A recovering Gordon Shurvell, the Canadian 65-year-old who survived a black bear attack as he took care of business in a remote Ontario camp's outhouse last week, was asked by reporters if the attack scared the "you know what" out of him. "It was already gone! I'd already done my business," he added. "All the defense I had is a...piece of [toilet] paper." Next time he uses the camp's facilities, Shurvell says he'll "put up with the stench and shut the door." CBC News.
May 26, 2012
Lawmakers move to name bison 'national mammal'
The National Bison Legacy Act was introduced in the Senate this week by lawmakers from Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota and Rhode Island. The largely symbolic measure would provide no added protections for an estimated 20,000 wild bison, but would declare it America's "national mammal." AP.
Pair responsible for 2011 SoCal wildfire get prison time
One of two men who started a fire that scorched 22 square miles of mountainous back-country between Warner Springs and Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in Southern California last summer was sentenced Wednesday to six years in state prison. Jesse James Durbin pleaded guilty to an arson charge, as did co-defendant Jeremy Joseph Ortiz, who was sentenced earlier this month to a six-year term. North County Times.
May 25, 2012
Campfire kittycat turns out to be a fox, and rabid
Some friends in the Maple Park neighborhood of Hooversville, Pa. were enjoying libations around a bonfire Saturday night when a grey cat showed up. Except it wasn't a cat; it was a grey fox. And rabid. "I guess he went to push it out of the way so it wasn't rubbing against his leg," said Glenn Wisel. "The next thing somebody hollered they got bit. Then a bunch of people went and got guns and went after it and they finally did catch up with it." WJAC-TV.
New Zealand angler boats wild pig
Bob Monteith was trout fishing with friends on Northern New Zealand's 238-square mile Lake Taupo when they encountered a hunting dog in hot pursuit of a wild sow—more than 200 yards offshore. The fishermen managed to lasso the 80-pound hog, haul it aboard and quickly dispatch it, adding chops and roasts to a 3-day catch. Rotorua Daily Post.
Authorities: Gator shooting by angler not self defense
A fisherman who said he fatally shot an 11-foot alligator after being attacked could have to pay $5,300 after wardens concluded he was not threatened by the reptile. Patrick Miller and Keyon Ivory told authorities they were fishing in the Trinity River near the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge May 9 when the alligator came at their two-person boat, prompting both men to jump out and one of them to shoot it. Ft. Worth Star-Telegram.
Daily Caller announces 'Great Gun Giveaway'
The Daily Caller website, founded by conservative commentator Tucker Carlson, has announced a promotion in which a 9mm FMK Model 9C1 will be given to a lucky (and eligible) entrant each week between now and Election Day. The contest is coordinated through the website's "Guns and Gear" section, where firearms news and product reviews appear regularly. Some decidedly liberal websites are predictably demonizing the whole idea.
Tranquilized bear tumbles from tree, again
'Tis the season, and the year, for tranquilized bears to fall from trees into waiting tarps below, and to be photographed in mid-air. This time it occurred in Steamboat Springs, Colo., where a sedated young bruin became wedged between branches and firefighters attempted to lower it with a rope. When the bear's ankle slipped through the knot, it went into free-fall mode. Video and more photos at Steamboat Today.
13-foot Hilton Head gator had stomach full of stuff
Judging from the stomach contents of the 13-foot nuisance alligator trapped and killed Monday from Jarvis Creek Park on South Carolina's Hilton Head Island, the big reptile wasn't picky about what it ate. Trappers who opened the gator's stomach found 53 fishing lures, a half-pound of lead sinkers, a soccer ball, two baseballs, one tennis ball and two other balls, two turtles, a beer can, a four-foot gator and 48 rocks. Digest that. The Island Packet.
May 24, 2012
Wanted: Airport bird chaser. Salary: $76K
Are you an unemployed or underpaid wildlife biologist who wouldn't mind moving to Florida? Well, have we got a job for you! After two major bird-airplane collisions at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, federal aviation officials are requiring Broward County to hire a full-time bird-chaser to keep birds from fowlng up flights. And with a starting salary of $76,252, it sure beats some state agency offerings. S. Florida Sun Sentinel.
Mushrooms picked illegally weren't for sauté
Five people in their 20s cited for picking mushrooms from posted pasture land on the Allapattah Flats Wildlife Management Area in Martin County, Fla. have each been charged with removal of plant life from state lands, a misdemeanor. Sheriff's Detective Joe Passanesi said the five indicated they were gathering the mushrooms "for consumption," but didn't state they were searching for psilocybin mushrooms, despite a sheriff's report indicating they were "picked from cattle excrement." Palm Beach Post.
Groups file intent to sue USFS to force lead ammo ban
Environmental activist groups have filed notification of intent to sue the U.S. Forest Service in an effort to ban the use of lead-core ammunition by hunters in the Kaibab National Forest north of Arizona's Grand Canyon, within the habitat of the endangered California condor. The groups, including the Sierra Club, Grand Canyon Wildlands Council and Center for Biological Diversity, contend that bullet fragments in gutpiles left behind by hunters are responsible for condor deaths. Arizona Daily Sun.
May 23, 2012
Bear attacks Canuck in campground privy
A Winnipeg man is recovering from injuries he received Saturday when a black bear dragged him from an Ontario campground outhouse and slashed and bit him repeatedly before a friend intervened to shoot and kill the attacking bruin. Gordon Shurvell, 65, was back home late Tuesday night after being treated and released from a hospital in northwestern Ontario. "He was on the john... pulled right from the outhouse," said his son, Dan Shurvell. Brandon Sun.
May 22, 2012
Mountain lion killed in downtown Santa Monica
Police in Santa Monica, Calif. shot and killed a mountain lion that traversed an urban landscape before it was found early Tuesday in a downtown office building courtyard near an outdoor mall and a park with views of the ocean and the city's famed pier. Authorities rightly justified the killing of the dangerous predator as necessary to protect the safety of the public, although there's already been predictable whining from SoCal animal rightists.
Missouri pro-gun measures head to governor
The Missouri General Assembly sent several pro-gun measures to Gov. Jay Nixon prior to adjournment, including Senate Bill 489, which honors all live-fire training exercises as part of the concealed carry course prior to changes made in the training requirements last year. A transportation omnibus bill includes a provision establishing a National Rifle Association license plate to fund pro Second Amendment activities. NRA.
Couple plans honeymoon after catfish derby win
After Carla Meza of Yuba City, Calif. topped a record field of 580 adults and 111 youngsters to win the three-day Clearlake Oaks/Glenhaven Annual Catfish Derby with a 23.82-pound channel cat, she happily announced the $4,000 prize with be used for her upcoming honeymoon at Ft. Bragg (Calif.) with her husband to be (and fishing partner), Tom Jacobs. Terry Knight in the Lake County Record-Bee.
Minnesota proposes 2 wolf seasons, 6,000 permits
Under a DNR proposal, Minnesota will hold divided wolf seasons this fall, offering a total of 6,000 licenses, with 3,600 available in the early season and 2,400 in the late season. Late-season licenses will be further split between hunting and trapping, with a minimum of 600 reserved for trappers. The target harvest quota will be 400 wolves for both seasons combined. Sam Cook in the Duluth Tribune.
May 21, 2012
Anti hound-hunting bill passes California Senate
The U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance reports that California Senate Bill 1221, a measure to ban the use of hounds to hunt black bears and bobcats in The Golden State, passed the Senate today by a 22-15 vote. It now moves to the General Assembly, where action is uncertain.
Bucket-toting trout thief hits NH hatchery
Officials at the Milford (NH) State Fish Hatchery are seeking assistance from the public to help identify a man who broke into the facility on two occasions in April and filled a bucket with catchable trout. The culprit, who was photographed by a security camera, aparently cut a chain link fence to gain entry to the hatchery. Nashua Telegraph.
Colorado grandma attacked by black bear
A Trinidad, Colo. grandmother who was attemtping to scare a black bear out of her yard by beating pots and pans together is recovering from non life-threastening injuries after the bruin turned and attacked her. The bear was later killed by a Colorado State Trooper. Denver Post.
Rimes with gun: Fun
An unusual morsel in the Philadelphia Daily News gossip column today (unusally positive for the paper AND for the city), reports that country/pop star LeAnn Rimes and husband Eddie Cibrian joined members of the singer's crew prior to a performance Friday to enjoy some recreational shooting at the Philadelphia Archery & Gun Club.
May 20, 2012
Florida outdoors writer Vic Dunaway, 82
Vic Dunaway, fishing celebrity, outdoors writer, book author and co-founder of Florida Sportsman magazine, died Thursday, May 17 of a heart failure at an Ocala hospital at the age of 82. Dunaway was the outdoors writer at The Miami Herald from 1958 until 1969 when he left to launch Florida Sportsman magazine with publisher Karl Wickstrom. Frank Sargeant remembers Vic Dunaway in The Tampa Tribune.
May 19, 2012
Fisherman lied about record catch, evokes Ed Zern
The late, great Ed Zern famously wrote, "Fishermen are born honest, but they get over it." Zern would no doubt chuckle at the recent exploits of Colorado teenager Isaac Sprecher, who now admits he was "stupid and immature" to say he caught a potential new state record striped bass at McIntosh Lake, instead of where it actually did--a catch-and-release pond at a Boulder County Open Space area. Sprecher admits he's sorry, and that it's a "good life lesson." Longmont Times-Call.
