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Here’s what’s worth reading today, Thursday, October 17, 2019:
The Duggar family went elk hunting and fans are sounding off: Duggar fans aren’t thrilled with the family’s latest adventure, documented on Joy-Anna Duggar and husband Austin Forsyth’s shared Instagram account. The couple shared photos of an elk hunting trip the two took with several of her brothers, and the comments were harsh.
Survivor recounts hunting trip that led to boating death: One of the five hunters involved in last week’s fatal boating accident in Duncan Canal has written his account of that night. Mike Payne of Petersburg was skippering the Fish Hawk on an annual duck and goose hunt. Two men were in a skiff that flipped. One man was rescued from the chilly waters on a stormy night, while another, Doug Larson, perished. (Editor’s note: Below is Mike Payne’s account of what happened October 10th at the Duncan salt chuck. KFSK asked for Payne’s account of what happened and he emailed this response. It corrects and clarifies initial reporting by KFSK based on information from searchers.)
Rare black coyote caught on camera in Austin after 3-month search: This handsome black coyote couldn’t look any more peaceful as it chilled out in a rural area in Austin. The rare creature was finally caught on camera after a painstaking three-month search conducted by wildlife officers from the Austin Animal Center. When they started receiving reports of a black coyote in Austin, wildlife officers set up cameras to try to find it — but it was months before the shy animal finally showed its face.
Hunters from Texas set Florida gator hunting record: A father and son from Texas have harvested the longest female alligator on record in Florida. Permitted holders Adam Delaney and Jeff Winkleman, of Georgetown, Florida, and Chester Koerner and Barrett Koerner, of Woodland, Texas, were hunting early Wednesday morning when they hooked a female gator that measured in at over 10 feet, 6 inches long and 375 pounds. Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission biologists confirmed on Thursday morning that the gator was the longest female gator captured on record.
71-year-old Michigan man found dead on hunting property fell 20 feet from tree stand, police say: A 71-year-old Grand Blanc man has been found dead on his hunting property in Northern Michigan. Michael Rogers died when he fell 20 feet from a tree stand, police say. The Michigan State Police Cadillac Post began looking for Rogers after his wife called around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, informing them that her husband had traveled north to visit a friend in Traverse City and check on their hunting property, but had not returned home when planned.
Pennsylvania native, 33, found dead after fall in Alaska on hunting trip: An Easton-area native, who relocated to Alaska, was found dead last weekend after a multi-day search to find the man who when missing during a hunting trip. Neil Durco, 33, disappeared Oct. 7 after leaving his home in Cordova, about 145 miles east of Anchorage, in the southeastern part of the state. State troopers in Alaska said Durco’s body was found by an Army National Guard search crew at the bottom a steep chute, according to the Associated Press. More than 50 people from the community in Cordova had helped search for Durco, who reportedly was hunting on the McKinley Trail and had left home with minimal gear.
Tips for venturing off on a solo hunt: Over the past few years, I’ve gone on at least seven different out-of-state hunts by myself. During the course of these trips, a person tends to learn a lot—whether it’s about themselves, their hunting habits; the good, the bad, the ugly: it’s all on the table. However, the times I’ve been successful on these trips, it’s not by accident. Here are five tips that I think can help you become a better, more successful solo hunter.
Why shotguns are better than rifles for coyote hunting: Twitching, spinning, and bouncing furry decoys in the booths at SHOT Show kept distracting me as I walked the aisles on my mission of spotting Important Hunting Trends. Finally, when I stopped at the Primos booth expecting to find new turkey calls but instead saw the simulated rear end of a feline with a lashing tail—the Primos Stray Cat ($100), one of many motion decoys designed to lure a coyote to its last meal—I realized just what the trend was. Callers and decoys are hot items as predator hunting grows in popularity. Rifle makers have introduced new coyote models. Although shotgun makers other than Remington have been slow to react to the coyote craze, many shotgunners have not. Flambeau’s Tad Brown showed me his company’s new M.A.D. Dog Pounder choke ($130), designed for coyotes. Brown, an accomplished turkey hunter who has been coyote hunting since before coyote hunting was cool, made the case for hunting the predators with a shotgun.
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