Legendary Indiana Buck Case Fuels Push for Tougher Drone Regulations 🚁

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:

SOUNDS LIKE INDY IS ON THE RIGHT TRACK
LEGENDARY INDIANA BUCK CASE FUELS PUSH FOR TOUGHER DRONE REGULATIONS

In the aftermath that saw a legendary deer illegally killed with help from an aerial spy, a quiet rebellion is now brewing in the cornfields and deer woods of rural Indiana. With his 17-point headgear, the massive deer became a local celebrity, frequently spotted traversing the wooded terrain and open prairie near the Nucor steel fabrication plant just outside of Madison. 

For weeks in the fall of 2025, residents watched a drone shadowing the animal like some sort of persistent Tinder date. Then, just as “luck” would have it, the deer hit the dirt on opening day of the 2025 crossbow season, ushering in a flurry of suspicion and an investigation into the quick kill.

With a rolodex worth of tips from concerned citizens about unmanned flying objects seemingly tracking the deer’s every move, officers looked to the skies and eventually seized videos, photos, and flight logs from a suspect’s drone…

Veteran therapy group holds first ever turkey hunt retreat in mid-Missouri: Jason Siegel, vice president of Veteran's Outdoor Therapy and a veteran himself, said these events are important to combat veterans. "They've got a lot on them, on their chests. So just to get to come out here and do this, it's rewarding," Siegel said. "That's my thing. Getting those who never, ever do anything like this and then bring them out and now they're hooked on it." Read the full story.

Utah Wildlife Board approves 2026 big game hunting permits: The Utah Wildlife Board approved the big game hunting permit numbers for 2026, as well as a variety of other items, during a public meeting on Thursday. Read the full story.

Taxidermist restores historic Montana elk mounts: “The elk were hunted to near extinction at the turn of the century," said Kurt. “I had the rare privilege to restore one of the most historic elk in the United States, certainly in Montana but probably the United States as well. This is believed to be one of the original elk that were reintroduced to the Bitterroot Valley in 1912.” Read the full story.

Utah hunter shot after decoy turkey mistaken for real bird: Authorities said the victim was positioned behind their decoys when another hunter spotted the decoys and fired shots. The victim quickly received medical treatment.  Read the full story.

Missouri Hunters Can Now Apply for Bear, Elk Permits: The Missouri Department of Conservation announced last week that a very limited number of hunting permits for black bears and elk will be available and the application period is now.  Read the full story.

Why N.J. just quietly killed 94 deer in a park next to the Manhattan skyline: Officials said workers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture used suppressed rifles “designed to minimize noise impacts” in the park, which sits in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline. Read the full story.

🐻 Just looking for a comfortable place to lay down. At first glance it looks as though this fella is looking for a nice, relaxing dip in the hot tub.

That is, until he pull his new bedding back into the woods…

Heck of a view.

📸 by @jakeguzman

Oh, and one more thing…