Oregon State Police Seek Public’s Help to Identify Elk Poachers 📸

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:

THEIR VEHICLE HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED
OREGON STATE POLICE SEEK PUBLIC’S HELP TO IDENTIFY ELK POACHERS CAUGHT ON CAMERA

On Wednesday of this week, the Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Division issued a public appeal to identify two individuals involved in an illegal elk poaching incident in Wasco County, Oregon. The incident occurred in the early morning hours of Saturday, September 6th, on private property near Antelope, a small community in central Oregon east of the Cascade Range.

According to authorities, a trail camera captured critical evidence: at 4:42 a.m., a live cow elk was photographed, followed just three minutes later by images of two suspects standing over the animal’s carcass…

🫎 Bull Moose Killed After Stumbling Off A Cliff and Ending Up On A Busy Roadway with Serious Injuries. An unfortunate incident along a Colorado highway has resulted in the death of a nice bull moose. According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the bull was walking along a cliffside when he stumbled and fell onto the roadway in Boulder Canyon on Monday.

During the fall, the moose suffered extensive injuries including two broken back legs, giving the animal little chance for survival. CPW was called to the scene and made the decision to dispatch the animal given its physical condition.

🙏 The Elderly Man Who Was Attacked by a Juvenile Bear in Arkansas Has Died. In some unfortunate news, the 72-year-old victim of an extremely rare bear attack in Arkansas has passed away due to the injuries he sustained during the attack. The incident, described by wildlife officials as "exceedingly rare," drew significant attention due to its severity and the fact that it marks the first documented bear attack in the state in at least 25 years. 

The attack occurred on September 3rd in the Mulberry Mountain area. Vernon Patton, of Ozark, was working on a gravel road, spreading gravel with his tractor, when he was suddenly assaulted by what authorities called a small, juvenile black bear. Following the attack, he was airlifted to Washington Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville for surgery before being relocated to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. 

Despite some hope early on that he would pull through, his family issued a statement last week stating that they believed his injuries were “extensive and ultimately not survivable.” Earlier this week, the tragic updated was confirmed by AGFC chief of communications Keith Stephens that Patton had passed away in hospital on Sunday.

🙏 Federal Judge Blocks Cattle Grazing in Montana's Grizzly Habitat to Protect Bear Recovery. Yesterday, a federal judge in Montana halted U.S. Forest Service plans to expand cattle grazing on six allotments in grizzly bear habitat in Paradise Valley, near Yellowstone National Park. Judge Donald Molloy ruled that the Forest Service’s initial analysis failed to meet National Environmental Policy Act standards, as it did not adequately assess the impact on grizzly populations. The decision, prompted by a lawsuit from the Western Watersheds Project and eight other environmental groups, based its argument on the importance of the area for connecting the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and Northern Continental Divide grizzly populations, each with about 1,000 bears, to ensure genetic exchange for their recovery.

The ruling has since sparked mixed reactions. On one hand, bear advocates argue that cattle grazing disrupts grizzly recovery and only works to bait grizzlies into unwanted conflicts with livestock producers. Conversely, the Montana Stockgrowers Association expressed disappointment, asserting that grizzly populations have already exceeded recovery goals, arguing that conflicts would ultimately be better managed if the bears were delisted. The case for management over extermination seems to be the better argument in this (and most) situations, but on the heels of this ruling, it looks as though ranchers will be without these particular grazing allotments - at least for the time being.

😮 POV: You’re getting charged by a cow elk. Watch as this fella and his family are suddenly charged by one ornery cow elk at the Grand Canyon.

In this case it honestly looks like this was relatively unprovoked…

🔫 Carry a Big Stick (and use it well) : I have always been a proponent of the belief often ascribed to Robert Ruark in using enough gun. Don’t believe me? I shoot Mississippi whitetails with a .300 Win Mag — the Lord’s caliber, as it is known to the Field Ethos crowd. The truth is, Ruark did not invent the notion of using sensible calibers for the game being pursued, but rather is the collective understanding of hunters for hundreds of years.

Modern discussions on shooting elk, moose, and brown bears with .223s, the new so-called “hot rod .22s” like the .22 ARC, and other undersized rounds bore me. The argument of shot placement over lead weight gets hammered by modern hunters in every Facebook group, online forum, and hunting magazine out there, trying to convince us that magnum rifles are only for boomer fudds who can’t let go of the past. Read the full story.

🪶 The Art of Restraint: The horizon is nothing more than a shift in color where the undulating plains end and the gray sky begins. The land seems empty. Cattle have been brought in and the deer hunters have all gone home. Snow starts falling. My muffled steps feel like an intrusion. I plod along, eyes half closed to keep out the drifting flakes. Suddenly the chatter of a departing covey breaks the silence. A dozen partridge sail across the contours and land in wolf willow and Saskatoon serviceberry.

The huns have perched high. They watch my approach and fly once more, voicing their disapproval. My fingers are freezing inside my inadequate gloves. I take them off and tuck my hands under my shirt to warm them up. Two steps later, a single partridge rises, presenting a perfect crossing shot that I can’t take.  Read the full story.

🫎 Discovering Your Limits: That adventure began early spring when my husband Adam and I abandoned the beauties of North Idaho to chase a dream and willingly accept all the challenges of living in the bush. For years we dreamed about residing in Alaska, antsy to live and breathe nothing but hunting, flying, and exploring the amazing state. We took another vital step forward and bought our ultimate hunting machine — a Piper Super Cub.

Then September came, which meant moose season fell upon us. Our lifelong dream of hunting with our own airplane on D-I-Y hunts became reality when Adam flew us and a friend into a secluded area, and landed our cub in a swampy meadow within the heart of moose country. Wheels of excitement turned for what could be in store during the next 10 days off grid. We set up our wall tent, gathered firewood, and though we were eager for what opening morning would bring, we eventually drifted off to sleep. Read the full story.

Oh, and one more thing…