Alberta Considers Ending 20-Year Grizzly Bear Hunting Ban 🐻

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:

THE LATEST STATE/PROVINCE TO CONSIDER A HUNT
ALBERTA CONSIDERS ENDING 20-YEAR GRIZZLY BEAR HUNTING BAN AMID RISING HUMAN CONFLICTS

In what is viewed as perhaps one of the most controversial things a state or provincial government can do (outside of messing with wolves), the Alberta government announced yesterday that they are actively reviewing whether to lift a nearly two-decade-old ban on grizzly bear hunting, signalling a potential shift in actually taking control of how the province manages its recovering grizzly population.

Forestry and Parks Minister Todd Loewen confirmed in recent interviews that “we’re looking at everything” when it comes to grizzly bear management, explicitly including the possibility of reopening a limited or general hunt. The long-standing provincial ban on grizzly hunting has been in place since 2006, when the species was officially listed as Threatened in Alberta.

The discussion gained urgency following a serious grizzly bear mauling in late October near Cochrane, west of Calgary, where a hunter was severely injured. Minister Loewen described the incident as a wake-up call, stressing that public safety must remain the government’s top priority…

🫎 Two Washington Men Charged with Felony Poaching After Wasting Trophy Bull Moose in Northern Idaho. A pair of Washington men have been charged with felony unlawful taking and wasting of a trophy bull moose, along with concealment of evidence, following an incident in northern Idaho. The moose was allegedly killed on the morning of November 25th along the Idaho-Washington border near Twin Lakes. The men, who possessed only a valid Washington moose tag but no Idaho tag, left the carcass partially quartered with the hide intact for over 24 hours, leading to the meat becoming inedible and wasted, as confirmed by examination at a local processor.

The case came to light on November 26th when Idaho Fish and Game conservation officers received a tip from a concerned neighbor about the men's suspicious behavior while discussing the moose. Officers quickly responded, contacted the individuals at the scene, and launched an investigation in the Panhandle Region. The Kootenai County Prosecutor’s Office filed the charges after review.

🌉 Colorado Opens North America's Largest Wildlife Overpass. Colorado has completed the largest wildlife crossing in North America: a massive overpass spanning Interstate 25 in Douglas County, near Larkspur between Denver and Colorado Springs.

The Greenland Overpass, which opened to wildlife earlier this month, measures 209 feet long and 200 feet wide—covering nearly an acre—making it bigger than any similar structure on the continent. Built over a six-lane stretch of I-25 that sees about 100,000 vehicles per day, the bridge is topped with soil and native vegetation to blend seamlessly into the surrounding landscape, encouraging use by wide-ranging species like elk, pronghorn, and mule deer. The overpass is expected to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions in the area—previously averaging one per day during migration seasons—by up to 90%, based on proven results from similar structures elsewhere.

As of mid-December, animals have not yet heavily utilized the crossing due to mild weather delaying seasonal migrations, but officials anticipate increased activity as winter drives big game down from higher elevations.

🐻 Black Bears Thriving in Wyoming, Reclaiming Historic Ranges Despite Record Harvests. Wyoming's black bear population is robust and expanding, with bears reclaiming historic habitats across the state even as hunters achieved record harvests in recent years. Experts attribute the thriving numbers to abundant natural food sources, effective wildlife management, and the species' adaptability. Sightings have increased in areas where black bears had been absent for decades, reflecting successful conservation efforts that balance hunting opportunities with population sustainability.

While human-bear conflicts remain a concern in some regions, officials note that regulated hunting helps manage densities without threatening overall recovery.

😧 You’ve gotta see this. So the story goes that this dude and his buddy came across these two beaten down bucks while hunting in the Texas Panhandle. Without a hacksaw on him, he and his buddy instead to try and blast off a piece of the antler with his Hellcat.

Amazingly, it worked!

⛔️ Don’t Touch the Shotgun: “Don’t touch the shotgun” — is what I heard my father say. Though he had spoken in Spanish, his order was clear. It was said in a way that carried weight and was clear for a teenager to understand that he was serious. He spoke calmly, but his tone was filled with authority, and maybe even an underlying warning as not to touch his newly purchased shotgun. He had been saving for a better part of the year. Making layaway payments here and there, until the $1,000 was paid off.

I should have known something was afoot when I offered to carry the cardboard box out of the Olathe Gun Shop. His forbidding “No” signaled what I would endure for the next 30 years…100% hands off! It was the late 1980s and he had just bought his first over-under, a Ruger Red Label 12-gauge. “The Red,” as it came to be known, was replacing his Remington 1100. Barely a moment was wasted when we got home as my father quickly unboxed the shotgun. I stood there watching him as he carefully placed the components together. He cradled the shotgun like it was his first born. For a brief moment I felt replaced. Read the full story.

🦷 The Man Who Made Dentures Out of Deer Teeth: For most hunters, the thrill of the adventure is the main motivation for a hunting lifestyle and access to fresh, organic meat. But what happens when age catches up with you, leaving you without one of the most critical components needed to break down your harvest? I’m referring to your chompers, AKA teeth! Well if you’re Francis Wharton, an innovative hunter from British Columbia, Canada, you use a combination of ingenuity, resourcefulness, and what nature provides to solve your dental problem.

Francis Wharton was a jack-of-all-trades who was known to be able to fix anything. He would go on to create one of the most remarkable sets of dentures known to dentistry on top of being a wildcat genius who created custom big-bore handguns and cartridges for defense against his nemesis—the almighty Grizzly Bear. Read the full story.

🎣 Fishing the Cotton Hatch: The temperature is high, the bug count is high and spirits are running even higher. I hear hollers up and down the canyon and I know our timing is prefect. We’ve hit the big bug hatch on Idaho’s South Fork of the Snake River and we are fishing one of the legendary days of wet-wade season, those few summer weeks when anglers shed coats and waders to fish in shorts and flip flops.

In all reality, legendary days are talked about more often than they are experienced. I haven’t hit a legendary day in years, but I’m hitting one now and my senses are on high alert.  Read the full story.

Oh, and one more thing…