Wyoming Officials Pump the Brakes on Changes to Landowner Hunting Tags 🏷️

Welcome to the Wednesday edition of the newsletter. If you’re still with us, that means you’ve made it to the middle of yet another week.

With that said, let’s all take a minute to grab a coffee or whiskey and get this mid-week dispatch out the door.

Here's what's worth reading about this morning:

• Pump the brakes - Wyoming officials backtrack landowner tag changes 🏷️

• Pheasants in the bag - Iowa numbers show a stellar season for ringnecks 👍

• Deer rescued in sharky waters - Florida lifeguards come to the aid of a deer surrounded by sharks 🦈

• Mo’ wolf tags in Montana - A new proposal would bump the state quota to 500 🐺

• Bear sightings in Idaho - Things are heating up in northern Idaho and officials are reminding the public to remain aware 🐻

• I’m so tired of 3-putting - And so is this moose 🫎

FOLKS JUST AIN’T HAVING IT
WYOMING OFFICIALS PUMP THE BRAKES ON UNPOPULAR CHANGES TO LANDOWNER HUNTING TAGS

With their finger seemingly on the pulse of the state’s hunting community, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department is bailing on a few potential changes they were eyeing surrounding their Landowner Hunting Tag program.

The program, which allows eligible landowners to apply for special hunting tags for specific species such as elk, deer, antelope and turkeys, is used as a compensation tool for those that provide suitable habitat for these species and manage their lands as such. It’s been a part of Wyoming’s Game and Fish Department’s management plan since 1949, but has since come under fire for some recently proposed changes…

FWC hunting coordinator, chief conservation officer talk about upcoming bear hunt: We decided to interview key members of FWC's black bear management team to get a better idea as to exactly why the state is hunting black bears again. We talked with George Warthen, the chief conservation officer for FWC, and Morgan Richardson, the director of hunting and game management. Read the full story. 

Minnesota DNR to allow archery deer hunting during waterfowl migration on Lake Ocheda refuge: The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has accepted a proposal to allow archery deer hunting on the Lake Ocheda State Game Refuge during waterfowl migration this fall. All other seasons will be closed to hunting during the duck season. Read the full story.

Iowa pheasant hunters bagged more than 460,000 roosters in 2024:Iowa’s 2024 estimated pheasant harvest was the second highest in nearly two decades, coming in at more than 460,000 roosters last fall, surpassed only by the 2023 harvest of 590,000. Read the full story.

Lifeguards rescue deer from ocean as sharks circle off Flagler Beach coast: On Sunday afternoon, Flagler Beach lifeguards Chase Hunter and Leo Peters told WESH, the deer was struggling, bobbing underwater and resurfacing for what witnesses say was around an hour and a half. Read the full story.

Montana eyes more wolf hunting, trapping: A proposal from the state agency would increase the statewide wolf hunting and trapping quota to 500. That is up from 2024’s wolf hunting quota of 334.  Read the full story.

Recent grizzly bear sightings are a reminder that North Idaho is bear country: As summer unfolds and wild berries begin to ripen across the landscape, bears are on the move—and recent sightings in the Panhandle are a good reminder that humans share this landscape with wildlife. It’s time to secure attractants and be proactive in living responsibly in bear country.  Read the full story.

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⛳️ This young moose has had enough three-putting for one day. I don’t play much golf these days, but once upon a time, I felt the same way.

Easy on the greens though, k?

It’s easy. Copy your link below and send it to your friends. If they sign up, you get free stuff.

Now, do it. (Please).

Oh, and one more thing…