ven•a•tic: fond of or living by hunting
NORTH AMERICA’S MOST-READ OUTDOOR NEWSLETTER
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:
Dogged out - Retired Army General is suing his local sheriff over trespassing hounds 👨⚖️
A proclamation! - Gov. Lee makes Sept. 26th National Hunting and Fishing Day in Tennessee ✍️
Safe- In case you were worried, Mollie’s Pack and other Yellowstone wolves marked safe as wolf hunt areas meet mortality limit 🐺
Tragic accident - Alaskan guide and employee killed in Wrangell Mountains plane crash 🙏
Buy earlier - New Oklahoma law requires non-residents to buy early 🦌
This is how it’s done - You’re going to need more than heavy-duty vinyl to keep this bear out 🐻
VIRGINIA HAS A MAY FOLLOW LAW
RETIRED ARMY GENERAL SUES VIRGINIA SHERIFF OVER HOUNDS ON POSTED LAND
Retired Army Brig. Gen. Billy Don Farris II bought about 80 acres in Gloucester County’s Ware Neck after more than 30 years in uniform, including a Purple Heart from Iraq. In an effort to keep things quiet as he sailed into retirement, he promptly posted the property with “no hunting” and “no trespassing” signs and put up some fencing where required.
While it was not intended to be a fortress of any kind, he wanted to ensure that no one could make the honest mistake of accidentally ending up on his slice of land. Unfortunately for Gen. Farris, his idea of quiet has allegedly been interrupted by packs of hunting hounds who he says have been coming through the place since at least 2020. With reports of hunting dogs traipsing through his garden, across his yard, onto his boat dock, into fenced lots used for horses and even one instance of a dog urinating on someone’s clothes during a family gathering, confrontations followed…
QUICK HITS // FROM AROUND THE WEB
Gov. Lee proclaims Sept. 26 National Hunting and Fishing Day in Tennessee: Governor Bill Lee has proclaimed Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026 as a day for Tennesseans to celebrate National Hunting and Fishing Day (NHFD). That day also coincides with the launch of the 2026 statewide fall archery season for deer and the fall archery season for turkey in select counties. Read the full story.
No Mollie’s Pack, Yellowstone wolves killed, state reports after hunt area’s quick close: “Wolf hunt areas one and two did close on Saturday, after reaching the mortality limit of four wolves,” Dan Smith told the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission. “None of the wolves taken were from wolf packs previously assigned to Yellowstone National Park.” Read the full story.
Data on hunting dogs shows more complaints being made, but fewer violations alleged: The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources received 201 hound hunting-related complaints in the first seven months of 2026, a slight increase compared to the same period last year, according to data from the agency’s law enforcement division. The number of complaints has risen every year since at least 2023, and some lawmakers are reworking their approach to regulating the tradition with hopes of requiring a permit next year. Read the full story.
Alaskan hunting guide and teen employee killed in Wrangell Mountains plane crash: Alaska State Troopers have identified the two people killed in a plane crash in the Wrangell Mountains last week. Pilot Cabot Pitts, 42, of Palmer, and passenger Connor Helsel, 18, of Michigan, died when their Piper Cub crashed shortly after taking off from a dirt airstrip near Snag Creek Thursday night, troopers said. Read the full story.
Alaskan guide Cabot Pitts
Wolves kill hunting dog in Minocqua: USDA-Wildlife Services verified wolves killed a hunting dog in the town of Minocqua on Friday. This is the first confirmed wolf kill of a pet or livestock this year in Oneida County. Read the full story.
New Oklahoma law requires non-resident deer hunters to buy license early: Starting Oct. 1, non-residents must purchase their license two days before they hunt. The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation said this is done to discourage unlicensed deer hunting in Oklahoma, especially by non-resident deer hunters. Read the full story.
VIDEO // SOME THINGS JUST HAVE TO BE SEEN
🐻 “Here’s how you do it, son.” When it comes to keeping food away from bears, you're going to need a whole lot more than a bit of heavy-duty vinyl.
How’d they know where my Busch Light was anyways?
QUOTABLES // WORDS TO LIVE BY
We cannot but pity the boy who has never fired a gun; he is no more humane, while his education has been sadly neglected.”
— Thoreau
HUMPDAY MEME // MY OOO GAME NEEDS WORK
WANDERINGS // A SFW GLIMPSE OF OUR BROWSER HISTORY
This dude’s wife calls the tomatoes that live out in his garden his “girlfriends” and while I certainly don’t advocate for putting fruit ahead of your bride, with that kind of love, they must taste pretty good. The walking man, a beacon of access for pedestrians that still dare to cross busy intersections. Here’s what they look like around the world. Is there a Queen hiding in King Tut’s tomb? And the Great Lakes fish that could be more than 400 years old.
EYE CANDY // PICTURES > WORDS
Fall is officially upon us.
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