Tag: US News

Amid Montana investigation, deer left to roam with arrow in back

Authorities are requesting public assistance in an attempt to identify the person who fired the arrow.

Authorities in Montana are investigating a poaching case involving a mule deer buck that’s still carrying an arrow that somebody shot into its back.

According to Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, wardens responded to a call from a Billings Heights resident about the wounded deer on Nov. 2.

Wardens located the deer and decided that it had been shot the same day, within city limits where hunting is banned. (Montana’s archery deer-hunting season ended Oct. 20.)

An image released to the media shows the arrow deeply embedded into the top of the deer’s back, near its spine. But the deer apparently has full mobility, so FWP decided against a capture effort.

Injured mule deer. Photo: Montana, Fish, Wildlife & Parks

“FWP does not believe the arrow wound will be fatal for the deer and at this time are not planning to capture the deer to remove the arrow,” the agency stated Tuesday in a news release.

Anyone with potentially helpful information is asked to call the regional warden at 406-860-7805, or submit a report via tipmont.mt.gov.

Active bald eagle nest destroyed in Texas; reward now $15,000

The nest, being utilized by a mating pair of bald eagles, was first detected by a concerned citizen on property being developed as a subdivision.

Federal and state authorities in Texas are still hoping to bring to justice the person responsible for destroying an active bald eagle nest last year north of Dallas.

On Thursday, the Center for Biological Diversity announced that it has increased the reward for information leading to a conviction in the case from $1,500 to $15,000.

“I’m outraged by the destruction of this eagle nest, and the perpetrator needs to be brought to justice for harming America’s national bird,” Will Harlan, a senior scientist at the Center, stated in a news release. “Whoever committed this cowardly act should be held accountable.”

The nest was first detected by a “concerned citizen” in February 2023 on private property being developed as a subdivision. A Texas game warden noted at the time that two adult eagles were using the nest.

Photo: ©Pete Thomas

Days later, special agents with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service confirmed that the nest had been destroyed. It was not clear if the eagles were raising chicks at the time.

Bald eagles, which mate for life, use the same nests year after year and build on them over time.

Bald eagles and their nests are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. Destroying an active nest could carry significant criminal penalties, including prison time.

Anyone with potentially helpful information is asked to contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Texas at 817-334-5202, or the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department at 800-792-4263.

–Generic bald eagle images courtesy of ©Pete Thomas

Louisiana men arrested for fraud after winning hog-hunting contests

The hunters are charged with catching feral hogs in another state and using them as part of their competition tallies.

Six men have been arrested for their roles in catching wild hogs in Texas and transporting them to their home state of Louisiana for hog-hunting contests, which they won.

All six men were charged in Louisiana with criminal conspiracy and fraud. Two were also charged with violating interstate commerce; one was charged with obstruction of justice, and another was charged with hunting with a suspended license.

The competitions were the Dingler Wild Hog Roundup in Bienville Parish Feb. 9-10, and the Swamp Time Hog Hunt in Caldwell Parish March 14-16.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries stated Wednesday that agents learned during an investigation that the men had entered hogs caught in Texas as part of their contest tallies.

One of the men, Nathan Granger, 34, of Vinton, turned himself into the Bienville Parish jail on June 4, since he did not participate in the Caldwell Parish competition.

The other five turned themselves into both jails on June 7. They are Trace Davis, 30, of Longville; Hunter Webb, 27, of Pitkin; Colby Bushnell, 26, of Dry Creek; Davy Haymon, 35, of Pitkin, and Don Pollard Jr., 40, of Pitkin.

Contest rules stipulated that hogs could be caught only in Louisiana during the competition windows.

The fraud charge can result in a $3,000 fine and one year in jail. Criminal conspiracy and interstate commerce violations could add significantly to the mens’ punishment.

The obstruction of justice charge, for Davis, carries a fine of up to $10,000 and five years in jail.

Hog-hunting competitions are allowed as a means of controlling feral pig populations. The animals, which multiply rapidly, cause extensive damage in agricultural areas.

–Feral hog image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Wolf-poaching incident near Yellowstone under investigation

Authorities in Montana would not say how the wolf was killed or whether it might have belonged to one of Yellowstone National Park’s known packs.

Authorities in Montana are investigating a suspected wolf-poaching incident that occurred recently near Yellowstone National Park.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks stated Wednesday that the wolf was killed near Mol Heron and Cinnabar creeks northwest of Gardiner on Jan. 27.

Gardiner is just outside Yellowstone’s North Entrance.

FWP spokesman Morgan Jacobsen, citing an active investigation, did not provide details regarding how the wolf was killed or whether it had belonged to a pack that lives mostly inside the park.

“I can confirm that a wolf died likely as a result of a poaching incident a few miles north of Yellowstone National Park,” Jacobsen told FTW Outdoors. “And Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is conducting an investigation.”

The Yellowstone National Park Public Affairs Office also declined to provide details, citing the FWP investigation.

News From The States reports that the wolf was killed inside Montana’s Wolf Management Unit 313, where a hunting quota of six wolves was filled by Dec. 27.

All six wolves, as a Yellowstone National Park spokeswoman recently confirmed to FTW Outdoors, “belonged to packs that spend the majority of their lives inside Yellowstone National Park and have territories largely within the park.”

FWP is seeking help from the public as part of its investigation. Anyone with potentially helpful information is asked to visit myfwp.mt.gov/fwpPub/tipmont or call 1-800-TIP-MONT.

Informants could be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

–Generic Yellowstone wolf image courtesy of the National Park Service

Lake Michigan serves up record burbot for Indiana angler

Anthony Burke caught a 14-pound, 3.6-ounce burbot to shatter the previous record by nearly three pounds.

An Indiana angler has shattered a state record with his recent Lake Michigan catch of a 14-pound, 3.6-ounce burbot.

Anthony Burke’s catch on Jan. 6 eclipsed the previous record by nearly three pounds and marked the third time in 13 months that a new state burbot record had been established.

Burbot are native to Lake Michigan and spend most of their time in extremely deep water off Michigan and Illinois, according to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

They migrate into shallower Indiana waters during the fall and winter to feed and spawn.

Anthony Burke poses with record burbot. Photo: IDNR

“Unseasonably warm weather and light winds on Lake Michigan the last several winters have provided boaters with a longer open-water fishing season and more opportunities to catch fish that are usually not in our waters, like burbot,” Ben Dickinson, a biologist with the DNR, said in a news release.

Burbot are found in parts of Canada and the northern United States, and in parts of Europe. They spend most of their time at depths of nearly 700 feet.

They’re prized as table fare because their flesh cooks up firm and white.

The all-tackle world record for burbot stands at 25 pounds, 2 ounces. That fish was caught in March 2010 at Lake Diefenbaker in Saskatchewan, Canada.

Boy, 11, helps Oregon troopers nab deer poacher

The boy was home sick from school when he witnessed the unlawful killing of a deer on private property.

An 11-year-old Oregon boy has been rewarded $1,000 for providing a tip that led to the arrest of a deer poacher.

The Oregon State Police explained in a news release that the boy, Gage, witnessed the unlawful killing and retrieval of a deer on private property.

Gage was home from school with an illness at the time. He reported the incident via the state’s Turn in Poachers (TIP) hotline.

The reward came from the Oregon Hunters Association and Gage told OSP troopers that he was considering using some of the money to purchase gaming goggles.

–Image courtesy of the Oregon State Police

Poacher kills one of Montana’s rarest critters; probe launched

Authorities in Montana are seeking public assistance in identifying the person responsible for the illegal killing of a wolverine.

Authorities in Montana are seeking public assistance in identifying the person responsible for illegally killing a wolverine.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks on Thursday said the wolverine carcass was discovered Nov. 10 on U.S. Forest Service Road 7377, northwest of Wisdom.

The animal had been shot, skinned, and left to rot.

Wolverines, described by Fish, Wildlife & Parks as “one of Montana’s rarest animals,” are protected and cannot be legally hunted or trapped.

The stout mammals, which inhabit mostly remote, high-altitude regions of Alaska, Canada, and the northwest continental U.S., are elusive and encounters are rare.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks

Their populations and movements are poorly understood, but studies have shown that they roam long distances while expanding home ranges.

Wolverines are almost bear-like in appearance and can be ferocious. Fish, Wildlife & Parks states on its website: “Some describe a wolverine as an animal with a thousand pounds of attitude in a 30-pound body.”

According to the National Wildlife Federation, resident populations exist in Alaska, Canada and Russia, as well as Washington, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, and a small portion of Oregon.

A wolverine sighting in Yellowstone National Park early last March generated lots of excitement because sightings in the park are so rare.

Wisdom is located about 200 miles northwest of Yellowstone.

–Generic wolverine images courtesy of Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks

Oregon elk hunter shoots and kills wolf, prompting investigation

An elk hunter in Oregon has reported killing a wolf in self-defense, prompting wildlife officials to investigate.

An elk hunter in Oregon has reported killing a wolf in self-defense, prompting wildlife officials to launch an investigation.

The Oregon State Police stated Monday that the hunter claimed to have been threatened by the wolf as he tracked elk on Nov. 2 along a ridge in Grant County.

The hunter told OSP Fish and Wildlife Troopers that the wolf emerged from the trees and stared him down as he yelled and waved his arms in an attempt to frighten the animal.

“The wolf then reportedly looked at the hunter from a distance of approximately 30 yards and started coming directly toward the hunter,” OSP described in a news release. “The hunter stated he feared for his safety and fired one round, striking the wolf and killing it instantly.”

Troopers who visited the scene determined that the wolf was about 18 yards from the hunter when he shot the animal. A second wolf also emerged but ran off after the hunter fired into the air.

Wolves are protected in Oregon and there is no general sport-hunting season for the animals.

OSP said a report on the incident will be submitted to the Grant County District Attorney’s Office.

The agency added: “Preliminary investigation revealed the hunter acted reasonably in shooting the wolf for personal safety and appropriately notified officials immediately upon shooting the wolf.”

–Generic wolf image courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

10-year-old hunter accidentally shoots man in buttocks

A Minnesota man was hospitalized with serious injuries Sunday after his 10-year-old hunting partner accidentally shot him in the buttocks.

A Minnesota man was hospitalized with serious injuries Sunday after his 10-year-old hunting partner accidentally shot him in the buttocks.

Valley News Live reported that the incident occurred in Hubbard County during opening weekend of the youth deer-hunting season.

The Hubbard County Sheriff’s Department, which responded to the incident, identified the man as Gary Peters.

Peters, 50, had accompanied the youth on a hunt earlier Sunday. Back at his truck, he instructed the youth to unload the bolt-action 270-caliber rifle.

While attempting to do so, the child apparently pulled the trigger, with the bullet passing through both of Peters’ buttocks.

Peters was transported to a nearby hospital and subsequently airlifted to a larger hospital in Fargo.

–Generic deer image courtesy of ©Pete Thomas

Massive tiger shark landed during ‘team-building’ fishing trip

A group of South Carolina business partners on Sunday teamed to land a massive tiger shark that weighed an estimated 1,500 pounds.

A group of South Carolina business partners on Sunday teamed to land a tiger shark that weighed an estimated 1,500 pounds.

“If that wasn’t a great team-building exercise, I don’t know what is,” Capt. Chip Michalove told FTW Outdoors.

Michalove, owner of Outcast Sport Fishing in Hilton Head, did not provide the anglers’ names but said they fought the shark for 90 minutes before it was alongside the boat. (The shark was released after a brief photo session.)

“Largest one we’ve caught in years, a 13-footer,” Michalove boasted Monday via Facebook.

Any tiger shark topping 1,000 pounds is considered to be enormous.

For comparison, the International Game Fish Assn. lists the world record as a tie between a catches of 1,785 pounds, 11 ounces (Australia, 2004) and 1,780 pounds (South Carolina, 1964).

(The 1964 catch was made from a Myrtle Beach pier!)

13-foot tiger shark moments before it was released. Photo: Chip Michalove

Michalove, who in July 2022 caught and released a record-size hammerhead shark, explained that giant tiger sharks tend to be active off South Carolina in the fall.

“It seems like every year the largest tiger is always the last two weeks of October,” he said. “Last year we lost an enormous one on Halloween.”

Michalove, who is authorized to tags sharks for research, said he has caught several of the same large tiger sharks over the years.

Tiger shark was landed after a 90-minute fight. Photo: Chip Michalove

But the shark his group caught Sunday did not have a tag and did not show markings that would imply it had previously been tagged.

Asked about how the anglers handled the fight, Michalove explained:

“The fight was an hour and a half. It took all four customers multiple rod swaps to get her close. One of the guys was a pastor, and that always seems beneficial.”