In the event that the weekend wasn’t quite long enough for you, here’s to hoping that your favorite dispatch from the outdoor world can give you 5-or-so minutes to prep yourself for yet another week.
So, without further ado, let’s grab that coffee or whiskey (no judgement) and get caught up on the outdoor news and views from the past few days.
Here's what's worth reading about today:
Lost tradition? - Deer hunting in Michigan is in a free fall 😳
Poached elk - North Dakota officials want answers 🕵️♀️
Attacker found dead - It turns out the BC hunter’s bullet did some damage during grizzly attack 🐻
Don’t poach and run - Deer poaching incident turns into a high-speed chase 🚔
Heck of a fence - Watch as this young bull just can’t quite escape the pool enclosure 🫎
THE KIDS AREN’T ALRIGHT
DEER OVERPOPULATION GROWS AS MICHIGAN LOSES OVER 200K HUNTERS
The times are a changin’, and for the state of Michigan and its deer populations, it’s not necessarily a good thing. Over the past 25 years, Michigan has experienced a dramatic 30% drop in deer hunters, losing approximately 200,000 participants since 1995, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. This decline, which has seen the state’s hunting community shrink from about 670,000 hunters to 470,000 by 2023, extends far beyond a shift in recreational habits.
Decades later. It’s now creating a ripple effect of challenges for wildlife management, public safety, agriculture, and conservation funding. With deer populations soaring past 2 million, particularly in southern Michigan, the state faces mounting issues they are now forced to reconcile with fewer boots on the ground and a shrinking pot of available funding…
QUICK HITS // FROM AROUND THE WEB
North Dakota reports poached elk incident: North Dakota Game and Fish officials are looking for information about an elk poaching case near Goodrich, N.D. A bull elk was shot and left in a field near the intersection of 10th Street NE and 19th Avenue NE, north of Goodrich. Read the full story.
B.C. grizzly bear that attacked elk hunter found dead: In an update Friday, the BCCOS confirmed it responded to a report of a dead grizzly bear last week in the area of the attack. The BCCOS said it was able to confirm the deceased bear was the same one involved in the attack through DNA analysis. Read the full story.
Suspected deer poacher seriously hurt in crash amid high-speed chase, sheriff says: A 37-year-old Minnesota man is seriously hurt after authorities said he illegally shot a deer from his truck, led deputies on a high-speed chase and eventually crashed early Thursday evening. Read the full story.
Rare 1-In-100,000 Piebald Cow Elk Spotted Near Cody: Moore found a herd of elk right where he expected them to be, but they weren’t doing much of anything. That’s when he noticed “the one elk that stood out.” Read the full story.
The piebald cow | Michael Moore
Illinois Sets New Record for Youth Deer Season Harvest: Illinois youth deer hunters set a new record for the season, harvesting a preliminary total of 4,714 from October 11-13. That total compares to 4,097 deer taken during the 2024 season. Read the full story.
Louisiana teen dies in apparent lightning strike while hunting : TOn Saturday evening, October 19, 2025, around 8:30 PM, emergency responders from the Union Parish Sheriff’s Office, Bernice Fire Department, and Pafford EMS were dispatched to a remote area off Robert Welch Road near the Weldon community following reports of an injured individual. Read the full story.
VIDEO // SOME THINGS JUST HAVE TO BE SEEN
🫎 Not sure how this fella found himself in this situation but…Watch as this young bull tries to leave what he must have thought was some kind of oasis.
Can we talk about the quality of that fence though?
MONDAY MEME // MY SIDE PIECE
WANDERINGS // A SFW GLIMPSE OF OUR BROWSER HISTORY
You’ll probably never actually need one, but for most of us, the idea of having a burner phone at one point in our lives is something we just simply have to live out. What’s 2026’s biggest travel trend? Moose hunting in the Yukon? Chasing African plains critters? Water buff in Aus? Nah, it’s a lot heavier than that. It’s sumo, baby! As far as NFL tailgating goes, is Jerry’s World really the #1 spot?? I’m not one to advocate for complete drunkeness, but I think a few splashes of whiskey every now and then helps to lubricate life. So what if the “intoxication thesis” is right? Does humanity just need a little bit of booze right now??
EYE CANDY // PICTURES > WORDS
Looking back on that weekend like…
📸 : @chuckumentary
Oh, and one more thing…
