The Daily Texas Outdoor Digest is sent to your inbox to keep you up to date about hunting, fishing, conservation and outdoors pursuits making headlines and going viral in the Lone Star State and beyond. It’s free, so subscribe today!
Here’s what’s worth reading today, Tuesday, August 27, 2019:
A moose charged a 3-year-old in an Anchorage park. His father shot and killed it. Matthew Sanders and his 3-year-old son, Huxley, were walking on a narrow trail on the edge of Anchorage’s Kincaid Park on Thursday when the boy turned a corner and ran into two moose in tall grass. It was the kind of heart-pounding moment encountered by many hikers and cyclists in one of Anchorage’s biggest, most-used patches of wild land. But things turned quickly. Sanders yelled. The boy froze. The cow moose charged. The Anchorage father says he was able to get between his son and the moose and pull a .44 Magnum from a chest holster. By then the moose was so close “all I could see was its nostrils and hairs,” Sanders later recounted in a Facebook post. Sanders says he shot the moose, which ran into a thicket of horsetails and cow parsnip at the trail’s edge. Then cow charged again, according to Sanders. This time the father, holding his 3-year-old, fired three shots.
Three rescued from sinking fishing vessel off Matagorda, Texas: On Monday morning, the U.S. Coast Guard rescued three fishermen from a disabled shrimp fishing boat which was taking on water near Matagorda. Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi received a report of a disabled shrimping vessel that was taking on water about 2 miles from the Matagorda jetties. A Station Port O’Connor response boat crew went to the scene. The shrimp boat’s crew contacted the command center using a cell phone and said that they would be abandoning their vessel. The Coast Guard instructed them mariners to light a flare to make sure that the response boat would be able to find them. Once the responders arrived on scene, they pulled the survivors from the water and then brought them safely to Station Port O’Connor. There were no reported injuries.
September, October among best months for Texas outdoor pursuits
Crocodile shocks anglers, snatches catch off the line: A hungry crocodile made sure a pair of anglers did not get too far with their catch. In a video shared on social media over the weekend, a woman fishing in Cahills Crossing in the Kakadu National Park in Australia’s Northern Territory is seen dragging a sizable fish, reportedly a barramundi, along the shore after hooking it on her line, while her partner runs up with a net to grab the catch. However, while the pair is attempting to grab the barramundi, their plans are interrupted by a saltwater crocodile that rushes out of the river and snatches the fish off the line. In the scary video, the two are seen running away from the croc as it eats the fishy meal. The Crossing is a popular fishing spot with locals and tourists — despite the dangerous crocodile-infested waters.
Louisiana red snapper fishery to close after Labor Day: Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary Jack Montoucet signed a declaration of emergency to add Labor Day, Monday, September 2 to the current weekends-only recreational red snapper season and to close the season at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, September 3, until further notice. Labor Day was not included when the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission initially voted for the 2019 weekends-only season. After considering the rate of landings and LDWF biologists’ recommendations, estimates indicate that red snapper landings will be near our 816,439-pound quota after Labor Day. After the closure, LDWF will continue to monitor red snapper landings through the LA Creel survey and consider options if any quota remains. The latest catch statistics recorded by LA Creel is 691,765 pounds, or 86 percent of Louisiana’s allocation. This covers the period through August 11. Once the season closes, red snapper anglers will have had 48 days of fishing opportunity.
Idaho hunters warned of game meat in warmer weather: Idaho Fish and Game is warning Idaho hunters to take extra precautions with game meat in warmer weather. “Have a plan in place to take care of game meat if you’re hunting during hot or warm weather,” says Mike Demick, staff biologist. Early season big game hunts have started, which means they may be harvesting animals during hot weather. Hunters can be cited for wasting game. They have a legal (and ethical) obligation to properly care for the game meat they harvest.
Firefighter accused of hunting deer on city property, missing court date: A Chattahoochee Hills firefighter is a wanted man after he did not appear in court to address allegations of improper hunting on city property. A judge issued a bench warrant for Brandon Ploof after his missed hearing last week. The city is investigating after Ploof allegedly shot a deer outside the fire station while on duty. Ploof was cited by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources for hunting without the proper licenses and using an illegal caliber weapon. He was also warned for not wearing orange and not reporting the kill to the agency.
Labour calls for ban on trophy hunting: Labour has called for a ban on the importation of hunting trophies of threatened species. Shadow environment secretary Sue Hayman said it is “cruel and indefensible” for a “few wealthy hunters” to bring such items into the U.K. Hayman said it was wrong for hunters to import horns, antlers, hides or heads and display them as trophies. She said: “Shooting and importing animals so that their heads, antlers and skins can adorn the trophy rooms of a few wealthy hunters is cruel and indefensible. The trade is exacerbating the decline of threatened species and brings unnecessary suffering to animals. Labour is the party that introduced the Hunting Act and by working with the general public, conservation charities and animal rights organisations on our animal welfare manifesto, we will be the party to end the import of trophy animals.”
Busch and Big Buck Hunter put wildlife conservation in crosshairs: Busch Beer and arcade game Big Buck Hunter are partnering for the first time to raise funds for conservation through purchase of a new $5 Busch Big Buck Hunter Permit, according to a press release. All proceeds will go to the National Forest Foundation. The permit doesn’t enable actual hunting, but lets the owner unlock an exclusive “Great White Buck” game at Big Buck Hunter arcade machines, via a swipe of the permit. Players who hit the White Buck will be entered for a chance to win their own arcade game machine. The partnership includes a promotion on specially packaged beer cans, featuring scannable codes that unlock a mobile augmented reality game — there is also a web version. Game players will also be entered into a sweepstakes to win their own Buck Hunter machine. For every posting of a Buck Hunter score on social media, the arcade brand will donate another dollar to the NFF, which will be doubled to $2 on National Hunting and Fishing Day (Sept. 28).
Stay in the Know With The Daily Texas Outdoor Digest
If you haven’t subscribed yet, there’s no better time than right now (We hate spam and we won’t share your information with anyone. That’s just not cool):
