Welcome to the Wednesday edition of the newsletter. If you’re still with us, that means you’ve made it to the middle of yet another week.
With that said, let’s all take a minute to grab a coffee or whiskey and get this mid-week dispatch out the door.
Here's what's worth reading about this morning:
Can we bypass this? - The Center for Biological Diversity is trying to ‘weasel’ their way to a fur ban 😑
Deer kills down - West Va. reports 17% decrease in deer harvest 🦌
Getting the lead out - Maryland lawmakers eye outright lead ban by 2029 ❌
Hunting dog on the mend - One of the hunting dogs affected by last month’s kennel fire is making a comeback 🐕
Mobile filet - Why waste time between home and the boat ramp? 🔪🐟
THESE GUYS…
OUT-OF-STATE ACTIVISTS BYPASS VOTERS AS CPW COMMISSION VOTES ON COMMERCIAL FUR BAN
In the grand tradition of well-meaning coastal busybodies, a fresh battalion of animal rights activists is set to storm Colorado’s wildlife bureaucracy later today. This time, however, the well-to-do will go without pesky ballot initiatives seeing as how that route got them curb-stomped by Denver voters twice in 2024, which included one failed attempt at a statewide ban on big-cat hunts. Rather than letting the voters decide for themselves, this time they’re trying the quieter, more elite play of a citizen petition to the appointed Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission, begging eleven gubernatorial picks to do what the people twice refused—ban the commercial sale of furbearer pelts from bobcats to coyotes to otters.
In what’s being touted as the Great Fur Heist Bypass (at least around here), the Tucson-based Center for Biological Diversity and their fellow travelers have pivoted to regulatory capture which includes whispering sweet nothings about “ecological intrinsic value” and “data gaps” into the ears of a commission that doesn’t answer to voters.
Because nothing says “science-based management” like letting out-of-state activists rewrite rules for rural trappers who’ve kept populations stable for generations…
QUICK HITS // FROM AROUND THE WEB
West Virginia Hunters Harvest 92,553 Deer During 2025-2026 Seasons: The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources announced that hunters harvested 92,553 white-tailed deer during the 2025-2026 seasons, which is a 17 percent decrease from the 2024 deer harvest of 111,646 and 14 percent below the 5-year average of 107,434. Read the full story.
Maryland lawmakers consider bill to ban lead ammunition for all hunting by 2029: A bill before the Maryland House of Delegates would phase out the use of lead-based ammunition for hunting statewide by 2029, citing public health and wildlife protection concerns. Read the full story.
How were deer, duck seasons in West Tennessee this year?: Hunters in Tennessee took home 153,206 deer this most recent season, and hunters in the TWRA's Region 1, which covers West Tennessee, were responsible for 22.2% of that harvest. Region 1 spans from the Mississippi River to slightly past the Tennessee River. Read the full story.
‘He gave his heart to try to save himself’: Hunting dog recovering after Colorado kennel fire: A three-year-old hunting dog is recovering after suffering severe burns and smoke inhalation in a late-night fire that destroyed the Hideaway Kennels earlier this year. Read the full story.
Pinion is hopefully on the mend
Oklahoma lawmakers consider new bill for earlier bear hunting season: A bill at the Oklahoma Capitol would move the state’s bear hunting season start date from Oct. 1 to Sept. 15, prompting debate between lawmakers who cite constituent concerns and wildlife officials and hunters who warn of potential overharvesting. Read the full story.
It’s time to apply for big game hunting licenses in Colorado: Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s new big game brochure has been hitting hunters’ mailboxes ー the annual reminder to start planning for the seasons ahead. CPW also reminded in a recent social media post: “Whether you’re after a long-awaited lifetime tag or just getting started with big game hunting, the primary draw is the first stop on this adventure.” Read the full story.
VIDEO // SOME THINGS JUST HAVE TO BE SEEN
🔪 There are some that simply refuse to waste a minute of time. Like this fella who decided that the ride home from the boat ramp would be a great time to get his fish filleted.
Another day in Florida…
QUOTABLES // WORDS TO LIVE BY
“The very basic core of man's living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon for each day, to have a new and different sun.”
— Jon Krakauer
HUMPDAY MEME // HAPPENED TO ME
WANDERINGS // A SFW GLIMPSE OF OUR BROWSER HISTORY
One of the midwest’s most famous pickpockets was a lady by the name of Bertha Liebbeke. She was also known as Fainting Bertha, and judging by these mugshots, I would have never have suspected her. Ever wondered why so many statues are naked? Ya, me neither. But as it turns out, it’s because nudity was associated with God-like beauty and power. And here we thought that cremation was a modern invention, right? Well, not for this tribe in Malawi who allegedly did it like 9,500 years ago. And how the secret bar took over the world.
EYE CANDY // PICTURES > WORDS
‘twas a great day.
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