ven•a•tic: fond of or living by hunting
NORTH AMERICA’S MOST-READ OUTDOOR NEWSLETTER
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:
Where do you live? - Former Wyoming ball coach is facing felony charges after using old Montana address for tags 🏷️
On the ballot - Colorado residents have more than a dozen ballot initiatives to vote on this fall and the right to hunt and fish is one of them 🗳️
Hunt camp fire - A man lost his life this week to a hunt camp fire and is now being remembered by those that knew him 🙏
Is it raining? - Helicopter accidentally dumps water on Sheridan elk hunter ☔️
New rules - Montana is planning some fresh new wolf regs 🐺
Beat you to it - When you hit a caribou a bit high and a black bear claims it before you can 🐻
A NOTORIOUSLY COMMON PROBLEM
FORMER BALL COACH CHARGED WITH FAKING MONTANA RESIDENCY FOR HUNTING TAGS
In an effort to circumvent the wildlife laws of the state of Montana, a former ball coach from Wyoming might just learn the hard way that “I still have a place there” is not a residency statute. And while these cases can be a royal pain for wardens to prove, every now and then the tax years and Instagram captions line up just perfectly, giving them enough ammunition to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that someone lied in order to obtain resident hunting licenses.
That is exactly the allegation against Conner Anthony Brown, a former assistant coach with the Gillette Riders, who is now staring down a felony in Montana for buying resident hunting licenses after he had already moved to Wyoming. Investigators say he used Miles City addresses to purchase resident tags in 2022, 2023, and 2024, then killed a black bear, a mountain lion, and a white-tailed buck…
QUICK HITS // FROM AROUND THE WEB
Amendment 83 asks Colorado voters to make hunting and fishing a constitutional right: Colorado voters face more than a dozen statewide ballot questions this year. One of those is Amendment 83, asking voters to make hunting and fishing a constitutional right. Read the full story.
Ivey urges Alabamians to celebrate hunting, fishing and public lands day Sept. 26: With two national outdoor observances falling on the same day, Gov. Kay Ivey is urging Alabamians to spend Saturday, Sept. 26, outside on the state’s public lands. Ivey on Thursday encouraged residents to celebrate National Hunting and Fishing Day and National Public Lands Day by taking part in outdoor recreation on public lands across Alabama, including wildlife management areas, state public fishing lakes, Forever Wild lands, state parks and along Alabama’s Gulf Coast. Read the full story.
"Thanks for all the memories, brother": Man found dead in hunting club fire remembered: Friends remember Jeffrey Charles Roberts as the kind of man people wanted to be around — someone who built relationships, loved helping others and never seemed to meet a stranger. Roberts, 52, of Spring, a Houston-area real estate agent, has been identified as the man whose body was found Tuesday near debris from a large wildfire at the Hog Creek Hunting Club in Jasper County. Read the full story.
Sheridan Man's Elk Hunt Ruined When Helicopter Dumps Water On Top Of Him: A Sheridan man says his elk hunt was ruined when a helicopter appeared above him in the Bighorn Mountains and dumped huge plumes of water on top of him. The Forest Service said it was a training flight and the crew probably didn't know he was there. Read the full story.
Whoopsie
Governor invites young Montana hunters to enter annual story contest: Governor Greg Gianforte is inviting young Montana hunters to share their stories from the field. The fifth annual Governor’s Youth Hunting Story Contest is open to licensed or apprentice hunters ages 10 to 17. To enter, young hunters need to submit a story of 500 words or less, along with a photo from their hunt. Read the full story.
Wyoming Game and Fish Department requesting help from hunters to collect lymph nodes from deer, elk: The Wyoming Game and Fish Department recently announced that it’s requesting assistance from hunters to collect lymph nodes from deer and elk in mandatory and focus areas for chronic wasting disease sampling. Read the full story.
3 things to know as Montana considers new wolf hunting, trapping rules: This week, the politically polarizing animals will be back on the menu at the state Fish and Wildlife Commission as it holds a special meeting to consider, among other things, a new system to set hunting and trapping seasons for predators. Read the full story.
VIDEO // SOME THINGS JUST HAVE TO BE SEEN
🐻 When there is a bit of competition on the mountain. These guys knocked down a caribou with a shot that ended up being a little high. By the time they could get to the caribou, a black bear charged in and attempted to claim it for himself.
Unfortunately for the bear, one of the guys had a bear tag, and even though he was going to save it for the spring, he ended up using it to save his caribou.
That’s what it’s all about…
WEEKEND MEME // I HEAR THEY’RE TASTY
WANDERINGS // A SFW GLIMPSE OF OUR BROWSER HISTORY
So there’s this really special dolphin down in Australia. His name is Bubbles and apparently he likes to chase fish around until they throw up and then he proudly dines on their upchucked meals. Before it was revived in the late ‘80s, the Carrera Panamerica had origins as the most dangerous road race while in its heyday back in the ‘50s. The true story behind the actual first shot fired in the Civil War. And WhistlePig gets weird in the best way with its new ancient Egypt-inspired rye.
EYE CANDY // PICTURES > WORDS
The pull of the weekend.
📸 by @morgan_w_gregory
Oh, and one more thing…
