Mayor and Ex-Cardinals Pitcher Battling Hunting Citations in Three-Year Standoff 🧑‍⚖️

The weekend might not be here just yet, but your favorite dispatch from the great outdoors is. 

So grab your jack-o-lantern, 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:

TIME TO GET TO IT, BOYS
TOWN MAYOR AND EX-CARDINALS PITCHER STILL BATTLING 2022 HUNTING CITATIONS THREE YEARS LATER

It’s been three years since Illinois Conservation Police descended on two sprawling hunting properties in rural Freeburg, leaving a village mayor and a former St. Louis Cardinals World Series pitcher locked in a slow-motion legal standoff with over 29 hunting citations and 22 written warnings.

Freeburg Mayor Seth Speiser, 61, and Danny Cox, 66 — the flame-throwing reliever who helped the Cardinals reach the 1985 and 1987 Fall Classics — are among seven defendants who pleaded not guilty and demanded jury trials in St. Clair County Circuit Court. The cases have produced nothing but continuances ever since: more than a dozen in total, with the latest granted last week after State’s Attorney James Gomric reassigned the file to a new prosecutor…

🤥 Utah Mayor Pleads Guilty to Deer Hunt Blunders, Says Self-Snitching Was ‘The Right Thing’. And speaking of mayors who treat hunting rules like optional suggestions, Richfield Mayor Bryan Burrows pleaded guilty last week to two class B misdemeanors, including unlawful taking of wildlife while trespassing and improper discharge of a dangerous weapon. The charges were filed after the mayor allegedly shot a deer within 600 feet of a building and then entered a locked, cultivated private field without permission to retrieve the animal. Under a plea in abeyance agreement filed in Sevier County Justice Court, Burrows agreed to pay $690 in fines and avoid further violations for 12 months, after which the charges could be dismissed. According to reports, Burrows called Utah DNR authorities himself the same day to confess, though the DNR confirmed it had already received a citizen complaint about a hunter firing near homes and trespassing.

Burrows, narrowly re-elected just 10 days ago—and a mere two days before signing his plea—insisted he “did the right thing after I screwed up” by self-reporting. Which, in some circles, looks less like noble accountability and more like a politician realizing the game wardens were already on the way.

But we’re not here to cast judgement.

🪶 Stitt Appoints Special Prosecutor to Target Indigenous Hunters Without State Licenses. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt has appointed Russ Cochran, a retired prosecutor and former general counsel for the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics, as a special prosecutor to pursue misdemeanor charges against Indigenous hunters and fishers who lack state-issued licenses while on tribal reservations. The move, announced earlier this month, escalates a brewing conflict with Attorney General Gentner Drummond, who recently dismissed a citation against a Choctaw Nation citizen for unlicensed hunting on reservation land and instructed the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation to halt such enforcement. Stitt accused Drummond of fostering "lawlessness" by undermining district attorneys and local law enforcement, insisting that state and federal courts affirm Oklahoma's authority to prosecute non-major crimes by tribal members. Cochran steps in after an initial appointee, District Attorney Melissa Handke, declined the role due to her ongoing duties.

The dispute traces back to ODWC's October 2025 policy shift, where game wardens began issuing tickets to tribal citizens for hunting or fishing without state permits outside designated trust lands. Drummond fired back, emphasizing the Five Tribes' (Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Muscogee, and Seminole) harmonized wildlife codes and inter-tribal agreements that permit citizens to hunt across reservations without state licenses. Cherokee Nation tribal judge Robert Gifford lauded Cochran's credentials but raised concerns about potential legal clashes, questioning whether a special prosecutor can override the attorney general's oversight in state courts.

🐻‍❄️ Polar Bear Photographer's Final Words to Family Revealed in Fatal Attack Report. Christopher Best, a 34-year-old Canadian animal photography enthusiast, was working a temporary fuel tank maintenance job at a remote North Warning System radar site in Nunavut when was fatally ambushed on August 8th of last year. The day before, Best had safely photographed a polar bear from inside a vehicle and shared the image on Instagram with the caption, "Polar Bear hanging around the site at BAF-3." Eager for more shots, he asked a wildlife monitor to alert him if bears were spotted again. After finishing his shift the next day, Best learned of a bear nearby and stepped outside with his camera, unaware that a second bear was lurking. Surveillance footage later revealed the first bear charging at him and blocking his path back to the building, with the second joining the fatal mauling. This marked the first recorded death from a polar bear attack in the 70-year history of the North Warning System and its predecessor, the DEW Line.

Earlier that day, Best had eased his family's concerns during a phone call after they fretted over his bear-spotting hobby. "They're not close to us," he assured his stepfather, adding with a laugh, "You know, I know [the] difference, right?" His mother, Shelly Cox, later reflected on those words in disbelief: "I don’t think he would have went out if he would have known that second bear was there," and the family was left in shock upon learning of his death the following day. The incident's details only recently emerged due to a Nasittuq Corporation investigation report, released earlier this month, which analyzed footage, training logs, and protocols. The report highlighted Best's unawareness of the second bear and proposed enhanced safety measures, including mandatory permissions for after-hours outdoor activities and improved bear alert systems.

Montana FWP investigates three elk shot and left to waste near Augusta: Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks game wardens are asking for the public’s help after three elk were shot and left to waste earlier this week on the Sun River Wildlife Management Area near Augusta.Read the full story.

Iowa hunters so far have harvested 22,240 deer this fall: Iowa hunters have so far reported harvesting more than 22,000 deer. “That’s about 3% higher than the prior season, about 3% than the five-year average,” said Pete Hildreth, Conservation and Recreation Division Administrator at the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Read the full story.

Michigan's firearm deer season falls on Saturday, first time since 2014. What to know: Firearm season throughout the state takes place Nov. 15-30. With the firearm season including three full weekends, the harvest could be up this year compared to previous season, but there's no guarantee. Read the full story.

WA Fish and Wildlife Police looking for who killed spike bull elk in Grays Harbor County: The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Police say a spike bull elk was illegally shot and killed near Montesano on or around November 6, and officials are looking to identify who is responsible. Read the full story.

Maryland black bear hunters facing penalties for alleged violations: The black bear hunting season is over in Western Maryland, but some folks are facing charges or citations for illegalities while hunting for bears, according to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Read the full story.

WV Teen has tense bear encounter while hunting: Brayden Sobonya, 16, has only been hunting a couple years. “It was roaming around looking for something to eat and found me,” Brayden said. Read the full story.

🤿 CANNONBALL! This dude was 9 yards downwind of this antelope and shaking like a damn leaf when he let that arrow fly.

It’s really no wonder why it launched him into the drink…

The pull of the weekend.

📸 by: @crutledge1

Oh, and one more thing…