Oregon Brothers Busted for Robbing Graves for Elk Tags 🪦

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:

GRAVE ROBBERS
OREGON BROTHERS CHARGED FOR ALLEGEDLY BORROWING DEAD PEOPLE’S IDENTITIES TO RACK UP PREFERENCE POINTS AND ELK TAGS

Most hunters spend decades dutifully buying licenses, applying for tags, and watching their preference-point totals creep upward like a slow-motion odometer. But for a pair of seasoned northern Oregon hunters, they decided to YOLO it and find a faster way to get ahead of the system.  Rather than waiting like the rest of us, 70-year-old Bruce Clayton Luscombe of West Linn, and his brother 69-year-old Robert Arthur Luscombe of Wamic, decided to enlist the help of their local graveyard to help them score more tags.

The wonky case began to unravel just a few weeks ago on October 28th, when an Oregon State Police trooper rolled up to the Pine Creek Wildlife Management Unit near Halfway and found the Luscombe brothers gearing up for a rifle elk hunt. What should have been a routine license check turned into something straight out of a Coen brothers script. According to charging documents, the brothers had, back in May, resurrected the hunting careers of four deceased Oregonians including a 96-year-old woman from Tigard, a 98-year-old man, also from Tigard, a 68-year-old woman from Tualatin and a 94-year-old woman from Woodburn…

🦌 Slingshot, Colorado’s Legendary Giant Mule Deer, Killed in Brutal Buck Fight. In the shadow of Denver's urban sprawl, at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, met the end of a legend. Slingshot, a colossal mule deer buck whose antlers twisted into a massive "V" shape reminiscent of an old-fashioned slingshot or gnarled tree branches, was found dead on Sunday near a popular walking path. The 10-mile drive from downtown made him a celebrity among wildlife enthusiasts, his palmated racks evoking comparisons to the mythical Wyoming giant Popeye. A necropsy by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wardens confirmed the cause: a fatal puncture to his lung, inflicted by a rival buck's antler during a brutal rutting-season clash. Torn earth and scattered tufts of deer hair at the scene painted a picture of savage combat, the kind that defines mule deer dominance rituals in fall.

Photographers Fred McClanahan Jr. and James Wishon, who had chronicled Slingshot's majestic prowls since 2024, arrived just as officials inspected the carcass. The day before, Wishon had snapped photos of the buck looking uncharacteristically frail—ears drooping, posture hunched—hinting at the unseen wound. "He didn’t look like himself," Wishon lamented, adding with a mix of grief and grace, "It just sucks knowing that I’m never going to get pictures of him again. But at least he passed in peace."

💸 Colorado Ups Ante to $4,000 in Hunt for Las Animas Bull Elk Poachers. Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) has doubled its reward to $4,000 for tips leading to an arrest or citation in a brazen poaching spree that claimed four large bull elk across separate ranches in Las Animas County. The illegal killings unfolded in September near the Stonewall and Picketwire communities after one mature bull was shot and left fully intact, another was wounded and had to be euthanized by officers, a third had its backstraps crudely harvested before being abandoned, and the fourth was decapitated with no meat salvaged. The spree, spanning September 13, 26, and 27, underscores a frustrating uptick in poaching during Colorado's fall rut, robbing the state's wildlife heritage and rural economies that thrive on legal hunts.

CPW's Operation Game Thief program, bolstered by donations from sportsmen's groups like the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, is urging the public to come forward anonymously via 1-877-265-6648, [email protected], or online. Tipsters willing to testify could score bonus perks like a hunting license or preference point. "These were senseless and disgraceful acts... a complete disregard for Colorado wildlife," fumed CPW Assistant Chief Jim Hawkins.

🐻 87-Year-Old Couple Fend Off Hungry Black Bear That Tore Through Their Home. In the pre-dawn chill of Wednesday morning, a 250-to-300-pound black bear—fueled by the desperate hunger of hyperphagia as winter looms—crashed through a garage door and turned a quiet Kingsbury Grade home near Stateline, Nevada, into a scene of startling chaos. The victims included a husband-and-wife duo, both 87 years old, who likely never imagined their morning routine would include fending off a furry intruder the size of a linebacker. Around 4:30 a.m., the husband stumbled upon the bear rummaging in the garage as the animal pursued him inside, slashing at his hand with razor-sharp claws. His wife fared little better, suffering a scratch as the bear barreled through their living space before finally lumbering out, leaving behind a trail of terror and minor wounds.

Nevada Department of Wildlife officers swarmed the scene, confirming the bear's exit through the front door and treating the couple's injuries, which were mercifully superficial. Released the same day, the elderly pair embodies the fragility of Tahoe's year-round residents, caught between paradise and its wild underbelly. Shawn Espinosa, a department spokesman, didn't mince words on the root cause: easy access to human "attractants" like unsecured trash, bird feeders, or pet food, which lure these opportunistic omnivores closer than ever. "To ensure bears make their ways to their dens, it is important that residents secure attractants," he urged, echoing a familiar refrain in bear country. Officials are reviewing footage and evidence to assess if the bear poses a repeat threat, as attacks like this are rare in the region, with Tahoe's black bears far more inclined to raid dumpsters than duel with retirees.

Emotions run high over bill to hunt sandhill cranes in Wisconsin: Supporters of a bill that would allow a sandhill crane hunt in Wisconsin say it will create opportunities for hunters and help farmers experiencing crop damage. But opponents argue it would do little to help growers and place the birds at risk. Read the full story.

Minnesota Hunters Have Logged Over 152,000 Deer So Far This Season: The Minnesota firearms deer hunting season to close to ending with 128,759 deer registered as of Thursday morning (11/20/25).  Read the full story.

More Than Half a Million Hunters Expected for Pennsylvania’s Firearms Deer Season: Pennsylvania’s statewide firearms deer season – which runs from Nov. 29 through Dec. 13 and includes two Sundays, Nov. 30 and Dec. 7 – will send more than half a million orange-clad hunters out to share time with family and friends, connect with nature, perform boots-on-the-ground wildlife management and secure healthy venison. No other single day on the state’s hunting calendar is as anticipated or busy. Read the full story.

Helena judge hears arguments over wolf hunting regulations: Lawyers for multiple conservation organizations argued during a hearing in Helena on Friday new Montana regulations around wolves could harm the species long term. Read the full story.

Missouri Department of Conservation announces rule changes this deer season: Deer season is set to open in full swing on Nov. 15, yet Missouri hunters should note a few changes this season. The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) shares rule changes for this deer hunting season and invites beginner deer hunters to a mentored hunt this December. Read the full story.

Tribes sue Gov. Stitt over hunting cases, say special prosecutor violates sovereignty: Three Oklahoma tribes, the Choctaw Nation, Chickasaw Nation and Cherokee Nation, have filed a federal lawsuit accusing Governor Kevin Stitt of overstepping his authority by appointing a special prosecutor to handle cases involving people hunting without a state-issued license, including Native American citizens. Read the full story.

🧑‍🌾 My buddy Jebediah downed a BOONER! OK, I don’t know Jebediah but I do know that it looks like his deer season is going pretty darn well.

Above all else, I just love the method of transport and the umbrella windshield…

The pull of the weekend.

📸 by: @kathleenblanksrealtor

Oh, and one more thing…