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Here’s what’s worth reading today, Tuesday, September 3, 2019:
Country star Dierks Bentley cited for fishing without a license: An embarrassed country music star Dierks Bentley tweeted a video on Labor Day showing the singer getting cited by a Colorado Parks and Wildlife officer for fishing without a license. “Hey Luke, those fish we caught in the Cottonwood Creek this week here in Buena Vista, we should probably getting a fishing license next time because I just got pulled over,” Bentley said in a Twitter video that tagged fellow country music superstars Luke Bryan and Hardy. Bentley, who was in Colorado and headlined Sunday’s Seven Peaks Festival, had posted a picture on Instagram with a fish and a message directed toward Bryan boasting he had caught more fish than him. “@lukebryan only caught one and this is my third in 30 mins,” Bentley wrote, with the Instagram post garnering attention from Colarado Parks and Wildlife.
Wounded bear attacks, injures hunting guide near Cliff: A 63-year-old licensed guide leading a hunting party was attacked by a bear near Cliff, in southwestern New Mexico, according to the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish. The guide was approaching a bear that had been shot by a member of his hunting party when the attack occurred. He then drove himself to Gila Regional Medical Center in Silver City, where he was treated for bite wounds to both arms and legs and given antibiotics before being released. Game and Fish spokesperson Tristanna Bickford said the hunters shot and killed the bear after the attack occurred.
Texas hog hunting can be done without a hunting license in September
Mule deer, white-tailed deer expand range into Alaska: New species of deer are moving into parts of Alaska, including the Upper Lynn Canal. Alaska Department of Fish and Game is gathering information on these ungulates. White-tailed and mule deer are not native to Alaska, but the state’s Department of Fish and Game says they’re colonizing the 49th state. That’s starting in areas proximate to the Canadian border, where white-taileds and mule deer are known to live. Carl Koch is an Area Wildlife Management Biologist in Juneau. He oversees the Upper Lynn Canal game management unit, 1D. “For many years, but even before I’ve had this job, we’ve had rumors of mule deer in the Skagway area. And even maybe a photo or two that folks weren’t 100 percent sure whether they were mule deer or not,” he said.
Watch a kid reel in a 30-pound fish with her ‘Frozen’ mini pole: If you plan to bid farewell to summer with a little fishing this weekend, take some pointers from this tiny angler. Josie, 4, was fishing with her parents near Delavan, Illinois on Wednesday when she got a bite from a 33-pound flathead. (Josie weighs 30 pounds.) But with some help with her dad and her trusty Frozen pole, which was rigged with a 50-pound line, Josie was able to reel the fish in. At first, Josie thinks her new catch is pretty gross (understandable) but she eventually finds the courage to touch it. She even lies down next to it for scale. We look forward to Josie catching a world record fish before the age of five.
Troopers: Alaska fisheries lobbyist allegedly violated salmon fishing boundaries: Alaska wildlife troopers have confiscated catch from a fishing industry lobbyist suspected of fishing in closed waters. CoastAlaska reported Thursday that 55-year-old Bob Thorstenson Jr. was commercial fishing Sunday when wildlife troopers say he came within 200 yards of a protected salmon stream near Sitka. Wildlife officials say his seine fleet was targeting chum in an area where native pink salmon were especially vulnerable. Authorities say Thorstenson could face fines up to $15,000, a year in prison and the gross value of the catch estimated at about $50,000 if convicted of the misdemeanor. Officials say his 41-ton hatchery fish catch was seized and turned over to a seafood processor. Officials say the state-registered lobbyist was the executive director of Southeast Alaska Seiners Association.
‘That’s a once-in-a-lifetime alligator right there’: Mississippi alligator hunters capture 700 lbs. monster: It’s the time of year alligator hunters have been waiting for – the opening weekend of Mississippi harvesting. There was no rest this Labor Day weekend for the team Muddy Water Maniacs who captured a giant gator after more than an hour-and-a-half battle to take him down and get into the boat. The team members include Stephen Brady, Bryan Burnside, Brady and Colby Acy, all of Brandon. The giant gator was harvested around 5:15 Labor Day morning, weighing in at 700 pounds and is 12 feet 7-and-a-half inches. An estimated six inches of the tail are missing.
Scientists: Banning trophy hunting ‘doesn’t protect animals’ What do conservationists think about hunting animals for sport? Sounds like a simple question with a fairly obvious answer. But, if an open letter from a group of 133 scientists is anything to go by, the argument may be more nuanced than many of us may have thought. They claim there is “compelling evidence” that a ban on so-called trophy hunting will not help protect animals — and in fact will “negatively affect” conservation. They wrote the letter as the UK Government considers whether there should be new rules on importing hunting trophies.
Hunters can now carry digital images of hunting, fishing licenses: Hunters, in most cases, can now show a digital image of their hunting and fishing licenses in place of the original paper license, which had previously been required in the field. Rep. Terry Canales (Edinburg) will allow the licenses while hunting any game that does not need a tag, such as doves. Other game hunters will need to carry their physical license for includes deer, turkey and red drum.
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