What's killing all of Banff's elk? 🤨

Greetings from another Monday in the wonderful month of January (it’s almost over). In trusting that the weekend wasn’t quite long enough, here’s to hoping that your favorite dispatch from the outdoor world can give you 5-or-so minutes to yourself as we prepare for the onslaught of another week.

So, without further adieu, let’s grab that coffee or whiskey (no judgement) and get caught up on the outdoor news and views from the past few days. 

Here's what's worth reading about today:

• S.O.S. - Banff’s elk populations taking a hit 📉

• Two bills - Montana tables pair of wolf bills 🐺

• Extension granted - Not Tik Tok, but Mass. deer seasons 🎯

• No baiting bans - ND hunters rally to stop baiting ban 🍽️

• Legless bear- Not sure what happened to this fella 🦵

WE’RE GONNA NEED MORE DATA
WOLVES AND DISEASE SLOWLY DECIMATING BANFF’S ELK POPULATION

In addition to the beautiful mountains and landscape, the picturesque town of Banff, Alberta is also known for the majestic wildlife that call this world famous town home. A recent report published by the good folks out of Parks Canada painted a bleak picture for the area's elk populations as researchers are reporting population declines of about 54 percent over the last six years.

Performing fall elk classification counts each year, Parks Canada has been eying the disturbing trend that has been going anywhere but up since 2018. With just 123 elk counted in the Bow Valley between Castle Mountain and Banff National Park last year, it’s a stark contrast to the 267 elk counted just six short years ago.

“Over time, what we’ve noticed is this is definitely sliding off,” said Blair Fyten, human-wildlife coexistence specialist for Banff National Park. “We do know that our population is going down … that’s a 54 per cent decrease in population since 2018.”

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Montana House Fish, Wildlife and Parks Committee to consider two wolf hunting bills on Tuesday: HB 222, introduced by 14 legislators, states, “The commission shall authorize a wolf hunting season with an unlimited quota that must continue until the wolf population in the state is at or below 600 wolves.”  Read the full story.

Mass. deer-hunting seasons could be extended additional month: State officials are gathering feedback on a proposal to extend the deer-hunting season for an additional month into January, starting with Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. Read the full story.

Several GA hunters cited for hunting waterfowl over bait: All 6 hunters received citations for hunting waterfowl over bait. One hunter was also issued a written warning for hunting waterfowl with lead shot. Read the full story.

Deer stranded on frozen Potomac River rescued using airboat: In a video posted by Brandywine Valley SPCA on Facebook, animal control officers can be seen arriving in an airboat to reach the struggling deer on the icy river. Read the full story.

North Dakota hunting bill would prohibit state from imposing baiting bans:  Legislators on Friday heard testimony on a bill that aims to stop the North Dakota Game and Fish Department from banning hunters from using bait on private land to attract big game.  Read the full story.

Mule Deer on Flathead Indian Reservation Tests Positive for CWD: Wildlife officials with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) said a hunter-harvested mule deer on the Flathead Indian Reservation near Elmo has tested positive for chronic wasting disease, marking the first confirmed CWD-positive deer on reservation land and providing further evidence that the neurological disease is spreading in northwest Montana following its initial detection in wild populations of Flathead Valley deer last fall. Read the full story.

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🦵 Incredible footage shows a black bear getting along on only two legs.  I can’t pretend to imagine what would have happened to this fella and how both of his arms had been removed so cleanly…

But what I do know is that he’s got the heart of a lion and has learned to live within the confines of his situation. Mother Nature impresses once again.

BRB

📸 : @northwestseaplanes

Oh, and one more thing…