Search Continues After Wrong Bear Euthanized in Fatal Ozark Bear Attack 🕵️‍♀️

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:

THE KILLER GAVE THEM THE SLIP
SEARCH CONTINUES AFTER WRONG BEAR EUTHANIZED IN FATAL OZARK ATTACK

Family members that were undoubtedly waiting on a little closure from a deadly incident earlier this month, now might have to wait a bit longer. According to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, the bear they euthanized and believed was responsible for the death of 60-year-old Max Thomas was not the culprit. The incident, which marked the second fatal bear attack in Arkansas in a 30-day span, spurred a multi-agency search that has seemingly, at least up until now, come up empty-handed…

🥾 Wyoming Elk Hunter Outsmarts Charging Grizzly, Loses Only Her Boot. On October 15th, Celia Easton, an elk hunter from Thermopolis, Wyoming, narrowly escaped disaster when a grizzly bear sow with a cub charged her in the Beartooth Mountains near Cody. Wearing pull-on muck boots due to rainy weather, Easton was spared serious injury when the bear bit into her boot and pulled it off, then fled with her cub. Easton, a seasoned solo hunter armed with a rifle, pistol, and bear spray, took a defensive position but didn’t shoot, suspecting she was in the bear’s territory. She later retrieved her punctured but intact boot and safely returned to her truck, crediting her faith for her survival.

The incident, reported to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, highlights a possible increase in grizzly activity in northwest Wyoming, with hunters noting abundant bears foraging for alternative food sources like moths and gut piles due to a berry shortage. Easton, shaken but uninjured except for a bruised toe, plans to avoid that hunting spot for now but will continue hunting elsewhere, grateful the encounter ended with both her and the bear unharmed.

❌ Wisconsin Bear Guide Banned for Illegal Baiting in National Forest. And rounding out a very bear-focused beginning of today’s newsletter, a Wisconsin bear hunting guide has been nailed for his role in an illegal baiting scheme on National Forest property. In July 2023, bear guide Timothy Collar was caught illegally baiting bears in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, a 1.5-million-acre federal land in northern Wisconsin. Following a complaint, Conservation Warden Jamin Leuzzo discovered multiple 55-gallon barrels containing solidified bait substances, placed near a U.S. Forest Service road to attract bears. Trail cameras captured Collar’s truck at the sites, showing him transporting barrels, a bear bait stump, and buckets of popcorn and bread, as well as resetting a bait stump with an illegal concrete cap. Despite Collar’s denial and claim that someone else placed the bait, unmistakable evidence soon led to his guilty plea.

U.S. District Judge Bryan Conway sentenced Collar to a $3,000 fine and a one-year ban from hunting with a firearm on federal land, effective after his guilty plea. The crime carried a potential penalty of six months in jail and a $5,000 fine, but Collar managed to avoid incarceration and the full fine.

What are the dates for Iowa's deer hunting seasons? What you should know from Iowa DNR: The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has announced timeframes for deer hunting seasons based on specific age ranges and weapons. Some fall seasons have already passed or are currently underway, while there are a few others that are scheduled to begin in December. Read the full story.

Pheasant hunt to be elevated at 13 state game areas as Michigan DNR releases roosters: The Michigan pheasant hunting season is getting a big boost with rooster releases at 13 game and wildlife areas throughout the Lower Peninsula. Read the full story.

Texas waterfowl hunters: Help stop the spread of invasive species: The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) encourages waterfowl hunters to take action to protect Texas water bodies from the spread of aquatic invasive species like zebra mussels and giant salvinia that can degrade waterfowl habitats and block access. Read the full story.

Pennsylvania Game Commission confirms piebald deer was illegally shot in East Hempfield Township: The Pennsylvania Game Commission has confirmed that someone shot and killed a piebald deer and tried to cut off its antlers earlier this month in East Hempfield Township. The commission verified the killing of the deer on Wednesday and is investigating.  Read the full story.

Maine officials find PFAS in deer and wild turkey, issue hunting advisory: The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and the state CDC have issued an alert warning that wildlife in parts of Knox, Thorndike and Unity are unsafe to eat because of PFAS contamination. Read the full story.

Why Utah will require chronic wasting disease testing in Ogden's 2026 deer hunt: Hunters who snag a deer near Ogden during next year's general season hunt will be required to have the animal tested for chronic wasting disease, following an increase in cases detected in the region. Read the full story.

😲 Yo! There’s a bear in the house! You rent an AirBNB with a bunch of friends and suddenly find out there’s an unexpected visitor. And he’s hungry.

OK. How do we politely tell him to leave?

The pull of the weekend.

📸 by: @ddjackett

Oh, and one more thing…