Category: Outdoors

Hurricane John has surfers in Mexico seeking ‘waves of their dreams’

Footage shows surfers testing their skills at the ‘Mexican Pipeline’ in the immediate aftermath of the powerful storm.

As Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc this week in the southeastern United States, Hurricane John did the same in southwestern Mexico.

But in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane John on Friday morning, the wind began to subside and massive waves generated by the storm began to clean up, tempting surfers at Puerto Escondido to test their skills.

“The weather continues to give no respite and the storm waves do not stop,” photographer Edwin Morales stated via Instagram. “Although the short period is not ideal for Playa Zicatela, the gladiators continue trying and looking for the wave of their dreams.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/DAZj2xSt-4z/

Morales’ footage, shown above and below, shows why Zicatela Beach, just south of Puerto Escondido in the state of Oaxaca, is referred to as the Mexican Pipeline.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DAbv-8Ovzqv/

While Morales’ videos do not show the notoriously hollow beach break at its largest or cleanest, his footage does reveal the spot’s potential as one of the world’s premier big-wave surfing destinations.

Pesto the GIANT baby penguin is the newest viral TikTok animal star

Pesto is a humongous baby penguin who is already a meme.

Moo Deng the baby pygmy hippo had her day in the viral TikTok sun and all the memes that came with her.

Now? There’s a new viral sensation out there in the animal world, and it’s a big, fluffy penguin named Pesto in Australia, specifically at Melbourne’s Sea Life Aquarium.

Pesto is 50 pounds and — per the BBC — “he is the biggest chick the aquarium has ever seen.” And when you see photos and videos of Pesto, you’ll get it. But don’t worry, he’ll lose weight at some point as he gets to be a bigger penguin.

For now, you get lots of this:

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=421396721]

 

 

N.Y. tournament angler lands pending-record smallmouth bass

Dante Piraino was participating in a New York Federation B.A.S.S. Nation event when he hooked the massive smallmouth.

Dante Piraino enjoyed a successful day of tournament bass fishing last Sunday in New York, logging a five-fish bag limit totaling 31.4 pounds.

One of those fish – a 9-pound smallmouth bass – is a pending state record.

Piraino, who was participating in a New York Federation B.A.S.S. Nation Tournament in Ogdensburg, landed the smallmouth while casting a soft-plastic lure on the St. Lawrence River.

He told Wired2Fish that he hooked the fish at about 9 a.m. and figured it weighed six pounds.

9-pound smallmouth bass on display near live well. Photo: Dante Piraino

But when he lipped the smallmouth with his thumb and index finger to hoist it into his live well, he realized that it was “heavier than expected.”

At 9 pounds, heavier than any largemouth bass caught on the same day, the catch eclipses the state record of 8 pounds, 6 ounces, set at Cayuga Lake in 2022.

Piraino, however, is still waiting to hear from the state regarding his potential record, a process that can take weeks.

For comparison, the all-tackle world record for smallmouth bass stands at 11 pounds, 15 ounces. That fish was caught at Tennessee’s Dale Hollow Lake in 1955.

Coast Guard rescues sailor, dog as Hurricane Helene nears Florida

Dramatic rescue occurs 25 miles off Sanibel Island as Hurricane Helene strengthens into a Category 4 storm.

The U.S. Coast Guard rescued a man and his dog Thursday after the man’s sailboat capsized off Florida in stormy seas caused by Hurricane Helene.

The image atop this post shows the sailor and his dog in lifejackets, with a Coast Guard helicopter crew closing in for the rescue operation.

“USCG Air Station Clearwater saved a man & his dog, Thurs., during Hurricane Helene after his 36-ft sailboat became disabled & started taking on water approximately 25 miles off Sanibel Island,” the Coast Guard’s District Seven announced via X. (Click here to view video of the rescue.)

https://twitter.com/USCGSoutheast/status/1839469632899395648

The agency provided the following information to others who might find themselves in trouble on the water: “Call the USCG for help on VHF Ch. 16 or dial 911 for storm distress.”

Hurricane Helene had strengthened into an “extremely dangerous” Category 4 storm as it approached Florida’s northwest coast.

Heavy rain and flooding were occurring throughout the southeastern U.S. and potentially deadly storm surges are expected before and during landfall late Thursday in the Florida Big Bend region.

According to the National Hurricane Center, “Helene is expected to turn northwestward and slow down over the Tennessee Valley on Friday and Saturday.”

Golfer shown aiming shots at elk herd; where’s the outrage?

Colorado tour guide threatens to call the cops after documenting golfer seemingly directing his shot toward a nearby elk herd.

A Colorado-based tour company on Monday shared footage showing a golfer seemingly trying to hit elk that had gathered on a driving range.

“This guy was intentionally hitting golf balls at this elk – this was not the first. What would you do?” Good Bull Guided Tours stated Monday via Instagram.

Good Bull Guided Tours specializes in providing elk encounters for clients. The elk that had wandered onto the practice facility included a bull and his harem.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DASLQ2qOgAZ/

The footage shows the golfer hitting a ball with an iron and narrowly missing the bull elk.

“If you want to keep hitting at the elk, I’ll happily send the video into the cops,” the videographer says to the golfer, as another man blasts a driver down the middle, away from the elk.

As of the time of this post, Good Bull Guided Tours had not responded to an inquiry from FTW Outdoors requesting more information.

Perhaps surprisingly, several people in the Instagram comments section defended the golfer.

“Definitely not going to hurt an elk with a golf ball,” one comment reads.

“It’s a golf range, not an animal sanctuary, if I paid for balls I’m hitting ’em,” another follower stated.

But a few expressed anger at the golfer’s careless actions.

Reads one comment: “The best thing would have been for those Elk to turn around and charge at them.”

Grizzly bear den with a view? Cool facts about bruins’ winter homes

One den discovered two years ago housed a 600-pound grizzly bear and featured a sweeping view of the Idaho forest.

Two years ago the Idaho Department of Fish and Game joked about what grizzly bears consider while choosing den sites for the winter:

“The view of course!”

The remark on Facebook was in reference to a spacious den biologists discovered while searching for a 600-pound grizzly bear’s dropped research collar.

The collar’s signal led them to a high-altitude den site that featured a stunning view of the forest and a distant river or lake.

The accompanying images show the view and IDFG Officer Chris Johnson “enjoying the ample head room inside the bear’s den.”

Officer Chris Johnson at entrance to bear den. Photo: IDFG

(The bear was not present when the collar was retrieved.)

With another hibernation season close at hand, bears will soon stake out potential den sites or reclaim existing sites.

Den utilized by a 600-pound bear. Photo: IDFG

A sampling of facts about bear dens, courtesy of the National Park Service, referring mainly to bears within the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, which includes Yellowstone National Park:

–Den sites are typically located on north-facing slopes at elevations between 6,500 and 10,000 feet. “This is desirable in greater Yellowstone because prevailing southwest winds accumulate snow on the northerly slopes and insulate dens from sub-zero temperatures.”

–Grizzly bears typically excavate dens in 3-7 days, “moving up to a ton of material.” Chamber floors are covered with spruce boughs and forest debris, ensuring air pockets that help trap body heat. Chambers can measure seven feet in diameter.

–Den site openings are typically just large enough for bears to squeeze through. Small openings become snow-covered more quickly and help keep dens insulated.

–Bears typically enter dens for hibernation by mid-November, but male bears can be encountered outside dens well into December. Bears begin to emerge from their dens in February, but female bears with cubs often remain in or near their dens until late May.

–Bears experience a slower metabolism, and lower respiration and heart rates during hibernation. Their breathing, for example, can slow from 6-10 breaths per minute before hibernation to only one breath every 45 seconds during hibernation.

As for the den featured in the images, it was visited by grizzly bear biologist Jeremy Nicholson and IDFG Officers Johnson and Joe Heald. It’s not clear if the den site has been reused.

Leopard chases squirrel up and down a tree in comical video

A ranger at a South African game reserve spotted a leopard in a tree and soon realized a squirrel was in the tree, too. Then the fun began.

A ranger at the MalaMala Private Game Reserve in South Africa spotted a leopard in a tree and soon realized a squirrel was in the tree, too. Then the fun began.

“Being about 100 times smaller, it would be safe to assume that the squirrel would make a dash for it, but no! Not this squirrel,” Piet Van Wyk told LatestSightings.com. “It wanted to have some fun first! It waited for the leopard at the bottom of the trunk, and as soon as the leopard came near, the squirrel shot back up the tree!

“Up and down, and around they went. It was like this squirrel had something to prove, or maybe just the heart of a lion!

“At one point, the leopard was so confused that it completely lost the squirrel, who was dead still, right in front of her face.

“Then, with a slight movement, the leopard found it again, and the games were back on!”

Van Wyk provided the hilarious video to LatestSightings.

“This lasted for about five minutes, and eventually, it was the squirrel that darted into the bushes,” Van Wyk said. “Maybe it became too tired or just had enough of messing around.

Also on FTW Outdoors: Shaking and with fear in her voice, hiker endures scary bear encounter

“The leopard was still determined and ran after it into the bushes, but never ended up catching it.”

‘Cautious eyes’ focus on grizzly bear family in Yukon meadow

Momma grizzly bear and two large cubs have a wary audience in wild horses that appear ready to bolt at the first sign of trouble.

A trail camera in Canada’s Yukon Territory has captured an interesting scene involving a momma grizzly bear and two cubs being watched intently by wild horses.

“A beautiful grizzly family strolls along on a recent autumn morning as cautious eyes watch from afar,” David Troup of Yukon Wildlife Cams described Thursday via Facebook.

Viewers will note that the horses appear frozen into the landscape; they’re that wary of the bears and making a move that might prompt a predatory charge. (Click here if a video player does not appear below.)

https://www.facebook.com/yukonwildlifecams/videos/839394361509756

Troup told FTW Outdoors that his camera captured this scene Sept. 15 and added that he was not aware of grizzly bear predation involving this group of horses.

Grizzly bears will sometimes chase horses in the hope of catching a tired foal or causing a large horse to fall.

The scene captured by Troup’s camera is reminiscent of a dramatic scene captured by a trail-cam network in 2022 in Alberta, Canada, involving grizzly bears chasing horses that were clearly running for their lives.

Regarding that scene, the Help Alberta Wildies Society stated on Facebook: “The next time someone tells you that the Wild Horses have no natural predators, send them to me.

“We are losing a lot of horses this year, sooner and quicker than in past years. Not just the foals. Adults also.”

Phoenix homeowner ‘shocked’ when welcome mat starts rattling

In Arizona, where there are lots of rattlesnakes, welcome mats can be deceiving. Footage shows the snake being captured.

In Arizona, apparently, welcome mats can be deceiving.

From the Phoenix-based Rattlesnake Solutions, which relocates problem snakes back into wild areas, via Instagram:

“A homeowner got a shock when the welcome mat started rattling at her! Bryce went out to discover a Western Diamondback Rattlesnake hiding under it. You can see the lump here.”

Understandable comment: “New nightmare unlocked.”

The lump is visible in the image atop this post. Below is video footage showing Bryce carefully lifting the mat with plastic tongs and capturing the venomous snake for relocation.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DAHjookM06e/