Cody Roberts Receives 18 Months Probation in Notorious Wolf Cruelty Case 🐺

The weekend might not be here just yet, but your favorite dispatch from the great outdoors is. 

So grab your coffee or whiskey (no judgement) and let's get caught up on the outdoor news and views from the past 24-or-so hours. 

Here's what's worth reading about today:

THE SAGA COMES TO A CLOSE
CODY ROBERTS RECEIVES 18 MONTHS PROBATION IN NOTORIOUS WOLF CRUELTY CASE

A Sublette County man whose reputation has become synonymous with chasing down and tormenting a wolf in a local bar before killing it has finally been sentenced. The saga, which captured international attention, has finally come to a close after the man who chased down a young gray wolf with a snowmobile, taped its jaws shut, paraded the suffering animal through a rural bar for photos, and later shot it will serve no jail time after a judge accepted a plea deal earlier this week.

Sweetwater County District Judge Richard Lavery sentenced 44-year-old Cody Roberts of Daniel to 18 months of supervised probation, a $1,450 fine (including court costs and a $300 victim surcharge), and a suspended prison term of 18 months to two years. The felony animal cruelty conviction stands, but Roberts stands to avoid prison as long as he complies with strict probation conditions…

🐏 Bighorn Ram Smashes Sliding Glass Door After Mistaking Reflection for Rival. A desert bighorn sheep ram shattered a homeowner’s sliding glass door in Yuma, Arizona last week after mistaking its own reflection for a rival ram. Security camera footage captured the ram grunting aggressively at the “intruder,” delivering a couple of tentative horn taps, and then launching a full-force headbutt that obliterated the plate glass. Startled by the shattering, the ram quickly fled the scene. No one was injured, and the ram appeared unharmed.

Wildlife experts described the behavior as completely normal for the time of year. With few ewes around in some areas, frustration can boil over into aggression toward anything that looks like competition—including reflections in windows or even vehicles.

🔫 After Naming Hunting Their Official Sport, a New Idaho Bill Is Now Letting Voters Choose an Official State Gun. An Idaho lawmaker has introduced a bill that would place an advisory question on the November 2026 ballot asking voters to select an official state gun for Idaho. Rep. Jason Monks (R-Meridian) introduced the measure on March 18, 2026, as a symbolic way to celebrate the state’s strong gun culture and Second Amendment heritage. The proposal would let Idahoans vote on their preferred firearm to designate as the state’s official gun, similar to how other states have adopted symbolic state symbols.

The potential candidates are:

The bill comes on the heels of Gov. Brad Little signing House Bill 652 into law, officially designating hunting as the state’s sport. The effort was driven by 9-year-old Betty Grandy, a fourth-grader from Twin Falls, who noticed while reading her Idaho history book that the state lacked an official sport. She ran a poll in her newsletter The Grandy Gazette, advocated before lawmakers, and stood beside the governor during the signing ceremony.

Mule Deer Foundation Awarded $4 Million to Advance Grassland Conservation Across the Great Plains: MDF is among the first recipients of this landmark initiative, which aims to improve the health and resilience of 4 million acres of grasslands and grazing lands across the Great Plains, Rocky Mountain West, Midwest, West Coast and Southeast.   Read the full story.

New Bovine TB Cases Confirmed in Michigan Deer Herds: The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) has confirmed new cases of bovine tuberculosis (TB) in cattle herds located in Alpena and Presque Isle counties. Read the full story.

Record number of bighorn sheep reported in badlands: North Dakota Game Fish has announced that a record number of bighorn sheep were reported in the badlands for the fifth time in six years. The 2025 count recorded 378 bighorn sheep in western North Dakota, which is up 8% from 2024 and 10% higher than the five-year average. This includes 104 rams, 234 ewes and 40 lambs. Read the full story.

Woman Flees to Safety After Wild Bear Lunges Out of a Car: A woman near Lake Tahoe was shocked to see a bear jump out of a parked car's window just inches from her after honking the car's horn. Read the full story.

Ohio Senator proposes a constitutional right to hunt and fish: The Ohio Senate proposed establishing a constitutional right to fish, hunt and harvest wildlife through Senate Joint Resolution 8. SJR 8 would promote wildlife conservation and management and preserve the future of hunting and fishing. Read the full story.

Transplanted moose thriving in Bighorns: According to Eric Maichak, Sheridan District Wildlife Biologist with Wyoming Game and Fish, the current moose population in the Bighorn Mountains is estimated to be around 420. Just like other big game herds statewide, the ideal ratio of bulls to cows is between 50 to 70 bulls for every 100 cows. Read the full story.

South Carolina sees drop in hunting-related deaths: SCDNR said the state recorded two hunting-related fatalities in 2025, which is down from five the year before. Read the full story.

🐊 It’s breeding season in Florida. Watch this video from our friends at the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office who had to contend with this fella camping out on a residential front porch.

Watch your step when you go to grab the morning paper…

The pull of the weekend.

📸 by: @escalante_safaris

Oh, and one more thing…