Wyoming man facing big fines, jail time and 54-year hunting ban 🧑‍⚖️

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...

• Big fines and jail times- Wyoming man facing big fines, jail time and 54-year hunting ban 🚔

• Who eats your guts?- UM trail cam project needs hunters help 📸

• All dogs go to heaven - 13 hunting dogs perish in arson fire 🐾

• Rare cactus buck - 17-year-old kills it with his great grandfather 🌵

• $2 buck mac & cheese- Buck crashes through crowded diner 👨‍🍳

NOT SO SILENT
WYOMING MAN FACING JAIL TIME, 54-YEAR LICENSE SUSPENSION & $90K IN FINES

Given that the alleged poacher just celebrated his 66th birthday, if he is found guilty for the barrage of wildlife crimes he is facing, he’ll likely never hunt again.

Well, legally anyways. 

But that has allegedly never stopped him before.

The accused, 66-year-old Timothy Lee Crooks (fitting, right?) has been hit with five counts of wanton destruction of a big game animal and four counts of use of a silencer to take a big or trophy game animal.

Each of the charges comes with a penalty of up to 12 months in prison along with a $10,000 fine and a 6-year suspension of hunting privileges. Add it all together and Crooks could be on the hook for up to nine years in prison, $90,000 worth of fines and a 54-year suspension of his hunting privileges.

Court documents reveal a plethora of allegations that date back to August of 2018. It was at that time that wardens from Wyoming’s Game and Fish Department were called to investigate a dead deer that had been found dead and shot with a small caliber firearm. Witnesses on Arkansas Drive in Green River reported hearing multiple shots early in the morning hours and later found a deer suffering from the wounds likely sustained by the gunshots they heard earlier in the day...

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🐾 All dogs go to heaven: NC man loses 13 hunting dogs in suspected arson case.

🐻 Missouri's bear season: 12 bears were taken in the state's 3rd bear hunt.

🌵 17-year-old takes rare cactus buck: The best part? He got it with his great grandfather.

🤢 CWD strikes again in Wyoming: Deadly disease found in a new elk area.

⚪️ Albino? Pie-Bald? Not quite: White deer running Tennessee streets believed to be escaped non-native.

🙏 Freak accident: A lone hunter accidentally stabbed himself after approaching a wounded deer and died before anyone could find him.

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🐂 Big ol' bull doesn't take any: Estes Park elk takes charge at pedestrian.

😤 2 buck mac & cheese: Watch as buck busts through busy Wisconsin restaurant.

AN AWESOME WAY TO GIVE BACK
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA RESEARCHERS WANT TO SEE YOUR GUT PILE PICTURES

Who Eats Your Guts? That’s the question researchers at the University of Minnesota are asking hunters statewide. In an effort to better understand the kind of wildlife that feeds on discarded entrails, the school has launched the Offal Wildlife Watching program. 

OFFAL [ AW-FUHL, OF-UHL ], NOUN: THE INTERNAL ORGANS OF A BUTCHERED ANIMAL

The research and citizen science project aims to work closely with hunters across Minnesota to get a better idea about the role that discarded deer guts play in the natural ecosystem. 

“This is a great opportunity for deer hunters to contribute to wildlife science and management,” said Joseph Bump, professor of forest wildlife research and education at the University of Minnesota...

WEEKEND MEME // ^{_{Y’ALL BETTER GET RIGHT}}

WANDERINGS // ^{_{A SFW GLIMPSE OF OUR BROWSER HISTORY}}

In case the guys at the sandbar weren't scary enough, self-driving boats are now a thing. Five sports that were so damn bloody, they were outlawed. Awesome footage as dude loses his drone mid-flight to an eagle. An ode to Oklahoma-style BBQ.

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Montana mulie.
@jakeguzman