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:
Prison scam - Georgia inmate uses smuggled cell phones to rip off Florida hunters in hunting lease scam 💵
Trail cam ban - Iowa approves ban on trail cameras in game management areas 📸
Too many cooks in the kitchen - More details emerge about the Colorado bear that broke into a home and started a kitchen fire 🔥
Lawsuit filed - In a last-ditch effort, a group has launched a lawsuit to try and stop the Catalina Island deer massacre before it kicks off next month 👩💼
Lottery open - Louisiana’s first-ever recreational alligator tag lottery is now open 🐊
The big fella - They build moose a bit different way up north 🫎
GEORGIA PRISONS HAVE A CELL PHONE PROBLEM
GEORGIA INMATE SCAMS FLORIDA HUNTERS OUT OF THOUSANDS FROM PRISON USING SMUGGLED PHONES
A Georgia man went ahead and skipped the whole door-knocking-for-access thing when it came to securing (and selling) prime hunting land in the Sunshine State. Operating from his digs at a Georgia penitentiary, Rodney Edward Smith created a small illegal enterprise that only required a few smuggled cell phones and some trusting hunters.
Previously booked in on false imprisonment and other charges, Smith calls Macon State Prison home, and it was there where the 39-year-old allegedly spent the better part of a year running a hunting lease scam that stretched across 15 Florida counties…
QUICK HITS // FROM AROUND THE WEB
Iowa Natural Resource Commission approves trail camera ban: The DNR’s Chris Ensminger says the new rule prohibits the use of trail cameras in game management areas, except where the department permits them. Ensminger says they held a public hearing on the change at the end of July and no one attended, but there were several comments sent to the DNR. He says they received 102 public comments, with 59 of those were in support of the prohibition of trail cameras, 35 opposed that and eight asked for a modified ban. Read the full story.
Two Wisconsin Deer Farms Are Under Quarantine After Chronic Wasting Disease Turned Up Weeks Before Hunting Season: Chronic wasting disease has been confirmed on deer farms in two Wisconsin counties, and both operations are now under quarantine while state and federal investigators trace where the animals came from and where any others went. The state's Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection announced both detections late last week. Read the full story.
Delaware Adopts Emergency Deer Hunting Regulations to Try to Limit Spread of CWD: With the initial discovery of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in Delaware confirmed earlier this year, and the start of deer hunting season less than a month away, the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control has adopted emergency regulations to try to limit the spread of CWD and confine it to the area where it was found. Read the full story.
More details released after bear starts fire in mountain town home: According to a press release from the Crested Butte Fire Protection District (CBFPD), the bear broke into an occupied home in Mt. Crested Butte overnight on Aug. 19, causing extensive interior damage and starting a kitchen fire. Law enforcement euthanized the bear. Read the full story.
LDWF now accepting applications for first-ever recreational alligator hunting tag lottery: For the first time ever, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is holding a recreational alligator hunting season, and the lottery for tags opened this morning. LDWF Secretary Tyler Bosworth says the state is able to open up the harvesting of alligators to recreational hunters thanks to an act of legislature in this year’s session, because the state is being overrun with alligators. Read the full story.
Lawsuit seeks to stop Catalina Island deer eradication before September shooting begins: Opponents of California’s plan to eliminate Catalina Island’s entire population of non-native mule deer are asking a Los Angeles County judge to stop the first shootings before they begin in September. The request comes as their lawsuit challenges the state’s approval of the eradication project and its use of an exemption from the usual California environmental review process. Read the full story.
AGFC Approves Duck Hunt Draw System on St. Francis Sunken Lands: The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Thursday morning approved a permit draw system for duck hunting within the St. Francis Sunken Lands Wildlife Management Area near Trumann. Read the full story.
VIDEO // SOME THINGS JUST HAVE TO BE SEEN
🫎 Now THAT’S a bull! Watch as this monster emerges from a river up in Alaska.
Bucket list, baby…
WEEKEND MEME // TELL NO LIES
WANDERINGS // A SFW GLIMPSE OF OUR BROWSER HISTORY
Sleeping out on the roof and sitting atop large, smelly chunks of ice are just a couple of ways Americans used to beat the heat before the invention of AC. How a new group of sophisticated scammers are impersonating famous podcasters and their representatives, using flattering, highly personalized invitations — most likely composed by AI — to lure prospective guests into handing over money, login credentials or control of social media accounts. I don’t mind the odd jog, but these ultramarathon dudes (and dudettes) are something else. Like this one who fell 100 feet and broke his neck a year ago and already back to training for his next 100-miler. And if you’re going swimming in the ocean this weekend, make sure your suit isn’t this color.
EYE CANDY // PICTURES > WORDS
The pull of the weekend.
📸 by @tdcameraman
Oh, and one more thing…
