Minnesota Man Charged with Shooting at Wildfire-Fighting Aircraft, Claims He Was Hunting Crows 🐦‍⬛

I’m currently at the “it’s Thursday already?” phase of the workweek and am unsure as to whether or not that is a good thing as of yet.

With that in mind, let’s all take a minute to grab a coffee or whiskey (no judgement) and get this Thursday morning dispatch out the door.

Here's what's worth reading about today:

SHOOTING AT THE WRONG BIRD
MINNESOTA MAN CHARGED WITH SHOOTING AT WILDFIRE-FIGHTING AIRCRAFT, CLAIMS HE WAS HUNTING CROWS

A northern Minnesota man is up against some pretty serious felony charges after stepping outside for an impromptu crow-hunting session that somehow involved perforating a rudder on an active firefighting aircraft.

The incident occurred on the evening of Friday, May 15th, as crews responded to a wildland fire in Portage Township, about 15 miles north of Orr.  While Air Tractor water bombers were scooping from Kjostad Lake and dropping on fires, Pettit allegedly grabbed his gun, stepped outside, and started popping off rounds…

⚡️ Texas Teen Struck by Lightning While Fishing Leans Against Tree, Survives and Returns the Next Day. A 19-year-old Texas man by the name of Hunter Wyche was fishing on the banks of the Angelina River on May 9th when lightning struck the pine tree he was leaning against. The bolt traveled through the tree and into him, throwing him several feet, scattering wood fragments, and causing burns and cuts to his body. Wyche described the sensation as the strike entering near his stomach, traveling down his leg, and exiting through the top of his foot.

Despite the debilitating strike, Wyche remained conscious and was taken to the hospital in stable condition. He later quipped, “I’m probably the unluckiest lucky man alive.” Remarkably, it was reported that Wyche returned to the exact same fishing spot the very next day to pick up where he left off.

🐺 Upper Peninsula Lawmaker Pushes for Swift Wolf Hunting Season Once Federal Protections End. State Rep. Dave Prestin (R-Cedar River) announced yesterday that he is introducing legislation requiring the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to implement a science-based wolf hunting season within 90 days of the gray wolf being delisted from the federal Endangered Species Act.

With Congress currently considering bills to return wolf management authority to the states, Rep. Prestin argues that rapidly growing wolf populations in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula have triggered steep declines in deer and moose herds, rising attacks on livestock and pets, and serious harm to local hunting economies and rural communities.

“Upper Peninsula residents know this land best. It’s time we stop letting Washington dictate how we manage our own wildlife,” Prestin said. “The U.P. deserves healthy, huntable populations of whitetail deer and moose for our children and grandchildren.”

The proposal comes amid the ongoing divide in Michigan over wolf management where supporters see regulated hunting as essential for healthy big-game populations, while opponents blindly favor continued protections.

🐈 Texas Proposes Mandatory Reporting for Mountain Lion Harvests to Improve Population Management. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission is set to vote later this month on a proposed rule that would require anyone who kills a mountain lion to report the harvest through the TPWD wildlife app and submit a small tissue sample along with a premolar tooth. This straightforward requirement aims to provide essential data on population size, health, mortality trends, and long-term sustainability for the state's big cats.

Texas is home to two main mountain lion populations, one in South Texas and one in the Trans-Pecos region, and while births and natural deaths are relatively predictable, human-caused mortality varies widely from year to year, creating uncertainty for effective management. The Texans for Mountain Lions Coalition strongly supports the change, noting that mandatory reporting is already used successfully for other species and represents a practical, low-cost way to close critical information gaps. Public comments in favor of the proposal are encouraged by May 26.

🔫 Nothing like trick shooting some doves in Argentina. Watch as US olympian Dania Vizzi shows us all how it’s done with her shotgun hoisted above her head.

I could do that, I just don’t want to…

🪕 Hill Country Pilgrimage.: My wife and I put Willie Nelson’s Stardust on the turntable for our kids and I commented that Willie was getting old. How old, they asked. Willie just turned ninety-two, I said. Feeling the urgency of mortality, my wife and I decided not to wait: we would order the tickets, load up the family, and drive from Birmingham, Alabama, to Austin, Texas, for Willie’s big Fourth of July show. 

The concert was the main draw, but the city itself had plenty to offer. We knew there would be drinks for the grown-ups, food for us all, and big Texas things that one simply can’t do or see in Alabama. Read the full story.

🦏 Arrow for a Battlewagon: It may sound strange to talk on the subject of hunting an African rhinoceros with a bow and arrow. In fact some folks thought the idea insane, and to attempt the feat sheer suicide. Despite such a negative attitude, I believed a seasoned bowhunter could do it. But I’d have to prove it. No white archer had ever killed a rhino.

The rhinoceros is an impressive animal and has gained the reputation of being nearly invincible, sometimes demolishing safari vehicles and their occupants. This large pachyderm may weigh one tonne, sport a hide over 3 cm thick, with a lethal horn up to a metre long.

Well, how then is it possible to subdue such a monster with a mere bow and arrow? Read the full story.

🦫 Smashing Beaver : I once killed a beaver. With a plastic cafeteria tray. Alcohol was involved. The story of this most definitely illegal endeavor began with my first attempt at college. Located in Jacksonville, Texas, the now defunct Lon Morris College educated such luminaries as singer and dancer Tommy Tune, Peter Pan on stage turned cracker pitch person Sandy Duncan, that guy you know from that show Alan Tudyk, and yours truly, Gayne C. Young. My not being as successful as all the aforementioned might have something to do with the fact that I didn’t really go to LMC to study. I went to become a writer and as such, I did such writerly things there as drink, explore the region, spearfish Lake Jacksonville, drink, smoke cigars, drink, womanize, and drink. 

You know. Ernest Hemingway/Robert Ruark-type stuff. Read the full story.

Oh, and one more thing…