ven•a•tic: fond of or living by hunting
NORTH AMERICA’S MOST-READ OUTDOOR NEWSLETTER
In the event that the weekend wasn’t quite long enough for you, here’s to hoping that your favorite dispatch from the outdoor world can give you 5-or-so minutes to prep yourself for yet another week.
So, without further ado, let’s grab that coffee or whiskey (no judgement) and get caught up on the outdoor news and views from the past few days.
Here's what's worth reading about today:
Residency scam - Utah man busted for holding resident licenses in two states and taking trophy bull 🏠
Expanded - New York is expanding bear and antlerless deer hunts 🐻
Rescued - Idaho National Guard springs to action to save injured hunter 🚁
So damn old - Wyoming elk by the name of Boo is just too damn old to grow antlers anymore 👴🏻
Killing szn - The eradication of Catalina Island’s mule deer is now underway ❌
Never trust the turtles - Watch this fishermen get blitzed by a crew of sea turtles 🐢
BUSTED 3 YEARS LATER AT THE BOAT RAMP
UTAH MAN CHARGED AFTER BUYING RESIDENT HUNTING LICENSES IN TWO STATES; LOSES TROPHY ELK MOUNT
There is a kind of poaching that never needs a spotlight or a night drive. Rather than under the cover of darkness, this kind of poaching activity happens somewhere like the kitchen table, on a laptop, with a credit card and a zip code that isn’t quite true. That is the alleged story surrounding 50-year-old Brian Beckstead of Vernal, Utah who is now facing wanton destruction of wildlife (of a trophy animal) after investigators say he held resident hunting licenses in two states at once and used a Utah resident limited-entry elk tag to kill a 6×6 bull back in 2022.
While most of the cases we cover start with a tip from the field, this began by happenstance. It started at a boat ramp in Uintah County when a conservation officer noticed out-of-state registrations on a boat and truck….
QUICK HITS // FROM AROUND THE WEB
New York expands early bear and antlerless deer hunting seasons: New York’s early hunting seasons for antlerless deer and bear are getting underway in parts of the state. The early bear season starts Sept. 12 and runs through Sept. 27 in 11 Wildlife Management Units in the Southern Zone. Read the full story.
Debate continues over baiting deer as Tennessee sells 5,000 new hunting licenses: A newly legalized way to hunt deer in Tennessee is drawing debate as the season gets underway, with hunters now allowed to shoot deer over bait such as corn for the first time this season. Read the full story.
Idaho National Guard rescues injured hunter with Black Hawk: An Idaho Army National Guard aircrew rescued an injured hunter after a broadhead arrow became lodged in his right calf on Sept. 8 north of Council Mountain, about three hours north of Boise. According to the Idaho Army National Guard, a Life Flight medic was on scene, but the Life Flight helicopter could not land due to the terrain. Read the full story.
Popular Elk Named Boo At Bear River State Park Is So Old He Stopped Growing Antlers: Boo, a popular bull elk at Bear River State Park near Evanston, Wyoming, has grown so old at age 18 that he no longer grows antlers. Bull elk in the wild rarely live past 12 and almost never long enough to hit the antlerless stage. Read the full story.
Boo the elk then vs. now | Bear River State Park and Cowboy State Daily
Elk harvested illegally west of Melfort earlier this month: Conservation officers in Melfort are investigating the discovery of a spike bull and cow elk that were unlawfully harvested on private land without permission. The officers were called Sept. 5 about the elk that were discovered between the communities of Meskanaw and Ethelton, about 3 km south of Highway 41. Read the full story.
Killing of Catalina Island’s mule deer has begun, official confirms: The controversial shooting and culling of roughly 200 of Catalina Island’s invasive mule deer “is underway,” local officials confirmed to The Times on Wednesday afternoon. Read the full story.
VIDEO // SOME THINGS JUST HAVE TO BE SEEN
But they are never zero…
MONDAY MEME // FEELING BETTER THESE DAYS
WANDERINGS // A SFW GLIMPSE OF OUR BROWSER HISTORY
Scientists are using human poop to make concrete that’s about 42 percent stronger than the kind are used to. Who says this isn’t a great time to be alive? In addition to the poo-crete, the boys and girls at NASA are designing a laundry gun to be used in space. I know we shouldn’t be encouraging bad behavior (or should we?), but the truth is, humans have been getting f*cked up for about 25,000 years now. And when faced with difficult decisions (like how badly to lean on mind-altering substances), it’s helpful to lean on philosophy.
EYE CANDY // PICTURES > WORDS
Tarpon on the fly.
📸 by @birddogdoc
Oh, and one more thing…
