B.C. Hunter Dies of Complications After Fighting Off Grizzly With His Bare Hands 🙏

While we continue to slowly inch 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:

DAMN SHAME
B.C. HUNTER FIGHTS OFF GRIZZLY WITH HIS BARE HANDS, THEN DIES OF COMPLICATIONS THREE WEEKS LATER

Joe Pendry was no stranger to a fight. The 63-year-old former boxer, elk hunter, and wilderness guide had spent decades in British Columbia’s rugged backcountry, but nothing could have prepared him for the morning of October 2nd. It was on that fateful morning that a mother grizzly bear would charge out of the brush and surprise the backcountry bushman by proceeding to clamp her jaws around his head.

What followed was a brutal, 10-minute struggle for survival, one that Pendry somehow won, only to lose his life three weeks later to a sudden medical complication.

The attack took place while Pendry was hunting alone near Fort Steele in the East Kootenay region when he inadvertently surprised a sow grizzly and her two older cubs. Conservation officers later described the encounter as a classic defensive attack: the mother bear, perceiving a threat to her young, launched herself at the hunter with terrifying speed.

She grabbed Pendry by the head, tearing off his lips and part of his scalp. He fired a single rifle shot into her leg, then dropped the gun and fought back the only way he knew how; with his fists…

🦢 California Legalizes Year-Round Hunting of Invasive and Aggressive Mute Swans to Protect Wetlands. Starting January 1st, a new California law will permit year-round hunting of mute swans, an invasive non-native species deemed "problematic" by wildlife officials for degrading wetlands and aggressively displacing native birds. Signed by Governor Gavin Newsom, Assembly Bill 764 adds mute swans to the list of unrestricted huntable invasives like English sparrows and starlings. Officials from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife cite the birds' rapid proliferation and destructive habits—consuming up to 8 pounds of aquatic vegetation daily, uprooting plants, and altering habitats in a state that has lost 90-95% of its historic wetlands—as major threats to native species. The swans, native to Eurasia and introduced to North America in the mid-1800s for ornamental purposes, are not protected under federal migratory bird laws, allowing licensed hunters and even property owners (without a license) to cull them.

Supporters, including the California Waterfowl Association and American Bird Conservancy, argue the measure provides a vital tool against invasive species, the second-biggest threat to California's biodiversity after habitat loss. Ornithologists note the swans' territorial aggression, especially during breeding, which can injure humans, children, and pets with powerful wing strikes capable of breaking bones. Critics, such as the animal advocacy group Friends of Animals, decry the decision as "inhumane," viewing it as an effort to bolster a declining hunting industry rather than genuine conservation.

⛑️ Lost 71-Year-Old Hunter Rescued from Wisconsin Marsh After Medical Emergency. A 71-year-old hunter from Richfield, Wisconsin, was rescued from deep within the Jackson Marsh in Washington County on Sunday after suffering a medical emergency while pheasant hunting. Experiencing low blood sugar, the man became disoriented and lost, prompting him to call his wife for help. Using advanced mapping technology including the What3Words app, emergency dispatchers pinpointed his location about 1,900 feet into the marsh. A sheriff’s drone confirmed his position, guiding a multi-agency rescue team—consisting of two deputies, a DNR warden, and two Jackson Fire paramedics—through 30 minutes of knee-deep water to reach him and his dog.

Paramedics administered oral glucose on-site to stabilize his condition. After evaluating options, the team determined the only feasible extraction was to walk him out, a process that took over an hour through challenging terrain. The hunter declined further medical transport and was safely reunited with his wife.

🦌 Michigan Bow Hunters Take Over 25K Deer, Down 11.7% from 2024. As of last week, Michigan bow hunters have harvested 25,671 white-tailed deer during the early segment of the 2025 archery season, which runs from October 1 to November 14. This total includes 16,592 antlered bucks and 9,079 antlerless deer. However, the harvest is down 11.7% compared to the same point in 2024, when 29,070 deer had been taken—a decline of about 3,400 animals. The drop is more pronounced in antlerless deer (down 14.87%) than in antlered (down 9.8%).

Saginaw County leads the state with 834 total deer harvested, including a state-high 624 antlered bucks, while Lapeer County tops antlerless harvests with 274. Other top counties include Genesee, Montcalm, and Oakland. Statewide, 48,956 deer have been taken across all 2025 hunting seasons so far, according to preliminary Michigan DNR data.

😳 It’s an INVASION! I believe this looks a lot like Estes Park, Colorado, but cannot confirm. Either way, that’s a whole lot of neighborhood elk.

That’s where I’d be hiding during the season as well…

Oh, and one more thing…