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:
C’mon, man - Florida man blasts a sow with a cub, across private property and without a license 😡
Mo’ Mass. - Amid ballooning populations Mass. officials extend deer seasons 🗓️
5 shot, 2 dead - Pa. officials investigate accidental shootings and deaths during two-week rifle season 🙏
The Monarch- Central NY hunter drops an absolute beast 🦌
Taking the iceberg - Apparently this beaver hitches a ride every now and then🦫
THIS STUFF RUINS IT FOR EVERYONE
FLORIDA MAN’S ILLEGAL KILLING OF SOW WITH CUB BETRAYS ETHICAL HUNTERS, FUELS ANTI-HUNTING BACKLASH
Florida's black bear population is one of the state's greatest wildlife success stories. From a low of just a few hundred in the 1970s, thoughtful conservation efforts have grown the population to over 4,000 bears. This year, after a decade-long hiatus, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission hung their balls on the line by reinstating a highly regulated bear hunt—the first since the controversial 2015 season—to help manage growth in key areas while ensuring the species remains healthy and abundant.
Given the data, legal hunters across the state welcomed this science-based approach which saw only 172 permits issued through a lottery out of over 163,000 applications. Strict zones consisting of four Bear Management Units, along with mandatory reporting, and explicit prohibitions against harvesting cubs or females with cubs, the 2025 hunt was designed to be selective, conservative, and above all else, ethical.
Yet, just as the season got underway amid lingering controversy from animal-rights activists and lawsuits, news broke of a deeply frustrating incident in Grand Island. James Goodspeed, a 60-year-old local resident, was arrested by FWC officers for illegally shooting and killing a female black bear that was accompanied by her cub—actions that led to the mother being euthanized while the cub fortunately managed to survive…
QUICK HITS // FROM AROUND THE WEB
Deer hunting season expanded in Mass. amid ballooning population: The Healey-Driscoll administration announced new regulations that will permit a six-week primitive firearms and bowhunting season on the two islands from Jan. 1 to Feb. 14. The regulations will also create an early fall deer season on the islands, with an additional 10 days of primitive hunting from Sept. 21 to Oct. 1.Read the full story.
5 hunters shot, including 2 fatalities, during Pennsylvania deer season: The Pennsylvania Game Commission investigated at least five hunting related shooting incidents (HRSIs) during the two-week rifle deer season that resulted in two deaths and three injuries. Read the full story.
Deer Hunting Season Expanded Into February On Nantucket And Martha's Vineyard: The state announced new regulations on Wednesday to expand the deer hunting seasons on Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, with a six-week winter primitive firearms and bowhunting season from January 1 through February 14. Read the full story.
After 5-year chase, Central NY deer hunter gets his trophy ‘Monarch’ buck: After an epic, five-year chase, Adam Kopytowski, of Verona, finally got “the Monarch,” as he calls the eight-year-old trophy buck he shot with his .308 in Oneida County during regular deer season. The buck had 14 points and a notched a green score of 176.5. Read the full story.
Adam Kopytowski and “The Monarch”
Missouri announces regulation changes for spring turkey hunting: The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) announces regulation changes to spring turkey hunting that will reduce the nonresident harvest limit from two bearded turkeys to one. Nonresident landowners will maintain a harvest limit of two bearded birds with only one allowed to be harvested during the first seven days of the season. Read the full story.
Second part of dove hunting season underway in Texas: Although this part of the season can provide some great opportunities for hunters, it’s typically not the most popular. The majority of dove are harvested in the first few weeks of the season. Read the full story.
VIDEO // SOME THINGS JUST HAVE TO BE SEEN
🦫 Just out for a cruise. Watch as this beaver skips the swim on his way to work at the old dam and takes the floating iceberg instead.
Apparently he does this often…
MONDAY MEME // IT’S PERFECT!
WANDERINGS // A SFW GLIMPSE OF OUR BROWSER HISTORY
How the food we eat affects the way we smell and how some foods can make us smell better. Does ‘sleeping-on’ a tough decision actually work? Yes, yes it does. Since Christmas is only 10 days away (seriously), here’s a few tips on how to get along with people in close quarters from three brothers who just sailed across the Pacific in a small boat. And the most Googled search terms of the year.
EYE CANDY // PICTURES > WORDS
That backdrop…
📸 : @andyaustinphoto
Oh, and one more thing…
