Michigan's attempt to Split Natural Resource Commission Faces Scrutiny 🧐

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:

🧾 Bills to Create Separate Michigan Upper Peninsula and Statewide Natural Resources Commissions Face Strong Opposition. Republican lawmakers from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula pushed House Bills 4783-4786 in the House Natural Resources and Tourism Committee earlier this week, arguing for a separate 10-member Upper Peninsula Natural Resources Commission. Pointing to ecological differences between the peninsulas—such as wolf and cougar populations, moose versus elk, and declining whitetail deer herds in the U.P. due to predation—they claim that the current statewide seven-member Natural Resources Commission, which rarely meets in the U.P., fails to address these unique needs.

The proposal met notable pushback as Michigan DNR representatives raised concerns about potential confusion for hunters and anglers, enforcement issues, and conflicts between the two commissions. Environmental groups, including the Michigan Environmental Council and Michigan League of Conservation Voters, opposed the bills, while tribal advocate Nichole Keway Biber (Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians) warned they could enable wolf hunts, despite the issue of wolves not being on the agenda. The committee heard testimony but has yet to take a vote.

👮 Three Poachers Busted with 10,000 Illegal Fiddleheads in New York’s Jefferson County. New York State Environmental Conservation Officers responded to a report of suspicious activity on South Sandy Creek in the Town of Ellisburg, New York. A complainant observed three individuals carrying dripping black garbage bags to their vehicle at a DEC fishing access parking lot before returning to the creek. ECO Lieutenant Steven Bartoszewski and ECO Jason Maxwell investigated and spotted the trio harvesting fiddleheads, the young shoots of the Ostrich fern, along the banks of the river.

The individuals lacked permission from the private property owner and were without any form of a commercial harvesting permit. Officers counted approximately 10,000 illegally harvested fiddleheads, leading to charges for unlawfully removing protected plants and misusing the fishing access site. In New York, collecting fiddleheads is prohibited on all state-owned lands, and most native fern species are protected as vulnerable plants. Fiddleheads are a traditional spring delicacy in parts of the Northeast and Canada but must be properly cooked in order to release toxins.

🫎 Wyoming Couple Spots Remarkable 73 Moose in Wyoming’s Bighorn Mountains. A Powell, Wyoming couple had an unforgettable wildlife encounter while they were able to count 73 moose along Highway 14 Alternate in the Bighorn Mountains. The moose were seen in groups of up to nine as well as mother-calf pairs, drawn out by fresh spring vegetation growth. Kay Townsend described the sighting as a “jackpot day,” noting the animals’ majestic appearance as they grazed and knelt to feed.

Wyoming Game and Fish Department biologist Eric Maichek confirmed the sighting reflects a healthy local moose population, estimating around 420 moose across a 2.5-million-acre area of the Bighorn Mountains. While moose are typically solitary, they congregate visibly in open areas during spring green-up. Officials remind viewers to maintain a safe distance, especially from females with calves, which can be unpredictable and defensive during this time of year.

👩‍⚖️ BC Man Pleads Guilty to Illegally Killing Moose Near Fort Nelson, Receives Fine and Hunting Ban. B.C. resident, Wing Kam Lau, has pleaded guilty to illegally hunting a moose outside the open season south of Fort Nelson. The case stemmed from public tips to the Report All Poachers and Polluters tip line after a partial bull moose carcass was discovered on Klua Lake Road. B.C. Conservation Officer Service investigators linked Lau to the September 1, 2022 violation, along with his failure to submit the required kill report by October 1, 2022.

In Fort Nelson Provincial Court, Lau received a $6,998 fine payable to the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, a province-wide three-year hunting ban, and forfeiture of all seized wildlife parts to the Crown.

SC opens lottery for 2026 alligator hunting season: Alligator hunting lottery applications are now open through July 15, 2026, according to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. A $10 nonrefundable application free is required to apply for the lottery, the department says. Read the full story.

Hunters, fishers get expanded privacy under new Louisiana laws: Hunters and fishers in Louisiana now have expanded privacy after state lawmakers approved bills to exempt information about them from public records laws.  Gov. Jeff Landry has signed off on the laws, which take effect Aug. 1.   Read the full story.

Tooth-Based Ages Available for Vermont Bear Hunters: Hunters who killed a bear during the 2025 seasons can learn the age of their bear on the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department website. State officials say 886 usable pre-molars were received by hunters as part of the department’s harvest data collection. Accurate ages were determined for 822 bears. Read the full story.

Mule deer become first animals to use California’s first wildlife crossing: Three mule deer have become the first animals to walk over California’s first wildlife crossing, which is nearing completion in Siskiyou County, according to the UC Davis Road Ecology Center and the California Department of Transportation.  Read the full story.

Personal deer hunting limits could tighten for Nebraska hunters next year: The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission said Wednesday it will consider a recommendation to amend orders and restrict personal limits for deer permits when it meets on June 12 in North Platte. Hunters could be limited to one deer permit, down from two, per calendar year allowing the taking of an antlered deer. If adopted, it would take effect in 2027. Read the full story.

Hunters, Anglers, and Conservation Groups Call on Senate to Strengthen the Conservation Reserve Program in 2026 Farm Bill: The letter urges the Committee to increase resources in the Farm Bill’s conservation title to deliver meaningful investment and improvements to CRP. Despite the program’s proven success and widespread popularity among producers and landowners, CRP has been operating under short-term extensions since 2023 and has not received substantive policy updates or new resources since the 2018 Farm Bill – even as Congress made historic investments in all other major Farm Bill conservation programs. Read the full story.

😍 Courtship is competition. Watch as this female is suddenly talked out of her suitor.

It can be tough sledding out there, boys…

The pull of the weekend circa 1989.

📸 by: @trakn_outdoors

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