Pennsylvania Game Commission Dismantles Poaching Ring Responsible for Illegally Killing Dozens of Bucks

If you’re still with us, that means you’ve made it to the middle of yet another week. And if you are in the great state of Florida this morning, we are throwing up prayers for you.

Stay safe and let’s all look out for one another 🙏

With that in mind, I know I’ll be skipping the coffee and moving right into whiskey this morning to get yet another mid-week dispatch out the door.

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

• Family business - PA officials dismantle poaching ring 👮

• Climbin’ trees - Sow grizzly dispatched after treeing hunter 🌳

• Poached grizz - A sow grizzly bear has been shot in Idaho and officials want answers 🕵️

• Stolen deer - Don’t leave your deer unattended 🥷

• Off-duty bust- An off-duty warden busts a couple of young poachers ⛓️‍

• Taunting - When a mountain lion kills your cat and taunts you with the body 🐈‍⬛

THE FAMILY BIDNESS
PENNSYLVANIA GAME COMMISSION DISMANTLES POACHING RING RESPONSIBLE FOR ILLEGALLY KILLING DOZENS OF TROPHY BUCKS

Well, it was another family affair in Pennsylvania after officials from the state’s Game Commission untangled a web of poaching allegations that led to 71 charges being laid. According to state wildlife officials, three men have been lambasted with a plethora of charges stemming from a two-year investigation involving dozens of trophy bucks in eastern Pennsylvania.

After fielding a tip back in 2022, officers were alerted to suspicious activity involving a father and his two sons. State game wardens spent the better part of the following two years investigating the trio of suspects and quickly unraveled a web of illegal deer kills that finally resulted in charges being filed last month.

Despite the charges, the investigation remains open as Game Commission officials believe there may be other parties involved. Given that the case is still open, some details surrounding the investigation have yet to have been published publicly.

Here’s what we do know…

🌳 Grizzly Bear Euthanized After Chasing Hunter Up a Tree in Montana. A man was left, quite literally, shaking like a leaf, last weekend following an aggressive encounter with a sow grizzly bear. According to reports, the momma bear, who was with two of her cubs at the time, charged the unidentified hunter near the Hidden Lakes region of Gallatin County. The hunter reportedly managed to shoot the angry bear with his pistol as he sought refuge in a tree, but said she was reluctant to leave the scene. 

He placed a call just after 2 p.m. on Saturday from his perch and waited for a Montana Fish and Wildlife helicopter to arrive on the scene. He was transported from the area without any injuries and officials later located the grizzly and dispatched of the ornery bruin. The incident remains under investigation by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

🕵️ Idaho officials are looking for information regarding an illegally killed sow grizzly bear. In neighboring Idaho, officials are investigating another attack involving a sow grizzly. Rather than a killing in defense of life, Idaho wildlife officials are suspecting foul play and are looking for answers. The bear was found shot and killed in Clark County, a rural park of eastern Idaho, in early September. 

“We rely on the public to help us protect their natural resources,” says Regional Conservation Officer Barry Cummings. “No detail is too small. If you know anything about this incident, please make the call”. Grizzly bears are protected by both state and federal law with no current hunting season in Idaho.

Ohio to release over 14,000 pheasants in 36 public hunting areas: The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife will release 14,400 ring-necked pheasants at public hunting areas in late October and November. Releases will begin Saturday, Oct. 19 during Ohio’s youth small game hunting season. Read more at WTRF.

Pheasant and antelope hunting season open Saturday in Montana:  Expectations are high for a successful season due to the abundant upland game bird population and extensive access to public lands across the state, according to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. Read more at Montana Right Now.

Apply for Utah's most prized hunting permits, starting Oct. 16:  "If you draw a sportsman permit, you can hunt on almost every unit in Utah that's open to hunting the species you drew a permit for," DWR Wildlife Licensing Coordinator Lindy Varney said. "Also, the season dates are much longer, so you'll have more time to scout different places to harvest an animal. It's truly the hunt of a lifetime." Read more at Wyoming DWR.

West Virginia drought may lead to smaller deer and antlers this hunting season: West Virginia has been under a drought since July, making it the longest drought in the state in 30 years, according to WVU. And although conditions are starting to improve, some of the damage has already been done.  Read more at WBOY.

Georgia primitive weapons deer hunting season opens Saturday: “The primitive weapons season offers deer hunters an opportunity to harvest game prior to the opening of the modern firearms season,” said Charlie Killmaster, state deer biologist with the WRD Game Management Section. “We are dramatically expanding the reach of the Hunters for the Hungry program this season with the Georgia Wildlife Federation, making this season a great time to take an extra doe to donate.” Read more at Grice Connect.

Deerly departed – Bowling Green man reports theft of dead deer from his pickup to police: Police were dispatched at 5:50 a.m., to a home in the 100 block of Ada Avenue for a report of a dead deer stolen from the back of a pickup truck during the night. The owner of the truck told police that he claimed the deer, which was killed in a car crash the night before. Read more at BG Independent.

Maryland White-tailed Deer Experiencing Hemorrhagic Disease Outbreak in Some Areas: This year, confirmed or suspected cases of EHD have been documented in counties on the Eastern Shore, central and southern Maryland, and as far west as Garrett County. The largest outbreak in the state appears to be in Carroll, Frederick, and Washington counties. Read more at Maryland DNR.

Wisconsin confirms cases of epizootic hemorrhagic disease in Chippewa, Jackson and Waukesha Counties: The disease was detected after landowners reported healthy-looking, dead deer near ponds on their properties. The DNR is investigating similar reports in additional counties. Read more at Wisconsin DNR.

CONTROVERSY // ^{_{THIS WEEK’S SH*T DISTURBER}}

👮 Off-duty Game Warden busts 21-year-old poachers in Pennsylvania. An off-duty game warden was trying to get a quick bow hunt in before his next shift when a peculiar hunter caught his eye. According to reports, state Game Warden Shawn Barron was bow-in-hand when he saw a young man traipsing through the woods in full camo and a scoped rifle in his hands.

He decided the scene was interesting enough to flash his badge and engage the young man who he soon recognized from a previous wildlife violation encounter. Barron asked the 21-year-old man, who was later identified as Dalton Stevanus, what he was hunting. The young man told the warden he was chasing coyotes, but then proceeded to give the warden a false name and refused to produce any hunting licenses or id before fleeing from the scene. 

With some probable cause in his back pocket, Barron went home to change into his uniform and entered the woods on duty. With the assistance of another warden, the two encountered Tanner Klinkner, also 21, and began questioning him. The wardens soon learned that Stevanus was staying with Klinkner and later executed a search warrant that would aid them in charging both of the young men.

Stevanus was charged with unlawful killing or taking of big game (three whitetail deer) and possession of drug paraphernalia (allegedly found on his person), misdemeanors, and 11 summaries that include unlawful acts concerning licenses, where Stevanus' hunting and trapping privileges were suspended prior to the date of the incident, hunting in a safety zone without permission, he was using a big game tag belonging to another and the unlawful killing of a raccoon.

Klinker, his partner in crime, was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia on his person and at his residence, a misdemeanor, and three summary counts, two for unlawful taking or possession of game or wildlife and one count of false or fraudulent statements on reports.

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

🐈‍⬛ A mountain lion kills this family’s cat and comes back, covered in blood, to taunt them. Watch as an Alberta family gets a shocking display after a lion kills their family pet and brings it back to torment them.

🐍 Watch as a North Carolina man untangles a boa constrictor from his car’s dashboard. Me? Oh I would have just set fire to the damn thing. F*ck that.

Oh, and one more thing…