Correction: In yesterday’s edition we shared a story about a Laurel teen and mislabeled it as a Wyoming-based story. As it turns out, we were obviously still working off a bit of holiday rust, as Laurel is indeed in Montana. We apologize for the mix up.
Now, 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:
Autopsy confirmed - Colorado officials find human DNA on four paws of captured lion 🐈
Tragic loss - 17-year-old hunter dies after getting shot in the head while hunting 🙏
Florida’s bears - Sunshine State officials release results from this year’s bear hunt 🐻
Taking over - Feds flex on Colorado’s wolf management program, demand answers 🐺
Look up! - Always pay attention to what’s above you 👀
TRAGIC
AUTOPSY CONFIRMS MOUNTAIN LION KILLED COLORADO HIKER IN RARE FATAL ATTACK ON NEW YEAR’S DAY
In a tragic and exceedingly rare incident, 46-year-old Kristen Marie Kovatch of Fort Collins, Colorado, was killed by a mountain lion while hiking alone on the Crosier Mountain Trail in Larimer County on New Years Day. This marks the first fatal mountain lion attack on a human in the state of Colorado in over 25 years.
Kovatch, an avid hiker and ultramarathon runner originally from Texas, was on a remote section of the trail in the Roosevelt National Forest south of Glen Haven when the attack occurred. Around noon, two hikers discovered her body and spotted a mountain lion nearby. They threw rocks to scare the animal away, allowing one of them, who was a practicing physician, to approach and check for a pulse, but none was found…
HEADLINES // DIGESTIBLE SNIPPETS
17-year-old Aden McKinney
🙏 Kentucky Teen Dies from Gunshot to the Head in Tragic Accidental Shooting During Hunting Trip. Aden McKinney, a 17-year-old Kentucky high school junior, tragically died after being accidentally shot in the head while hunting in Crofton on Friday afternoon. Preliminary investigations by the Christian County Sheriff’s Office determined that a gun discharged unintentionally, striking the teen. He was initially transported by ambulance to a hospital in Hopkinsville, but poor weather conditions prevented a medical helicopter from airlifting him, leading to a transfer to a Nashville hospital where he succumbed to his injuries on Saturday morning.
The Dawson Springs Independent School District mourned the loss of the student, with officials confirming the incident as a heartbreaking hunting accident. Authorities continue to investigate, though no further details on the circumstances of the discharge have been released.
🐻 Florida's 2025 Black Bear Hunt Ends with Just 52 Bears Harvested in Highly Restricted Season. The great state of Florida concluded its 2025 black bear hunt, a three-week season running from December 6 to December 28, with the harvest of 52 bears. This marked a significant reduction from the 2015 season, which saw 3,700 permits and 304 bears harvested. All harvested bears were inspected by FWC staff to gather data for future management, with a full report pending.
Despite criticism from animal advocacy groups, FWC officials hailed the hunt as a success based on scientific data, cementing its role in sustainable population management and reducing human-bear conflicts amid a 42% rise in bear-related calls since 2016. FWC leaders highlighted regulated hunting as a key tool in the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation, aligning Florida with over 30 other states that manage black bears this way to ensure long-term species health.
🐺 Feds Threaten to Seize Control of Colorado's Wolf Reintroduction Program. Federal officials with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have threatened to take over management of Colorado's gray wolf reintroduction program if the state fails to comply with federal demands. In a December 18th letter which wasn’t publicized until last weekend, USFWS Director Brian Nesvik demanded that Colorado Parks and Wildlife submit a comprehensive report on all wolf conservation and management activities since December 2023 within 60 days. Noncompliance could lead to termination of the memorandum of agreement, revoking CPW's authority and shifting full control—including relocations and lethal removals—to the federal government. The concerns stem from alleged violations, such as CPW's rerelease of a known depredating wolf in Grand County after it was returned from New Mexico, despite its history of livestock killings, and earlier unannounced releases of Canadian wolves.
The tensions remain a part of ongoing conflicts in Colorado's voter-fueled wolf reintroduction effort, with federal officials and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum criticizing the state for prioritizing wolves over ranchers amid repeated depredations, which have caused significant livestock losses. CPW maintains it has fully coordinated with USFWS and complied with all laws, intending to provide the requested report. The threat comes alongside broader national debates, including the recent House passage of a bill aimed at delisting gray wolves.
THOUGHTS FROM THE STAND // FROM OUR NOTEPAD
I went to the mall in my hometown to find some Christmas nostalgia. Did you know you now have to book an online appointment to sit on Santa’s lap? They have robbed us of spur-of-the-moment Christmas excitement and I will never forgive them for it.
It is nearly impossible to have your best idea the first time you think about something.
Having fun is the best competitive advantage.
Imagine we cared about our character as much as our appearance?
The crown was placed upon our heads long ago - don’t wait for the world to make you feel royal 🙏
VIDEO // SOME THINGS JUST HAVE TO BE SEEN
👀 Always be sure to look up! As the story goes, apparently Idaho Fish and Game treed this young lady as she was creeping a bit too close to town.
It can’t feel good to be hunted from above…
WANDERINGS // A SFW GLIMPSE OF OUR BROWSER HISTORY
I’m back in sunny Florida now, but I spent a week in my snowy hometown over the holidays. It was deathly cold and I most certainly did not train through the bad weather while I was there. Speaking of cold weather, I’ve definitely bought into most of these cold-weather myths at some point in my life. And if I had read the previous article earlier, I’d have already known that exercising in cold weather actually isn’t bad for you. I always try and take time to thank our loyal readers here for giving us their attention. It’s something we all ought to guard in this information-crazed time we live in, where the infinite just might be making us insane. In addition to Bourdain, my mother also always taught me that this was indeed the backbone of all great cooking.
EYE CANDY // PICTURES > WORDS
Gotta keep moving this time of year.
Oh, and one more thing…
