Idaho Man Banned for Life from Hunting After Roping and Killing a Bull Moose 🤦

As we continue to slowly but surely inch back towards the weekend, let’s all take a minute to grab a coffee or whiskey (no judgement) and get into what this beautiful Tuesday has to offer.

Here's what's worth reading about so far this week:

C’MON MAN
IDAHO MAN BANNED FOR LIFE FROM HUNTING AFTER ROPING AND KILLING A BULL MOOSE

Barely a month after Wyoming's Uinta County scandal erupted, where a trio of so-called cowboys lassoed, rode, spurred, and dragged an already-injured, one-eyed cow moose, we’ve got another case of questionable characters giving the cowboy image a black eye. This time, in Idaho’s Pahsimeroi Valley, a 39-year-old man named Spencer Oldham has been permanently stripped of his hunting privileges after treating a 1,200-pound bull moose like a stray steer during a routine cattle drive. Roping the trophy bull around the neck and front leg on a summer afternoon in 2025, his careless stunt caused the animal to collapse, gasp, and ultimately die—leading to multiple misdemeanor charges for unlawful taking, possession, and wasteful destruction of wildlife.

The incident took place back on August 17, 2025, when the 39 year-old was part of a group riding horses and moving cattle through the remote East Fork of the Pahsimeroi Valley near Ellis, Idaho. According to court documents, Oldham spotted a bull moose emerging from the river bottom and decided to rope it like a steer…

🦌 Trio of NY Hunters Busted for Spotlight Poaching Massive 11-Point Buck. On the night of November 7, 2025, the trio drove through fields in the town of Richford, using a spotlight to locate deer before shooting the buck from their vehicle with a medium-caliber rifle. The deer was hit on someone else's private land without permission, violating multiple New York State Environmental Conservation Laws. A resident reported the spotlight and gunshot to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, prompting officers to respond quickly. The wounded buck was discovered alive but immobile the next day by the landowner; DEC officers euthanized it humanely due to its injuries.

Public tips from social media posts by the landowner helped DEC track down the men in Cortland County, where they admitted to the violations. The driver (who was also the shooter) received five citations for offenses including illegal take of deer, taking deer from a motor vehicle, taking deer from a public highway, hunting with an artificial light, and possessing a loaded firearm in a vehicle. The two passengers each got four citations for accessory roles in the illegal take, vehicle-related taking, highway taking, and spotlighting. Under ECL rules, accessories are held as guilty as principals in such cases.

🎥 New Live Cam Lets You Spy on Michigan's Famous Elk Herd from Anywhere. Michigan has launched a new live elk cam in Gaylord, allowing viewers to watch a herd of about 60 elk year-round from the comfort of home. Positioned at Elk View Park, the YouTube livestream captures the animals, including massive bulls tipping the scales at over 800 pounds, feeding on corn, hay, sugar beets, and vitamins provided by city staff during winter. The project, run by the Gaylord Area Convention & Tourism Bureau in partnership with local groups, aims to share the popular elk-viewing experience with people who can’t visit in person, especially during harsh weather.

The herd stems from a 1918 reintroduction of seven Rocky Mountain elk after native elk disappeared from Michigan by the late 1800s. Today’s population in the nearby Pigeon River Country State Forest hovers around 1,300, one of the largest free-roaming herds east of the Mississippi. The cam serves as a feel-good tourism and conservation tool, with peak action during the fall rut when bulls bugle and display.

🍭 Gatlinburg's Sweet-Toothed Bear Strikes Again with Fourth Candy Store Break-In Since Christmas. A persistent black bear has struck again in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, breaking into Glades Homemade Candies for the fourth time since Christmas and ransacking the store. The most recent incident occurred last Thursday night, when the candy-crazed bear smashed through a glass door, overturned a sheet pan rack, and dragged pans full of sweets outside, causing significant damage to the family-owned business that's been operating for 35 years. The store shared photos and details on social media, noting they've taken precautions like securing doors, using bear-proof dumpsters, and adding security measures—but the seemingly sugar-addicted bear keeps returning.

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is investigating the break-in. Glades Homemade Candies reported the incident to authorities and expressed hope that the bear will be relocated rather than euthanized. In a statement, the owners said: “As Gatlinburg natives, we deeply respect and care for our bears, our natural environment, and the Great Smoky Mountains.” Black bears are common in the area near Great Smoky Mountains National Park, where human food attractants often lead to such urban encounters, making this a recurring challenge for local businesses.

🐻 If you’re going to use bear fencing, make sure it’s set up properly! Serving as something of a PSA, this hunter noted that bear fences work phenomenally…when they are hooked up right!

The sow and cub thankfully didn’t tear up his camp (he wasn’t there) but they did make a mess out of his rack, unfortunately.

Oh, and one more thing…