predetermined check stations or by requesting a Wildlife Officer report to an individual hunter.

In a state famous for flip-flopping on bear hunting seasons, it looks as though policy-makers are sticking to their guns this season. The second phase of this year’s bear hunt is slated for December 9th and allows hunters to hunt with shotguns...

HERE’S AN ODD ONE
DEER FITTED WITH DOG COLLAR AND THE WORD "PET" PAINTED ON HIM CAUSING A STIR IN MISSOURI

Of all the things causing a stir these days, I’d reason to say that whacky stories such as this one are somewhat of a breath of fresh air.

Last week the Missouri Department of Conservation responded to reports of a collared deer in the rural community of Festus, southwest of St. Louis. A peculiar photo was circulating in the area that showed a young whitetail buck wearing an oversized dog collar and a label emblazoned across his ribs that read “Pet”.

“Somebody most likely took that deer out of the wild as a fawn and tried to keep it as a pet and put a collar on it,” MDC Captain Scott Corley stated in an article in the Belleville News-Democrat. “[It’s] not safe for humans, and it’s not in the best interest of the animal’s welfare,” he warned.

Last week the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department also shared the image of the deer, reminding us all that deer and other wild animals are not meant to be pets. The post seemed to have hit a nerve with some followers who claimed that whoever painted the deer was simply trying to protect it from hunters during this year’s hunting seasons...

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

🐺 The chase is on: Pack of wolves chase down hundreds of elk in Yellowstone.

🍬 Does that make him a cannibal?: Bear breaks into convenience store, eats gummy bears.

👣 Bigfoot fans are feenin': Video surfaces of the alleged elusive creature in Colorado.