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Here’s what’s worth reading today, Thursday, August 15, 2019:
Meghan Markle won’t have to endure the Queen’s beloved vacation tradition: Grouse hunting: A plague is sweeping the moors of Scotland, threatening the Queen’s favorite vacation spot and one of the royal family’s oldest and most sacred hobbies. It’s a plague of heather beetles, and though they’ve long been a nuisance in the moors around Balmoral Castle, this year they are out with particular force and threatening the local grouse population. Grouse, the squat, round cousins of the chicken, are legion at Balmoral, and hunting parties have long been a royal pastime. Though the “Glorious Twelfth,” the name for the official first day of grousing season, was Monday, it seems the Queen and her kin will shoot no grouse in the coming weeks. The Daily Mail broke the news that grouse hunting is canceled at Balmoral this year due to a dwindling number of birds. A spokesperson for the estate confirmed the sad fact in a statement to the outlet.
Take care when releasing seatrout: One hundred degrees. Not feels like, but actually 100 degrees. That’s dangerous for both fishermen and fish, especially seatrout. Fishermen can take precautions against the heat, not so much for fish. When the water heats up during the day, it doesn’t cool as much as air does at night. Temperatures stay elevated. So, unless you’re fishing right at daybreak or in a cool freshwater boil where deep springs rise to the surface, rising water temps are fish killers. In the hottest part of summer hot water temperatures take their toll. Trout simply can’t survive a long, drawn out fight when anglers use light or ultra-light tackle. They die from exhaustion when released.
A family of four was on a camping trip in Canada. Then a wolf attacked while they were sleeping: A New Jersey family was fast asleep in their tent on a camping trip when the unthinkable happened: They were attacked by a wolf. “It was like something out of a horror movie,” mother Elisa Rispoli recounted on Facebook. The family was in Banff National Park in Alberta when the incident occurred about 1 a.m. Friday, according to a report by the federal agency Parks Canada. Elisa wrote that her husband, Matthew, threw himself in front of her and their two boys while the wolf tore through the tent and clamped onto Matthew’s arms. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to properly describe the terror,” she wrote.
Michigan conservation officers save lives. Don’t cut our budget: Over the past decade, the Michigan Legislature and governor have provided funding to put more conservation officers in the field. As fully commissioned peace officers, conservation officers enforce not just laws related to hunting, fishing and other outdoor pursuits, but all the state’s laws. In fact, conservation officers are a critical part of our law enforcement network, especially in rural areas. Often when you dial 911 in some counties in Michigan, a conservation officer is the first emergency responder on the scene. So, it is no surprise that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s fiscal 2020 budget has recommended continuing this critical funding for our state’s conservation officers. What is surprising is the approved budget of the Michigan House of Representatives. The House version of that 2020 budget seeks to strip $1.1 million from funding for Michigan conservation officers.
Fisherman reels in massive, record-breaking fish off New Jersey: The Department of Environmental Protection has confirmed a fisherman from Philadelphia reeled in a record-breaking fish off the coast of Cape May. Len Andalis caught the fish last Friday around 4 p.m. about 4 miles off Cape May. Andalis says it took him about an hour and a half to reel in the 90.6-pound cobia fish, which officially broke the New Jersey state record. He says he never expected to catch a cobia, and was just fishing for flounder.
Alaska denies bid to ban Denali National Park wolf hunting: The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has denied a request to close an area adjacent to Denali National Park to wolf hunting and trapping. The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported Wednesday that Fish and Game Commissioner Doug Vincent-Lang denied the emergency order request by a group of residents and advocates. More than 60 people sent petitions to Vincent-Lang and the state Board of Game urging the closure of wolf hunting along the Stampede Corridor, just outside the park’s eastern boundary. Group members say the packs inhabiting the Denali road corridor are at risk.
EHD Disease found in Clark County deer causes concern just before hunting season: A disease is finding its way to deer around Clark County and other parts of southern Indiana just ahead of hunting season, and it can be fatal. Indiana’s Department of Natural Resources this week confirmed a case in Clark County of epizootic hemorrhagic disease, found in a sick, dead deer. The continued spread of EHD could impact deer populations. EHD is a viral disease that impacts white-tailed deer when they’re bitten by midges, also known as no-see-ums. The DNR says during an outbreak, death losses of deer locally can range from a few to more than 50 percent.
A beginner’s guide to hunting coyotes: With the creation of the Utah Predator Control Program managed by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, more hunters are looking for opportunities to hunt coyotes and collect the bounty. To qualify for the bounty, hunters must follow the regulations found on the predator control website. Seasoned coyote hunters can be quite secretive about the spots they hunt and even about the techniques they use. You can’t blame them as they have put in the time and gained this hunting knowledge by trial and error. A few hunters will be willing to share. Most of the information in this article was gleaned through expert coyote hunter Dave Perkins of Utah. A beginning coyote hunter must earn his way by the same path. There are, however, a few basics that will get the beginner afield with a chance of being successful.
Teen escapes death as shark misses his foot, bites surfboard instead: A Hawaiian surfer escaped death when a shark attempting to attack him missed his limb and bit his board instead. Max Keliikipi was about 91 metres from the shore on Sunday when he saw a fin sticking out of the water. Though he initially believed it to be a turtle, he soon came to realize it was actually a seven to 10 foot shark, RadarOnline.com reported. Keliikipi, 16, quickly jumped onto his surf board, but the shark pushed him into the water and took a bite out of the board’s nose, barely missing his feet.
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