Undercover officer describes night hunt and Ramadan meat sale 🔦

ven•a•tic: fond of or living by hunting

NORTH AMERICA’S MOST-READ OUTDOOR NEWSLETTER

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:

TALK ABOUT CORNERING THE MARKET
UNDERCOVER INVESTIGATION LEADS TO CHARGES IN ALLEGED RAMADA SALE OF ILLEGAL DEER MEAT

Testimony continued this week in provincial court in the trial of two men charged with a series of wildlife offenses following a lengthy undercover investigation in central Saskatchewan.

Cousins Wyatt and Brody Sinclair are now up against dozens of charges under the province’s Wildlife Act in connection with an incident that took place on Oct. 8, 2024, and other alleged offenses documented between March 2023 and November 2024. 

An undercover conservation officer, whose identity is covered by a publication ban, told the court this week that Wyatt Sinclair shot a young deer at night from a parked vehicle, using moonlight and the truck’s headlights. The officer said Sinclair later told him it was the first time he had hunted illegally on his family’s land and that the animal was taken so the meat could be sold to an East Indian family for Ramadan…

More than 6,000 licenses issued for Michigan’s bear hunting season: The Michigan Department of Natural Resources awarded 6,278 bear licenses this year from a pool of more than 72,500 applicants, the agency said. Read the full story.

Hunters plead guilty to dangerous hunting, fined in Williams Lake court: Two Cariboo hunters have pleaded guilty to hunting without consideration for the lives, safety, or property of others, according to the B.C. Conservation Officer Service. Conservation officers said the pair accessed the property between 10:44 p.m. and 11:08 p.m., well after legal hunting hours had ended. Sunset that day was at 6:31 p.m., and provincial regulations prohibit hunting after sunset Read the full story.

Tennessee’s new deer-baiting law is already changing the hunting landscape: Tennessee's first year of legalized deer baiting is off to an interesting start. In a recent interview, TWRA Wildlife & Forestry Chief Joe Benedict said as of Sept. 8, approximately 5,400 Deer Bait Privilege Licenses have been sold. Benedict says there is little doubt that number will continue to grow as regular deer hunting season kicks off on Sept. 26 with the opening of archery-only season. Read the full story.

Wisconsin DNR urges hunters to distinguish between elk and deer ahead of hunting season: State wildlife officials are reminding hunters across Wisconsin to carefully identify their targets this fall to avoid accidentally shooting an elk instead of a white-tailed deer.  Read the full story.

Hunters get second chance at first Louisiana alligator hunt: It's not too late to secure a license for Louisiana's first recreational alligator hunt. Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries officials said spots remained after the initial Aug. 20-Aug. 30 license lottery to issue 5,000 licenses expired. The spots remaining can be claimed on a first-come, first-served basis rather than a new lottery. Read the full story.

West Virginia eliminates minimum age for youth hunting seasons:  West Virginia no longer requires children to be at least eight years old to participate in the state’s special youth hunting seasons, a change taking on new relevance as the first youth black bear season of the fall opens Saturday.. Read the full story.

Montana FWP analyzing nonresident hunting impacts, seeks hunter input: Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks is collecting data on the impacts of nonresident hunters on deer, elk, upland game birds, and water fowl hunting in the state, and is asking hunters to provide feedback about how nonresident hunting impacts how licenses are allocated.

The survey is part of a study bill — House Bill 568 — passed by the 2025 Legislature. The Montana Hunters First Act, sponsored by Republican Rep. Courtenay Sprunger, directed FWP to conduct an impact study on nonresident hunting.  Read the full story.

🐊 When it comes to keeping order on the course, these birds don’t play. Watch as a group of turkeys keep this gator moving as he crosses the fairway on hole 10.

Who needs a marshal when you’ve got these feathered friends…

NEVER FORGET.

📸 by @philpenman

 Oh, and one more thing…