ven•a•tic: fond of or living by hunting
NORTH AMERICA’S MOST-READ OUTDOOR NEWSLETTER
As we continue to slowly but surely inch back towards the weekend, let’s all take a minute to grab a coffee or whiskey (no judgement) and get into what this beautiful Tuesday has to offer.
Here's what's worth reading about so far this week:
Operation Stolen Waters - Florida officials round up 10 suspects in massive undercover investigation 👮
When lightning strikes - Montana ranchers scramble to pick up 220 sheep carcasses before grizzlies do ⚡️
You pick - A new proposal in Pennsylvania would allow deer hunters to pick what day rifle season opens 🗓️
Attacked at home - An Idaho couple was attacked on their porch by a black bear 🐻
Chungus - How this fella ended up in the back of a garbage truck 🗑️
OPERATION STOLEN WATERS
10 CHARGED IN MASSIVE FLORIDA FISHING AND SEA TURTLE POACHING SCHEME
In an announcement from Florida’s Panhandle yesterday, authorities say they’ve pressed charges against 10 people in what was a multi-year undercover operation built on illegal reef fish, off-the-books sales, and protected sea turtles sold to officers.
Attorney General James Uthmeier announced the charges in Carrabelle alongside the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and local law enforcement. The case, aptly named Operation Stolen Waters, kicked off back in May of 2022 after complaints about reef-fish poaching out in the Gulf. Investigators say one of the suspects first approached them offering to sell illegally caught fish, triggering undercover work that continued from there…
HEADLINES // DIGESTIBLE SNIPPETS
Composting carcasses
⚡️ Lightning kills 220 sheep in Montana, composters scramble to haul them off before grizzlies move in. A single bolt of lightning killed 220 sheep in southwest Montana’s remote Gravelly Range late last month. The deadly strike left piles of carcasses that could very well have turned into one heck of a grizzly bear attractant just as archery season was starting. Scrambling to get the scene cleaned up, Forest Service crews, local ranchers, and conservation-district volunteers spent the next day loading the sheep and hauling them to a carcass composting site run by Linda Owens and Matt Moen just south of Norris.
Owens and Moen usually process 10 to 12 carcasses a month, so this was certainly an above average order for the operation that runs on just over two acres of land. Erik Kalsta of the Western Landowners Alliance said prompt removal is basic grizzly conflict mitigation as leftover carcasses are a leading reason bears get killed over livestock, and a mass kill like this may very well have pulled in a crowd of bears.
🗓️ Pennsylvania. lawmaker proposes letting hunters pick their deer rifle opening day. Pennsylvania State Rep. Carl Walker Metzgar, is proposing legislation that would let holders of a general hunting license vote on the opening day of the state’s regular firearms deer season. Under this proposal, hunters would be able to choose between the Saturday after Thanksgiving and the Monday after Thanksgiving to begin their rifled hunt. For years the rifle season traditionally opened on the Monday after Thanksgiving, that is, until 2019 when the Game Commission moved it to Saturday, which remains a sore point among hunters to this day.
Under the bill, the Game Commission would tally the votes and lock in whichever day wins for the next 10 license years. After that decade, hunters would then get the opportunity to vote again for what the next 10 year period would look like. Metzgar has acknowledged criticism of a “transient vote” from people who do not buy a license every year, but argues the poll could end up boosting sales because more people would buy a license that year specifically to vote in the process. At this point, the measure is only a proposal and lawmakers still have to decide whether it gets pushed forward.
🐻 Bear injures two at their Idaho home; three bears killed. A young bear injured two people on the porch of their home near Salmon, Idaho, around 3:30 a.m. Friday morning. Idaho Fish and Game said one victim was flown by helicopter to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls and treated for their injuries.
After setting out to find the aggressive bruin, state trackers later came across the bear, a sibling, and an adult believed to be their mother, and ended up killing all three of them out of an abundance of caution. Officials have since urged residents to cut food smells around homes, secure trash, clean grills, take down bird feeders and outdoor pet food, manage fruit trees, and keep doors and windows shut.
THOUGHTS FROM THE STAND // FROM OUR NOTEPAD
There’s something about Florida in October. It gets crazy. Maybe the seasonal people are back and it sets off a chain reaction of some kind. I can’t be sure. But things definitely get a little touchy this time of year.
Changing your life for status often looks like sacrificing something you can control for the sake of an opinion you cannot control.
Two things that should never drive decisions: compliments and complaints.
10mm in the woods, 9mm in the hoods.
The promise land is just beyond the desert 🙏
VIDEO // SOME THINGS JUST HAVE TO BE SEEN
🐻 The locals call him “Chungus”. As the story goes, this hungry fella was resting inside a dumpster (after a huge meal, presumably) when the truck came by and dumped him and the trash inside.
As you can see, he got out safely and has since been relocated…
WANDERINGS // A SFW GLIMPSE OF OUR BROWSER HISTORY
This dude has dedicated this life to communicating with whales, wolves, turkeys and a few other animals. At this point I can’t decide if he’s completely off his rocker or somewhat fascinating. This dirt bike camp out in British Columbia is calling to my 14-year-old self. The video of Chungus the bear (above) reminded me of Jonah and the whale. And thus the age-old question regarding whether or not a whale could actually swallow a human. The most popular Halloween candy the year you were born, which goes on to explain my addiction to Reese’s peanut butter concoctions.
EYE CANDY // PICTURES > WORDS
Oh, and one more thing…
