CDFW Dragged into Court Over Catalina Deer Eradication Plan 👩‍💼

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:

DEMANDING COMMON SENSE
HUNTERS, ADVOCATES DRAG CDFW INTO LA SUPERIOR COURT OVER CATALINA DEER ERADICATION PLAN

Just weeks after California officials gave the green light to wipe out the island’s entire mule deer herd, a coalition of hunting groups, wildlife advocates, and island lovers has fired back with a formal legal challenge. As we reported in our piece on the CDFW’s January 30 approval of the Catalina Island Conservancy’s Resource Management Plan, the five-year eradication scheme was sold as essential “restoration.” Critics (including us) called it overkill when decades of data and a highly successful 2024 hunting season proved otherwise.

Now that pushback has teeth…

🍔 Rory McIlroy Puts Elk on the Menu for 2026 Masters Champions Dinner. Rory McIlroy, the reigning 2025 Masters champion, has revealed his menu for the exclusive Champions Dinner to be held next month at Augusta National. As tradition dictates, the defending champion selects and hosts the meal for past Masters winners, and McIlroy's choices blend upscale dishes, personal nostalgia, and a nod to his winning preparation from the previous year.

The menu features grilled elk sliders with caramelized onion jam and roasted garlic aioli as a standout appetizer. McIlroy explained that he ate a lot of elk in the buildup to his 2025 triumph, crediting it as part of his success, though he opted for sliders rather than a main course to ensure broader appeal. Other appetizers include bacon-wrapped dates (a tribute to his mother Rosie's recipe), rock shrimp tempura, and peach and ricotta flatbread with hot honey incorporating local Georgia ingredients. The first course is yellowfin tuna carpaccio inspired by New York’s Le Bernardin restaurant, with mains offering Wagyu filet mignon or seared salmon, sides like traditional Northern Irish Champ, and dessert of sticky toffee pudding. He also selected wines from Augusta's collection, including a 1990 Bordeaux he toasted with after his win and a 1989 vintage from his birth year.

🚔 BC Man Fined $5,000 and Banned from Hunting for a Year After Shooting Elk Too Close to Road. A British Columbia man by the name of David Cake has been fined $5,000 and banned from hunting for one year after pleading guilty to discharging a firearm in a no-shooting area. The incident took place on September 29, 2024, near Fort St. John, when Cake shot and killed a cow elk within the road allowance of Upper Cache Road.

In addition to the fine (most of which goes to the Habitat Conservation Trust Fund), Cake must retake the B.C. Wildlife Federation CORE hunter education course before he can hunt or accompany hunters again in the province. He also forfeited the seized elk meat, with the perishable portions donated to local First Nations. Other related charges, such as hunting without consideration and taking wildlife out of season, were stayed following his guilty plea in Fort St. John provincial court.

🏆 Illinois Considers Joining 10 Other States in Banning Wildlife Killing Contests. The Illinois legislature is currently considering a bill that would make Illinois the 11th state to ban wildlife killing contests. Proponents of the ban, such as Project Coyote, argue that the practice is wasteful, as the carcasses are often left to spoil, and that ending these high-volume kills would lead to a more balanced ecosystem and better biodiversity.

The bill faces opposition from groups like the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation, which argues that the contests help manage predator populations and support the local economy. However, a report from the University of Illinois Extension contends with that sentiment, instead suggesting that there is no positive ecological benefit to these contests. The proposed bill wouldn't impact normal hunting and is waiting to be assigned to a committee, which could happen in the coming days.

🐊 He’s not the only one excited about that bass. Watch as the ol’ pond dragon expresses a little interest in this young man’s catch.

Florida pond fishing at its finest…

🦃 The Hex: Turkey hunting takes patience, woodsmanship, and in my opinion, providential support. Though reading terrain and running a call well will increase the odds of a successful hunt, a favorable courtship with lady luck ought never be dismissed as trivial. Pieces of kit become sacred talismans in the afterglow of taking a turkey for the first time, and leaving for the field without these charms should feel like a fool’s errand. Many might question this logic. But indulge me for a moment while I explain why fortune holds equal measure with skill in the outcome of a turkey hunt. 

With seven total years of turkey hunting under my belt, I consider myself an “accomplished novice” in the pursuit—an oxymoronic moniker, but a fitting one. I filled a tag in two of my first three seasons, calling and killing both birds myself, both of them Easterns, both of them in South Carolina. The euphoria from these triumphs sanctified my waxed cotton Boykin Spaniel Society ball cap, Palmetto State belt buckle, and 1965 Lynch’s box call with the power to attract wild turkeys.  But despite the aura of these sacred objects and the knowledge gained during subsequent seasons, my siren song no longer lures toms to death. Read the full story.

🌈 Chasing Rainbows in Texas: Trout fishing in America usually means wading in a swift-running river somewhere in the Rockies on a sunny summer day.

But from November through March, trout fishing in America is all about Texas. This is the time of year when the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department releases more than 300,000 young rainbow trout into Texas rivers, lakes, and streams. It’s an exceptionally popular program among anglers during the otherwise dormant winter season, when Texas waters are uniquely positioned to host the prized freshwater game fish. 

TPWD releases more than 18,000 rainbow trout into the tailrace below Canyon Dam on the Lower Guadalupe River every year. The Guadalupe River chapter of Trout Unlimited augments that stocking on the Lower Guad with an additional 11,500 larger rainbows. ” Read the full story.

🌄 Left it on the Mountain: There are hunts that fill the freezer, and there are hunts that change you. This one was the latter. Ten days in the Alaskan backcountry chasing rams that always seemed just a ring short, or an inch of curl shy. No shot fired, no tag punched, but everything left on the mountain.

I drew a limited-entry Dall sheep tag in Alaska. One of those tags that comes with equal parts excitement and dread. The kind that guarantees you’ll be in country that can break you if you let it. This particular unit was walk-in only. No planes, no shortcuts, just boots, legs, and a lot of willpower. It’s the kind of tag where, if you want to earn it, you’re going to bleed for it. Read the full story.

Oh, and one more thing…