Outdoors – Page 187 – Syndication Server

How many Yellowstone wolves can you spot in photo?

Bodi Nolan captured an image of napping wolves recently in Yellowstone National Park, and viewers were asked to how many they could count.

Photographer Bodi Nolan captured an image of wolves napping against a snowy backdrop recently in Yellowstone National Park, and afterward posed a question via social media: “How many can you count?”

(His image is posted above and immediately below. The answer is provided in the bottom image.)

The post, on the Yellowstone Insiders Hub group Facebook page, drew a range of guesses because immobile wolves are far more difficult to spot than wolves moving across snow. Many viewers, however, guessed correctly.

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Nolan, who lives in Pasadena, Md., told For The Win Outdoors that he was photographing members of the Junction Butte Pack in the northern portion of Yellowstone during a 10-day trip in December.

“They feasted on two separate elk kills during the three days that I was able to spot them,” Nolan said.

The Junction Butte Pack is one of the most frequently observed wolf pack in the park, largely because of its proximity to a main road. While this is wonderful for photographers such as Nolan, it’s not ideal for the wolves.

Wolves after an elk feast. Photo: Bodi Nolan

In mid-December, as Nolan was visiting Yellowstone, the park confirmed in a news release that two Junction Butte wolf pups found dead on the road in November were victims of a vehicle strike.

The incident occurred between Tower Junction and the northeast entrance, an area that spans the wildlife-rich Lamar Valley. Afterward, a park spokeswoman told For The Win Outdoors that the Junction Butte Pack was comprised of 18 members: 10 adults and eight pups.

Part of the Junction Butte Pack in aerial shot. Photo: NPS/Dan Stahler

The number was 21 early last summer, but a yearling male disappeared right around the time the two pups were struck and killed.

Nolan, who apparently did not photograph the entire pack, said his encounter occurred west of Lamar Valley, within a few miles of the Petrified Tree trailhead.

**ANSWER:** Wolves shown napping in snow are numbered in red. Photo: Bodi Nolan

Most Yellowstone roads are closed during the winter, but a road that spans 51 miles from Cooke City outside the northeast entrance to Mammoth Hot Springs near the north entrance is open year-round.

–All images except the aerial photo are courtesy of Bodi Nolan. Aerial photo showing members of the Junction Butte Pack is courtesy of NPS/Dan Stahler

Coast Guard takes on giant surf in epic training session

When a massive swell hit Oregon recently, the U.S. Coast Guard sent lifeboat crews into the pounding surf for an epic day of maneuvers.

When a massive swell slammed Oregon recently, the U.S. Coast Guard sent motor lifeboat crews into the pounding surf for an epic day of maneuvers.

Photographer Jeremy Burke, who was given advance notice of the Dec. 26 training session off Newport, captured several stunning images and began sharing them this past week via social media.

The maneuvers involved two motor lifeboats from U.S. Coast Guard Station Yaquina Bay, which currently features one of Burke’s images as its Facebook profile photo.

Burke also sent images to For The Win Outdoors, and viewers will note that seasoned crews aboard both vessels met enormous waves head-on while practicing for real-life emergencies.

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“This was a special day on the Oregon Coast with 20- to 25-foot wave faces on a day that there was little wind and it was sunny,” said Burke, who was shooting from the dunes at South Beach State Park. “Close to perfect conditions.”

Burke said maneuvers lasted three hours and that one of the vessels was the 52-foot motor lifeboat Victory, built in 1956. The Victory is one of four 52-foot motor lifeboats operated by the U.S. Coast Guard, which describes them as “virtually unsinkable.”

(The victory is white; the gray motor lifeboat photographed by Burke measured 47 feet.)

Coast Guard Station Yaquina Bay describes itself as a multi-mission unit specializing in search-and-rescue operations and maritime law enforcement.

The station often schedules training sessions on days when high surf and/or high winds are in the forecast.

–Images are courtesy of Jeremy Burke

Yellowstone cross-country skier attacked by coyote

A 43-year-old woman was bitten by a coyote Tuesday while cross-country skiing in Yellowstone National Park.

The unidentified woman, who was skiing on Grand Loop Road near South Rim Drive when the mid-morning attack occurred, was treated for puncture wounds and lacerations to her head and arm.

She was subsequently transported to a nearby medical facility, according to a news release issued Wednesday.

The road, in the Canyon Village area, was temporarily closed to skiers. The coyote was located and killed, and will be tested for rabies.

“Encounters like these are rare, but they can happen,” park biologist Doug Smith said. “We suspect this coyote may have been starving due to having porcupine quills in its lower jaw and inside its mouth. Its young age likely led to its poor condition and irregular behavior.”

Most roads within the park are closed to automobiles for the season, but some are open for skiing and other winter activities.

–Generic coyote images are courtesy of the National Park Service

Angler lands giant muskie through narrow hole in ice

A Maine angler discovered Sunday that fighting a 27-pound muskie is not nearly as challenging as getting the fish through the ice.

A Maine fishermen discovered Saturday that fighting a 27-pound muskie is not nearly as challenging as landing such a hefty fish through an 8-inch hole in the ice.

The accompanying footage shows Wade Kelly, a participant in the Long Lake Ice Fishing Derby at Glazier Lake, plunging his entire left arm into the frigid water in an attempt to carefully lift his catch through the narrow opening.

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The muskie was so big that its head needed to be positioned perfectly to fit through the hole, and so heavy that the line might have broken had Kelly attempted to reel the fish onto the ice.

“His head was crossways to the hole [and it wouldn’t fit through],” Kelly told the Bangor Daily News. “That’s why my hand went down in the hole.”

Kelly, a guide with Tylor Kelly Camps, knew that muskies possess incredibly sharp teeth. So on his third attempt he successfully gripped the fish by its gill plate and performed a perfect extraction, to the great surprise of his wife.

Wade Kelly poses with his prize-winning muskie. Photo: Steve St. Jarre

“Oh my gosh, Wade, that is a monster!” Sue Underhill Kelly says in the footage.

She later told For the Win Outdoors: “He knew it was big but didn’t say anything to me, so I was astonished to see a muskie of that size come up in his hand.”

The 47-inch muskie weighed 26 pounds, 9 ounces, and earned Kelly first place in the muskie category of the two-day derby. Kelly’s fish beat the second-place muskie by nearly three pounds.

–Images showing Wade Kelly with his muskie are courtesy of Sue Underhill Kelly (top) and Steve St. Jarre

Rare blue dorado caught off Mexico

A dorado caught last week off Mexico was exceptional not because of its size, but for its extraordinary coloration.

A dorado caught last week off Mexico was exceptional not because of its size, but because of its extraordinary coloration.

Keith Proudman, part of a group from British Columbia, Canada, caught a dorado that was strikingly blue, in glaring contrast to the typical greenish-gold dorado caught by his fellow anglers.

“We could see the colors in the water and were unsure what it was,” Dave Ball, part of the charter off Barra de Navidad in the state of Jalisco, told For The Win Outdoors. “The skipper knew, though.”

Keith Proudman (right) poses with blue dorado. Photo: Dave Ball

Dorado, as the Spanish name implies, flash golden hues while chasing bait and fighting on the hook. Their colors fade noticeably, however, after they’ve been gaffed and boated (see photos).

But not every dorado lives up to its name. Every so often, a blue dorado is caught.

Powder-blue dorado caught in Sea of Cortez. Photo: Dave Maynard

In 2013, Dave Maynard was part of a group fishing in the Sea of Cortez. They caught 154 dorado in four days, and six of them were blue.

More recently, Mark Rayor of Jen Wren Sportfishing in Baja California’s East Cape region, logged the rare catch of a silver dorado.

“They’re an odd fish and turn all sorts of colors,” he said.

What a typical bull dorado looks like. Photo: ©Pete Thomas

Proudman, who is from Victoria but now lives in Barra de Navidad, was hosting his Canadian friends during the fishing charter.

Ball, who lives in Campbell River, B.C., said the group caught three dorado, using mullet as bait, before Proudman hooked his “prized blue dorado.”

“The first three were real good fighters, with runs and multiple jumps,” Ball said. “But the blue one was a little smaller and came right alongside the boat.”

Silver dorado caught in Sea of Cortez. Photo: Mark Rayor

Dorado, also known as mahi-mahi and dolphinfish, are famously acrobatic and prized as table fare.

They inhabit tropical and subtropical waters around the world and are typically encountered far offshore, often in large schools beneath floating debris.

The International Game Fish Assn. lists as the all-tackle world record an 87-pound dolphinfish caught off Papagayo Gulf, Costa Rica.

Fisherman who pled guilty to cruel act on fish is sentenced

A man who used a power saw to cut off the nose of a live smalltooth sawfish and later pled guilty to it has learned his fate from the court.

A fisherman who used a power saw to cut off the nose of a live smalltooth sawfish and later pled guilty of killing the endangered species has learned his fate in court.

Chad Ponce, 38, of Jacksonville, Fla., was sentenced to 80 hours of community service and two years probation, and fined $2,000 for the cruel act, which was confirmed by a joint investigation by NOAA Fisheries and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, NOAA Fisheries revealed Thursday.

Ponce, who initially denied any wrongdoing, had faced up to a year in federal prison and a $50,000 fine after pleading guilty in November. A judge sentenced him on Dec. 19, but it only became public a couple days ago.

From NOAA Fisheries:

The St. John’s County Sheriff’s Office and FWC received a tip reporting the capture and gross mishandling of a large (12-14 foot) smalltooth sawfish off the coast of Ponte Vedra, Florida, on July 18, 2018. The sawfish was incidentally caught in one of Ponce’s commercial shrimp trawl nets earlier that day.

Upon retrieval of the net, Ponce, captain of the Triton II, first attempted to use a hacksaw on the rostrum, but witnesses report he tossed that saw into the ocean when it didn’t work. Ponce then used a power saw to cut the rostrum off the live animal. Another fisherman in a vessel adjacent to the trawler witnessed the incident and reported it to FWC’s Report Sawfish for Science Hotline.

Ponce then tossed the smalltooth sawfish back into the ocean.

Photo of the smalltooth sawfish showing injury associated with recent rostrum removal in the Florida Keys. Photo: NOAA Fisheries

NOAA and FWC immediately opened an investigation, and FWC sent an officer offshore to the location of the Triton II on the day of the report. DNA evidence connecting Ponce to the crime was gathered during the investigation.

The rostrum of the sawfish is used to locate and disable its prey, and is believed to also carry sensory cells that assist in it orienting itself to time and location. The smalltooth sawfish cannot survive without its rostrum.

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“The smalltooth sawfish is one of five sawfish species worldwide and the only one still found in U.S. waters,” NOAA Fisheries stated. “All five species of sawfishes are in danger of extinction and listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act, as well as some international authorities.”

Photos courtesy of Wikipedia Commons, Getty Images and NOAA Fisheries, in that order.

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Snowboarder wins 10th straight superpipe event

Scotty James defended his X Games gold medal in Aspen, winning the event for the third time in four years. Watch video of him in action.

Scotty James won his 10th consecutive worldwide superpipe competition by repeating as X Games gold medalist in Aspen on Thursday night, winning the prestigious event for the third time in four years.

The Australian, who is undefeated since the start of the 2018-19 season, pulled off a switch backside double 1260, cab 1080, frontside 900 grabbing nose and a double backside 1260 among his tricks in the Monster Energy Men’s Snowboard SuperPipe at Buttermilk Mountain.

His victory lap consisted of high-fiving fans along the deck of the superpipe.

“It never gets old, that feeling is unbelievable and to do it here at X Games is very, very special to me,” James told ESPN X Games afterward. “I mean, X Games is a pinnacle for us and I dreamt of getting one X Games medal and now I’m adding another to my collection, so I’m absolutely pumped.”

Yuto Totsuka of Japan took silver and Jan Scherrer of Switzerland got the bronze. U.S. snowboarders Chase Josey, Danny Davis, Taylor Gold, Toby Miller and Chase Blackwell finished fourth through eighth.

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In other X Games action, Miyabi Onitsuka won gold in Pacifico Women’s Snowboard Big Air, Kokomo Murase took silver and Reira Iwabuchi grabbed bronze. All are from Japan.

X Games rookie Colby Stevenson of Park City, Utah, won the inaugural Ski Knuckle Huck.

In Special Olympic Unified Snowboarding, Mike Schultz/Daina Shilts won gold, Davis/Dmitrii Tiufiakov took silver and Jack Mitrani/Henry Meece got bronze.

Photo of Scotty James with gold medal by Phil Ellsworth/ESPN Images

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Man ordered never to hunt in Alaska again after guilty plea

A man who impersonated a hunting guide and led illegal hunts in an Alaskan preserve was ordered to never hunt in the state again.

An Idaho man who impersonated a hunting guide and led several illegal hunts in Alaska’s Noatak National Preserve was ordered by an Alaskan judge to never hunt in the state again.

Paul Silvis, 52, of Nampa was also fined $20,000 and ordered by U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason to serve six months of home confinement followed by five years of supervised release, federal prosecutors announced Wednesday, as reported in the Anchorage Daily News.

U.S. Attorney Bryan Schroder said in the announcement that Silvis pleaded guilty in October to two felony violations of the Lacey Act, which bans illegal wildlife trafficking.

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Prosecutors said that Silvis transported illegally taken game across state lines and gave the Alaska Department of Fish and Game false business records to cover up the illegal take.

Between 2009 to 2016, Silvis repeatedly violated state and federal law, illegally selling and providing unlicensed guide services under the name Orion Outfitters. Schroder said financial gain was the motive, as Silvis took in $121,500. Seven brown bears and a moose were harvested in the illegal hunts.

In specific cases cited, Silvis guided illegal hunts for residents of Idaho in September of 2013 and 2014. None of them possessed appropriate big-game tags.

Non-resident hunters pursuing brown bears in the Noatak National Preserve must contract with a licensed big-game guide, possess state permits and buy big-game tags.

The Noatak National Preserve, which covers 10,265-square miles, is located in northwestern Alaska where the nearest city is Kotzebue.

Unlike the two national parks that border it, the preserve allows hunting. Legal hunting, that is.

Images courtesy of Wikipedia Commons.

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Bomb squad responds after surprise discovery by fishermen

Fishermen in Vass, N.C., provided excitement for the whole town Monday when they discovered a rusty grenade near a town bridge.

Fishermen in Vass, N.C., provided excitement for the whole town Monday when they discovered a rusty grenade that resulted in a temporary road closure and would require the services of the regional bomb squad.

The Crains Creek Fire Department announced via social media that a few locals were magnet fishing near Morrison Bridge and Riverview Drive when they found the frag grenade, missing its firing pin, near the bridge.

Several emergency units responded, including military Explosive Ordinance Disposal specialists, which determined that it was unsafe to transport the grenade.

“The military EOD responded and determined it not safe to carry back to post, so it was detonated in the woods nearby,” the Crains Creek Fire Department stated. “CCFD crews stood by and assist with the closing of the road and for the detonation.”

Magnet fishing, a form of treasure hunting for metal objects in waterways, is a popular hobby in some areas.

–Images courtesy of the Crains Creek Fire Department

WATCH: Fisherman pets mako shark to prove point

Keith Poe spends much of his time offshore, trying to lure large sharks close enough to his boat to bait and tag for research.

Keith Poe spends much of his time offshore, trying to lure large sharks close enough to bait and tag for research.

What does the Southern California-based fisherman do with smaller sharks attracted by his chumming technique?

The accompanying footage shows Poe gently grabbing a free-swimming mako shark by its dorsal fin and stroking its back as casually as one might stroke the back of a dog or cat.

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“Come on, girl. Come here,” Poe says, reaching toward the 6-foot shark. “We’re gonna get you some pets. Come on, come on. Yeah, get you some pets.”

It’s a definite don’t-try-this-at-home moment, not advisable for anyone without vast experience working with sharks.

Poe, who tags apex predators for the Marine Conservation Science Institute, has caught an estimated 5,000 sharks and understands their behavior as well as anyone.

A much larger mako shark sent to freedom after it was tagged. Photo: Keith Poe

He told For The Win Outdoors that he was chumming in the San Pedro Channel off Los Angeles when the small mako shark appeared.

“She was just hanging out,” he said. “I was hand-feeding her and petting her for several hours while waiting for an adult shark to show up. I never [bait] them unless they’re mature females 9 feet and up.”

He said the shark was never aggressive, and that he shared the video because mako sharks “are always thought of as such vicious animals, and it’s just not true.

One of the sharks tagged recently off California. Photo: Keith Poe

“They come up to the boat all excited ready to kill something because that’s necessary to eat usually. But after a while they calm down and you get to know their real personality.”

One of the largest mako sharks Poe has tagged is named Cinderella. Her movements can be tracked via the MCSI’s Expedition White Shark app.

“When I tagged Cinderella, an 11-foot, 4-inch mako, I spent a long time with her, feeding her before I caught her,” Poe said. “It’s part of an effort to reduce capture shock. As a result, after I caught her, and tagged and released her, she stayed at the boat for an hour-and-a-half eating out of my hand.”

Poe, who recently had an 18- to 20-foot great white shark “hang out with me for five hours,” said he typically sends the sharks he tags away with an affectionate stroke of the head or back.

Call it a perk.

–Images showing Keith Poe working with sharks are courtesy of Keith Poe