The illegal killing of the King 👑

I’m currently at the “it’s Thursday already?” phase of the workweek and am unsure as to whether or not that is a good thing as of yet. For those of you who have also made it through, a pat on the back is deserved.

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

Here's what's worth reading about today:

• The King is dead - King Louie buck poached in NY 👑

• 15-year bull - A New Brunswick moose that was worth the wait 🫎

• Da bears - Florida considering bear hunt 🐻

• Another suit - Hunting groups sue Colorado wildlife commissioners 🧑‍💼

THE KING IS DEAD
KING LOUIE BUCK FOUND TO BE SHAMEFULLY KILLED BY A POACHER IN NEW YORK STATE

One glance at this unique deer and it’s easy to understand how special he was to the local community of hunters in the central New York locale of Fonda/Johnstown. With a big, thick set of palmated antlers atop his head, “King Louie,” as he was known locally, began garnering local attention back in 2020.

Each year, locals would catch a glimpse of the king, causing a stir among both hunters and non-hunters alike, as they watched this deer continue to grow in awe. Approaching what many believed to be his 9th birthday, King Louie had transformed into a one-of-a-kind, world-class buck.

While many referred to the paddled deer as King Louie, there were some who pursued him endlessly using legal methods that referred to him as the ghost of Montgomery County. Disappearing in a flash, or simply not getting close enough for a safe shot, the tales of close calls decorate local hunting circles regarding the king.

With an opportunity at taking a shot at the ghost, it’s what kept a lot of hunters going over the years. That is until the grim news of his untimely and illegal death rippled through the community late last week…

Could extending New York hunting season affect North Country snowmobilers?: Hunting season is supposed to be coming to an end but the state Department of Environmental Conservation is considering extending it as a way to control the deer population. What does that mean for the North Country where snowmobiling season begins in the middle of December? Read the full story.

Hunters encouraged to help prevent spread of invasive species in Arkansas:  As duck hunting season kicks off in Arkansas, hunters are being reminded to take steps to prevent the spread of invasive species in the state's lakes and rivers. Read the full story.

See the massive moose this N.B. woman took down with a compound bow: Ashley Lomax of Maces Bay set a record when she used a compound bow to bag a moose in northern New Brunswick this fall, after waiting 15 years to be selected in the draw for a moose-hunting license. Read the full story.

Florida wildlife commission takes step toward allowing bear hunt: The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission agreed Wednesday to consider options for controlling the state’s growing bear population, potentially including hunting. Read the full story.

Instead Of Delisting And Hunting Grizzlies, Top Bear Biologist Wants More: A top bear biologist is arguing against delisting grizzlies from federal protection and hunting them. Instead, he says there should be more — a “meta-population” of grizzlies from Canada to the southern end of Yellowstone National Park. Read the full story.

Hunting groups sue Colorado wildlife commissioners over mountain lion hunting op-ed ahead of election: Safari Club International and Sportsmen’s Alliance say a column by sitting commissioners supporting a mountain lion hunting ban “harmed them” and broke open meetings law.  Read the full story.

🤜 A Traditional Christmas Fistfight: The Christmas season is upon us. Every family has their traditions: Real tree or fake? Individual towns have traditions. Some put out tons of lights and sparkling wreaths, others not so much. Deep in the Andes Mountains of Peru there is an ancient tradition that deserves to be noted—and possibly adopted.

In the remote Peruvian province of Chumbivilcas, the festival of Takanakuy takes place every Christmas in the capital city San Tomas to clear the air of all the grievances built up over the year. Takanakuy is a weeklong festival of drinking and dancing that culminates with hand-to-hand combat. It’s sort of the opposite of a Hallmark Christmas movie in all the right ways. Read the full story.

🐔 Rainforest Roosters: The pounding of the surf grew louder every few seconds as rollers from the Pacific collided with the boulder-strewn shores of Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula. We bumped along slowly, trolling live sardines just outside of the surf zone. The salty, mist-filled air made my skin and sunglasses wet to the touch. The skies were dark with thick clouds that appeared nearly every afternoon during our trip to the Crocodile Bay lodge in the middle of the summer rainy season. 

We were so close to shore that I half-expected to see a T-rex come roaring out of the vibrant, wild landscape. I had not been to southern Costa Rica in more than a decade, and I was happy to see the Osa hadn’t changed much — the rainforest thick with dark green foliage that runs from the beach toward the tops of the cliffside. Truthfully, this area hasn’t changed much in thousands of years: rich soil, a rainforest full of animals and sounds, the surf rolling in and unlimited fishing potential. Read the full story.

🔫 The Curious Case of Gaston Glock:  When I got a text yesterday about the passing of Gaston Glock (1929-2023), a Beatles line popped into my head immediately. “I read the news today, oh boy,” which which is from the song “A Day in Life.“ We knew it was coming, obviously. The man was 94. And what a shadow he cast.

What a life Gaston Glock had. Growing up in the ashes of Germany during and after the Second World War, he became an engineer in a new field called plastics. We call it polymer now. Polymer is a mixture of any two materials, but it was the bonding of plastic to metal that makes him a “Jeopardy” answer. Read the full story.

Oh, and one more thing…