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:
Making history - A 9-year-old Idaho girl’s online newspaper poll leads to official designation of hunting as official state sport 👧
School’s out - Kentucky is toying with the idea of doing away with hunter ed 🎓
Giving back - Michigan man who battled Parkinson’s builds accessible deer blind to help others get out in the field 🏕️
Booming in Bozeman - City boasts 60-70 deer per square mile 🦌
No messing around - Watch these turkeys put the run on this poor UPS driver🦃
9-year-old Betty Grandy presents legislation
👧 9-Year-Old Idaho Girl Campaigns to Make Hunting the Official State Sport. A 9-year-old fourth-grader by the name of Betty Grandy has captured local attention with her initiative to designate hunting as Idaho's official sport. The idea captured her attention after reading an Idaho history book and realizing that the state had yet to name an official state sport. Being the author of her own online newspaper/newsletter, she ran a poll asking her readers what sport they thought ought to be designated. Of the choices—which included skiing, whitewater rafting and fishing—archery hunting came out on top as the favorite. She then presented her proposal directly to Idaho lawmakers, arguing that hunting embodies the state's deep-rooted outdoor heritage, supports wildlife conservation through license fees, strengthens family traditions, boosts rural economies via tourism and recreation, and reflects Idaho's culture of self-reliance and stewardship.
After reaching the Governor’s office, lawmakers responded positively to her pitch, introducing House Bill 652 to officially recognize hunting as Idaho's state sport. Idaho already has symbols like the potato as its state vegetable and the Appaloosa as its state horse, but no official state sport yet—and the editor-in-chief of the Grandy Gazette is hopeful her efforts could fill that gap. The bill is now on its way to the House floor where it must pass before becoming law.
👮♂️ Public Asked to Help Solve String of Illegal Mule Deer Killings in Southwest Idaho. Idaho Fish and Game conservation officers are investigating three separate incidents of mule deer bucks being shot and left to waste in southwest Idaho, with a public call for tips to help solve the cases. The most recent involved a 2x3 mule deer buck shot out of season sometime between January 30 and 31st, at Arrowrock Reservoir near the Irish Creek campsite. The buck was shot in the head and discovered just off Cottonwood Canyon Creek Road on a nearby hillside, with the meat left to spoil.
The other two cases include a 4x4 mule deer buck shot around December 26 (likely at night) in a remote alfalfa field near Grandview in Owyhee County, left to waste by the shooter; and another 4x4 buck taken with archery equipment around November 10 on Robie Creek Road during an open season. Officers believe the shooter knew the deer expired but failed to retrieve it, ruling out simple wounding loss based on scene evidence.
Officers are urging anyone with information to contact the Southwest Regional Office at 208-465-8465, the Citizens Against Poaching hotline at 1-800-632-5999 (anonymous tips accepted), or report online via the IDFG tipline. Rewards may be available for info leading to citations.
QUICK HITS // FROM AROUND THE WEB
Bill introduced that would eliminate hunter education requirements in Kentucky: Senate Bill 200 would remove the requirement to complete a hunter education course for those 18 and over in Kentucky. Read the full story.
Extended winter hunt pushes Nantucket to record deer harvest: Hunters harvested 999 deer on Nantucket during the fall and winter seasons, setting a new island record as Martin Feehan, the state’s deer and moose project leader, said the first extended winter hunt was a success. Read the full story.
New opportunities coming to hunt doe on PA properties with crop losses: The Pennsylvania Game Commission is expanding antlerless deer hunting opportunities where there are ‘crisis’ levels of deer. Read the full story.
Quincy man builds free handicap-accessible hunting blind for West Michigan sportsmen: At just 25 years old, Ervin Schmucker was diagnosed with juvenile Parkinson's, leading to tremors and weakness throughout his legs and body."I just told myself, if I'm able to get back on my feet, I want to spend the rest of my life, every chance I get, helping others that are less fortunate than I," Schmucker said. Read the full story.
The fully accessible blind complete with elevator lift
Wildlife Officials Offering Rare Spring Elk Hunts in Northern California: The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is accepting applications for five spring bull elk tags through its Shared Habitat Alliance for Recreational Enhancement (SHARE) program. The hunts will take place on 12 private ranches and farms totaling 1,834 acres in Del Norte County near Crescent City. Read the full story.
Bozeman neighborhoods see deer population density reach 60-70 animals per square mile: Montana has approximately 225,000 white-tailed deer, averaging about 7.8 deer per square mile statewide. However, certain areas of southeast Bozeman are experiencing much higher concentrations. Read the full story.
VIDEO // SOME THINGS JUST HAVE TO BE SEEN
🦃 What’s got this UPS driver in an absolute panic?!?! Just a gaggle of angry turkeys.
Sounded like this guy was in a fight for his life…
QUOTABLES // WORDS TO LIVE BY
“ It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it’s still here. So get out there and hunt and fish and mess around with your friends, ramble out yonder and explore the forests, climb the mountains, bag the peaks, run the rivers, breathe deep of that yet sweet and lucid air, sit quietly for a while and contemplate the precious stillness, the lovely, mysterious, and awesome space.”
— Edward Abbey
HUMPDAY MEME // JUST PLAY THE WIND
WANDERINGS // A SFW GLIMPSE OF OUR BROWSER HISTORY
In the days before high-tech radar and other forms of modern protection, we had to physically send people to the coasts to eye enemy ships or air strikes. And in the first World War off the coast of Britain, many of those watchers were just young boys. As I’ve said, I’m not huge Olympics guy (although luge is growing on me) but apparently this year’s medals are literally falling apart. Much like luge as an Olympic sport, the idea of Bigfoot has always fascinated me, especially as a young boy. Not enough to believe that there is actually some 8-foot creature out there that we have somehow yet to discover, but intrigued enough to read about the researchers who’d interviewed 130 Bigfoot hunters. There are things in this modern world I feel as though I didn’t ask for. A Starbucks on every corner and giga-Walmarts are certainly a couple of easy examples. But worst of all, let’s not forget this ridiculous notion that we should all be reachable at any given moment. And while this article is positioned from more of a desire and seduction point of view, I still think the art of being unreachable is something we all ought to practice.
EYE CANDY // PICTURES > WORDS
Reporting for duty.
📸 @rileyconne11
SHARE WITH FRIENDS // WE’LL SEND YOU COOL SH*T
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…
