'Thicc Boi' fall is officially here 🐻

Well, it’s admittedly been a pretty darn slow week on the ol’ outdoor newswire, which tells me a lot of y’all must be out in the woods creating the stories we’ll one day talk about on here.

Nonetheless, we’ve got a job to do so, if you’re still with us, that means you’ve made it to the middle of yet another week.

With that in mind, let’s all take a minute to grab a coffee or whiskey (no judgement) and get another mid-week dispatch out the door.

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

• Thicc boy fall - An obscenely obese bear has been spotted in Colorado 🧸

• Not all heroes wear capes - Boy rewarded for saving his old man 🎖️

• An elk named Roger - Has been euthanized after terrorizing the locals 💉

• Hit the lights! - A new minivan deer stand 🚙

• Michigan urging hunters - Please shoot a doe says DNR 🙏

THIS BOY IS ‘BOUT TO HIBERNATE
‘THICC BOI’ FALL OFFICIALLY UNDERWAY AFTER TRAIL CAMERA CAPTURES ABSOLUTELY MASSIVE BLACK BEAR

Colorado Parks and Wildlife got a YUGE surprise this week when they checked on one of their trail cams near Durango. Releasing some images and some videos of the massive beast, the agency’s Southwest Division, let the bear and the internet do the talking.

After spreading the images, the now famous ‘Thicc Boi’ (their words, not mine) has since went viral for both his size and his voracious appetite.

“We thought we had seen really fat Durango bears before. But this one takes the cake. It also probably ate the cake. Every cake,” the wildlife agency wrote on X.

🎖️ 12-year-old boy receives award for saving his father during bear attack. It was about a month ago when 12-year-old Owen Beierman and his father Ryan set out into the woods in search of black bear. It didn’t take long for the father-son duo to come across a nice specimen and get a shot at it.

As it would turn out, the shot wasn’t perfect, and after giving the animal a bit of time, the two of them then went to investigate. What they found was an injured 200-pound bear that was not at all happy to see the two culprits responsible for inflicting such pain. The bear immediately attacked the boys father, tearing at his head and face. In the heat of the moment, the 12-year-old raised his rifle and took care of business, quite possible saving his father’s life in the process.

In recognition for his actions, Owen was awarded with a Hero Award by the Burnett County Sheriff’s Office last week.

“Owen saw a traumatic and dangerous situation unfold in front of him. Most people would freeze, panic or even pass out in the face of danger. Owen was awarded this hero award because he is clearly built different. He calmly cleared a weapon malfunction, took proper aim and shot at the bear saving his father's life,” a release from the Sheriff’s Office read.

🤦 The elk affectionately named Roger has been euthanized after mixing it up with the locals. Named after the small Michigan town for which he frequented, a young bull elk named Roger was euthanized this week. Located along the shores of Lake Huron, Rogers, Michigan is home to about 3,000 residents and one former elk who showed up last season.

After wandering around town last fall, the bull became somewhat of a mascot for the small northern town and was soon named by the locals. Things, however, went south when the now more mature bull returned this fall. Growing into more of a man, so to speak, Roger began to assert a little bit more dominance this year. Becoming accustomed to people after locals started feeding him apples and other treats, his natural fear of humans eventually faded (surprise, surprise).

Well, as Roger got more ‘rutty’ this year, his behavior towards the locals turned more confrontational. With a number of reports of the bull charging at people and vehicles head down, DNR officials were forced with the difficult decision of how to deal with such an animal.

As goes the saying for bears, a fed bear is a dead bear, the same is true for large ungulates as well. Once acclimated to human contact, and more importantly, food, these animals quickly go from ‘town mascot’ to ‘town terror’. The DNR made the decision to euthanize Roger, and hope that the underlying message of leaving wild animals alone sinks in a bit.

As more and more people across the country insist on blurring the lines between human and wild animal relationships, the unfortunate reality is that the only loser in these twisted relationships ends up being these animals.

Florida voters to decide if fishing and hunting should be a guaranteed right: Hunting and fishing could become a guaranteed right in Florida. Amendment 2 would add that right to the state constitution if voters approve it next month. Read more at WCTV.

Missouri begins its 4th bear-hunting season, adjustments to the season may come next year:  The department estimates that Missouri's black bear population is between 950 and 990. But over the years, the population has moved northward, causing bear sightings in the St. Louis area, leading the department to implement a bear hunting season. Read more at KSDK.

Montana FWP issues reminders ahead of general hunting season's opening weekend:  Saturday, October 26, will be a busy day for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks as thousands of people will be out for the opening of the general big game hunt. This happens because of Montana's vast resource of game and its partnerships with landowners who allow hunting. Read more at KPAX.

As deer ravage suburbs, Michigan urges hunters: Do your part, shoot a doe : As Michigan’s popular whitetail deer firearm season approaches next month, state officials are urging hunters to shoot does to curb populations tweaking regulations to encourage it.  Read more at Bridge Michigan.

DNR offers new deer plan for northern Wisconsin counties: The DNR is proposing revising boundaries for the state’s deer management units, which the agency reviews every few years. The state is considering changes within the northern and central forest zones, as well as metropolitan subunits or more developed areas of the state. Read more at Iron Mountain Daily.

California DFW Anticipates Good Conditions for Quail and Chukar Hunting: The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is anticipating good hunting for quail and chukar in 2024-25 as the statewide seasons for both open Saturday, Oct. 19 and run concurrently through Jan. 26. Read more at CDFW.

Michigan bow hunters harvest over 29,000 deer as season progresses: The Michigan bow hunting season began Oct. 1 and will run through Nov. 14. According to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, as of 9 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 21, a total of 29,070 deer have been harvested during this archery season.  Read more at Big Rapids News.

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

🔦 Just turn on the lights! A Nebraska man has gotten ultra-creative and designed a new deer stand using his old beat-up minivan. He claims that all he needs to do is “turn the headlights on and they’ll jump right in front of it!” Let me know how that goes…

💪 Dad springs into action after coyote chases his 4-year-old daughter in their yard. While I’m not sure if this young lady had every cried wolf - or coyote - before, but once her father realized she wasn’t kidding, he sprang into action in a way only dads can.

Oh, and one more thing…