$21K in Fines, Jail Time for Two of Four Involved in Montana Trophy Poaching Ring 🧑‍⚖️

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.

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:

HOPING THE OTHER TWO GET WHAT’S COMING
GUILTY PLEAS RESULT IN $21K IN FINES AND JAIL TIME FOR TWO OF FOUR MEN INVOLVED IN MONTANA TROPHY POACHING RING

What began as anonymous tips to wildlife wardens back in 2022 has escalated into a federal-level investigation that later culminated in 33 criminal charges against four Montana men. Fast-forward three years and the case is looking as though it’s about to be completely buttoned up. In court proceedings yesterday, a second member of the poaching quartet took his licks in front of a judge, while the other two remain in plea negotiations amid vacated trial dates which are set to commence over the coming weeks.

This story, pieced together from court documents, investigative affidavits, and public records, exposes how social media bravado and sloppy evidence trails brought down what authorities called a brazen "trophy poaching ring."

The illegal spree took place between 2022 and 2024 and was centered around targeted high-value game in hard-to-draw districts, where permits are limited and animals like mature bull elk can fetch thousands on the black market for mounts and meat. 

Over that three-year period, Cameron Ray Wyant and Christian Gerald Wyant of Helena, along with Dylan Charles Boyer and Maxwell Lawton Krupp of Bozeman, allegedly killed or possessed at least 14 big-game animals without valid licenses, without landowner permission, or in outright violation of season and area regulations…

👣 Bigfoot Hunter Vows to Carry on After FBI says ‘Evidence’ of Sasquatch Turns Out to be Deer Hair. A Colorado-based Bigfoot researcher is refusing to abandon his search for the elusive beast, despite the anticlimactic release of the FBI's 50-year-old "Bigfoot File." The FBI documents, which were unsealed after a wave of excitement in the community, confirmed that a suspected Sasquatch hair sample sent in 1976 was determined not to have belonged to a mythical 7-foot creature, but (drumroll, please) to a deer. Researcher Alan Megargle, who is convinced the creatures exist after years of investigating sightings and finding unusual evidence like trees twisted by immense force, was not surprised by the result, noting that alleged Bigfoot DNA samples often come back as known animals or inconclusive.

Megargle and other enthusiasts believe that compelling audio recordings, rather than easily faked or explained photos, are the best current form of evidence. He and his fellow researchers recently captured audio in Park County, Colorado, that he describes as sounding like the famous "samurai chatter" vocalizations from the 1970s Sierra Sounds recordings, which believers suggest is a form of Sasquatch language. Megargle, a volunteer naturalist, plans to continue following up on sightings, including recent reports in Boulder County, and teaching others about the creature, remaining undeterred by the federal dismissal of the deer hair evidence. Go get ‘em, Alan.

🙏 Coroner Says Pa. Hunter Likely Would Have Lived If Not for Harsh Winter Conditions Delaying Rescue. Around 8am on Tuesday morning, 26-year-old Floyd Wengerd from McAlisterville, Pennsylvania, was fatally shot during a deer drive hunt on a remote mountain in Juniata County. The accidental shooting occurred amid a group of 24 hunters, where Wengerd was part of a smaller hunting party. Two members fired shots during the drive, but investigators determined that one hunter's bullet struck Wengerd in the right hip, causing a penetrating gunshot wound. He was quickly attended to by fellow hunters and first responders but faced a grueling extraction from the snowy, icy terrain with no nearby roads. Nearly 50 emergency personnel, including those using chainsaws to clear a path, took about an hour to reach and transport him, during which Wengerd remained conscious and talking despite being covered in blood.

Wengerd was airlifted to Geisinger Lewistown Hospital but was pronounced dead at 12:14 p.m. from hypovolemic shock due to blood loss, with the Mifflin County Coroner's Office ruling the death accidental. Officials emphasized that harsh winter conditions—deep snow, ice, and rugged isolation—severely delayed the rescue, likely sealing his fate; without them, his survival odds would have been much higher. Deputy Fire Company President Eric Coldren noted the chaos of the response, saying, “If the winter weather wasn’t going on, it would have increased his chances.” The involved hunter who fired the shots now faces potential charges pending further investigation.

🧑‍🎓 Texas Man Arrested for Illegally Hunting on Baylor University Property. A Waco man by the name ofWilliam Strasser was arrested on Sunday after being caught hunting deer without permission on Baylor University property. The incident came to light around 3:30 p.m. when a game camera on the campus grounds captured images of Strasser in the act, prompting a swift response from Texas Game Warden Michael Serbanic, Warden Delgado, and additional law enforcement units. With assistance from a McLennan County Sheriff's Office deputy who deployed a drone for thermal imaging, officers established a perimeter around the area. A nearby resident positively identified Strasser from the camera footage and directed authorities to his home, where he was promptly detained.

Strasser confessed to the unauthorized hunting and led officers to an abandoned vehicle parked near Donaldson Lane, where they recovered a loaded .30-06 caliber rifle concealed under items in the back seat. Baylor University police confirmed that Strasser had no permission to hunt or even enter the property armed, and a Baylor officer signed a non-consent form to formalize the trespass. He was booked into McLennan County Jail on charges of hunting without landowner consent and criminal trespass with a firearm.

🥷 TAXED! What they forgot to tell you is that on some streams and rivers, the taxman wears black fur and cares not about your feelings or whether or believed that fish belonged to you or not.

Good thing he didn’t hook him…

🦆 Ducks Dressed: The sign says $5 a bird. I had some buddies come in from Wisconsin to shoot mallards in the flooded timber of Arkansas and the weather was sub-optimal, but we scratched out a few. These boys had never heard of the duck pickers, so we stopped in to have their birds plucked whole, and to add some culture to my Yankee companions. When we opened the door we were greeted by the smell of smoldering Black & Milds and duck feathers, and the friendly faces of Skip and E.J.

“Where have you been all season, I’m about to run out of money to spend at the casino if we don’t get more birds to pick,” Skip berated me. I did feel a little guilty; it was already the end of December, and this was the first time I had duck hunted all year. One of my hunting companions asked if Skip and E.J. were ready for the new year and if they get a break. E.J. took a long pull off of his Black & Mild and replied, “Son, if duck season is in, we are here; this is how we make our money in the winter.” Read the full story.

🪿 The Viking Gander: Native North Americans have lived alongside Canada geese for thousands of years, but the first European to see a Canada goose was almost certainly a Viking. By the end of the 10th century, the North Atlantic Ocean had become a Viking bathtub. Scandinavia had proved too small for the Norsemen, and they began raiding monasteries along Britain’s northern coast in 793. It was the first step in an island-hopping campaign that brought the Vikings to Greenland in 985, and by 1000 they were restless to move again. The Viking who would lead them farther west than any other was Leif Erikson.

Erikson was chasing a rumor. In 986, a Viking merchant ship had become lost south of Greenland. The crew eventually sighted a land covered in forests, but the men knew it could not be Greenland. What they had seen was North America, and they were the first Europeans to do so. Read the full story.

💪 On The Good Water: What makes a good river? I’m partial to one that’s small enough to be intimate and winds through a large, quiet valley. That sounds greedy, like saying you like a French heist film where the men dress well and they drive Citroëns through Paris streets to a brooding jazz score. But sometimes you get lucky and arrive at the place you’ve been waiting for.

That’s what happened at Heidarvatn. The Vatnsa river flows from Heidarvatn Lake into the ocean on the south side of Iceland three hours from Reykjavik. The valley is grand (4700 private acres), the river approachable and the equation ideal. You stay at a small, well-appointed house on the home pool or a larger lodge on the lake. This is the place.  Read the full story.

Oh, and one more thing…