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:
Dropping the hammer - Montana judge nails serial poacher and convicted sex offender ✊
August season - NC officials greenlight August deer hunting season in certain counties 🦌
Giraffe: Located - You’ll all be relieved to know that Gracie the giraffe has been found ‘fat and happy’ 🦒
$50 million shot - Ohio lawmakers are ponying up cash to buy land or lock-in access agreements for hunters 🤑
Surprise encounter - Watch this leopard leap about 50 feet in the air to avoid this hungry croc 🐆
GOOD
MONTANA MAN NAILED WITH 30-YEAR HUNTING BAN AND JAIL TIME FOR POACHING SPREE
A Montana man with a lengthy criminal history has been handed one of the stiffest penalties in recent memory for a brazen poaching operation that targeted trophy bull elk and white-tailed bucks back in 2023. In what is looking like a breath of fresh air in a world often filled with performative nonsense, it’s nice to see the hammer drop like this every once in a while.
The man that hammer dropped on was Tylor David Castona, a 40-year-old resident of East Helena, who appeared via Zoom from his comfortable digs at Montana State Prison (he’s already in on sexual assault charges) last Thursday for sentencing.…
QUICK HITS // FROM AROUND THE WEB
Pennsylvania lawmakers advance bills to reform hunting license costs: Pennsylvania lawmakers have advanced two bills dealing with hunting license costs — one allowing the state Game Commission to set its own fees and another creating a discounted license for former residents. Read the full story.
7 North Carolina counties to get August deer season: The NCWRC has introduced a Special Early Season for antlered deer Aug. 22-23, 2026 in seven North Carolina counties included in the state’s CWD Management Areas. The areas include Cumberland, Forsyth, Sampson, Stokes, Surry, Wilkes and Yadkin counties. Any lawful weapon will be allowed during the special season, and baiting is still prohibited in those counties before Sept. 1. Read the full story.
Gracie the giraffe found 'fat and happy,' Real County Sheriff Johnson says: The Real County Sheriff’s Office says she was hard to track down.
“We call her Gracie, and she’s on a fling and kind of has a ‘catch me if you can’ attitude,” said Sheriff Nathan Johnson.
Gracie, whose story captured the attention of the entire country, escaped from Cedar Hollow Ranch, a private ranch near Leakey, about two weeks ago. Sheriff Nathan Johnson says despite her size, she was able to hide from initial searches. Read the full story.
The moment Gracie was spotted | Real County Sheriff's Office
Ohio Hunters Eye $50 Million Shot at Reclaiming Lost Land: Ohio is weighing a $50 million play to get hunters back onto the ground they have steadily lost. Lawmakers are considering a bill that would tap public funds to buy land or lock in access agreements, a move supporters say could reopen hunting territory that has slipped behind “No Trespassing” signs as farms changed hands and development spread. Read the full story.
Utah buys 50,000 acres in the Book Cliffs, locking in public hunting and fishing in Grand County: The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources has acquired about 50,600 acres in the Book Cliffs of northern Grand County, a deal the state says will permanently secure public hunting, fishing and access to one of southeastern Utah's largest roadless areas. Read the full story.
VIDEO // SOME THINGS JUST HAVE TO BE SEEN
🐆 Now that’s a surprise encounter. Watch as this leopard is minding his business, skipping rock-to-rock in search of prey, when suddenly he becomes the hunted.
Heck of a jump…
MONDAY MEME // SHE’S NO FOOL
WANDERINGS // A SFW GLIMPSE OF OUR BROWSER HISTORY
All living great apes (including us) have been giggling and laughing for about 15 millions years. Why stop now? This US ghost town that refuses to remain sunken and rises from the middle of a lake every now and then. The word ‘fine’ can sometimes be hard to decipher depending on how it is said, what it is said about and who is saying it. Here’s 7 meanings in descending order of plausible deniability. And the 16 most American movies of all time.
EYE CANDY // PICTURES > WORDS
Teton summer.
Oh, and one more thing…
