The peculiar case of deformed hooves in Colorado elk 🦶

Well, it’s that time again. Let’s get to celebrating the fact that, while the weekend might not be here yet, 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 24-or-so hours. 

Here's what's worth reading about today:

• Foot fetish - Colorado hunters down elk with bizarre hoof condition 🦶

• You’re the turkey - Illegal guide nailed in Kentucky 🦃

• Insta-famous - Bear poacher nabbed on social media 🤳

• Birthday buck - PA hunter gets a monster for his bday 🦌

• Boot licker - A young buck sneaks up on a hunter and gives his boots a good lickin’ 👅

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NOT A FOOT GUY
“ANYONE EVERY SEEN THIS?'“ COLORADO HUNTER ASKS AFTER SHOOTING ELK WITH DEFORMED HOOVES

After downing a cow elk about 60 miles west of Pueblo, Colorado, an elk hunter and his son discovered something peculiar about the animal after further inspection. After spotting the elk from about 500-600 yards away, the father-son duo decided to put the stalk on the cow as they watched her make her way up to the top of a ridge.

As they watched the elk, nothing stood out to them about her movements and they reported that she looked to be in fine physical condition. As they closed the distance on the elk, Tyler McKinley’s father went in for the kill by himself as his son watched in anticipation. Getting within shooting distance, McKinley’s father put the cow elk on the ground with a well placed shot and as the pair approached the animal after the kill, they discovered something that is still leaving them scratching their heads.

As they approached the elk, the pair immediately took notice of the animal's hooves. Overgrown and all twisted up, they looked as though the animal had undergone some sort of strange mutation. Having not seen anything like this before, the pair continued to process the animal and returned home with photographic and physical evidence they hoped would provide some answers…

🦃 Kentucky hunting guide nailed with $44,000 in restitution for turkey hunting violations. One Kentucky turkey guide will soon be hitting the unemployment line after he was sentenced this week for crimes he was accused of committing earlier this spring. 

According to reports, 59-year-old Timothy Smithwick of Drakeboro was found to be in operation of an illegal guide service by state Fish and Wildlife officers in May of this year. An investigation was soon launched and revealed that Smithwick was not only guiding hunters without the proper license, but also was in violation of baiting and firearm regulations as well.

Smithwick was then arrested on several charges including eight counts of illegal take of turkey, eight counts of illegal guiding, trapping violations, resident hunting/trapping without a license and a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. He was sentenced to 12 months in jail, but the sentence was suspended on the condition he pay the restitution by Jan. 2, according to the court docket. Game and fish officials have stated that, if paid, the restitution amount will be one of the largest ever levied for wildlife crimes in the state of Kentucky.

🤳 Social media brag foils New York bear poacher. The Facebooks and the Instagrams of the world can be a blessing or a curse, depending on how you use them. For idiots poachers, they seem to be a magnet for poor decisions and unwanted attention - particularly from law enforcement officers.

Such was the case when a Schoharie man caught the attention of state wildlife officials after a complaint about unsupervised youth hunters without an adult came in. Officers responded to the call and interviewed the young hunters in question. They soon learned whose care the young hunters were left in and made a note to follow up on the situation in the coming days.

It took just a few more days before Environmental Conservation Officers received a call about that same adult posting pictures of his latest kill to social media. The officers decided to pay the local processor a visit and have a better look at the bear. It was there that they found that the animal was without a complete tag. The next step was to head out to the scene of what was looking to be a crime, and do a bit more detective work.

There officers located cracked corn and sunflower seeds and used the social media pictures to confirm the location and pinpoint where the bear had been killed. Their next stop was the subject’s residence where he admitted to the wrong doing. 

He has since been charged with hunting bear over bait, illegally killing a bear, a tagging violation, and failure to properly supervise youth hunters. 

QUICK HITS // ^{_{FROM AROUND THE WEB}}

CWD detected for first time in Montana Hunting District 404: Chronic wasting disease (CWD) was recently detected in a mule deer buck taken by a hunter north of Great Falls in Hunting District 404.  Read the full story.

New York’s new deer tags cause hunter confusion:  For the 2024-25 hunting season, DEC modernized the hunting license printing process by changing the paper used for hunting licenses and tags from a unique synthetic waterproof stock to plain white paper. Read the full story.

Pennsylvania hunter gets massive buck on public land as early birthday present:A Pennsylvania hunter received an early birthday present when he shot a monster-sized buck Saturday morning. Austin Amacher was hunting near his Ridgway home in Elk County on state game lands property when he shot a tall 12-point with an inside spread of 19 3/4 inches.  Read the full story.

Oregon tribe has hunting and fishing rights restored under a long-sought court ruling:  For the last 47 years, the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians have held an annual powwow to celebrate regaining federal recognition. This month's event, however, was especially significant: It came just two weeks after a federal court lifted restrictions on the tribe's rights to hunt, fish and gather — restrictions tribal leaders had opposed for decades. Read the full story.

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

👅 A young buck casually sneaks up on hunter and gives his boots a lick. In some crazy footage coming off a maple syrup farm in Wisconsin, a hunter records a weary whitetail that is seemingly sneaking up on him before licking his boots. It looks as though the deer didn’t think the man was…well, a man, until the hunter moved his arm.

Incredible footage - let’s see if he does that again in a few years.

Oh, and one more thing…

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