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Here’s what’s worth reading today, Wednesday, August 26, 2020:
Hunter responds to negative comments she receives on social media: ‘You are in no position to judge me’
Hunting and poaching are very different things, a hunter from Tennessee has pointed out after being labeled a “murderer” online.
Mary Spooner O’Neill Phillips recently discussed some of the backlash she’s received after posting about her hunting trips on social media. The Nashville resident also explained how she responds to the haters and the ways she tries to educate them.
Phillips, originally from Australia, began hunting in 2016 because she wanted to know where her food was coming from, The Sun reports. She says she hunts for all of her own meat, and throughout the interview, she discussed the various ways she uses all of the parts of the animals she kills.
She also believes that hunting her own meat prevents the animals from suffering a long, drawn-out death, which is something she says can happen with mass-produced meat.
Despite this, Phillips has reportedly been the target of trolls, some of whom have even dubbed her a murderer. But she says it won’t detract her from hunting.
“For the most part the reaction is positive,” Phillips told The Sun. “I try to make a point of showing the wild game cooking so people can see how we use the animal.”
Protecting South Carolina’s deer herd from Chronic Wasting Disease an ongoing battle
Hunting enthusiasts in South Carolina begin getting antsy when August arrives because they know deer season is at hand. The season, which has already opened in some sections of the state, continues through Jan. 1.
And biologists with the S.C. Department of Natural Resources want to ensure that hunters in the Palmetto State continue to enjoy lengthy and productive deer hunting. Which is why we annually are reminded that we don’t want Chronic Wasting Disease to make its way into our deer herd.
Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a neurological disease affecting deer, elk and moose. It causes a spongy degeneration of the brain in infected animals, resulting in emaciation, abnormal behavior, loss of bodily functions and death. While CWD doesn’t affect humans, it could turn South Carolina’s deer hunting upside down if it made its way into our herd.
CWD has been diagnosed in the following states: Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming. It also has been found in three Canadian provinces.
Man wins Alaskan fishing derby with smallest fish in contest’s 65 years, says COVID drove away participants
A winning fish is a winning fish, even if it isn’t the largest.
An Alaskan fishing competition has just awarded its top prize to the smallest fish ever in its 65-year history. But while the fish may not be as big as previous winners, the angler who caught it still took home the prize money.
On Facebook, the Seward Silver Salmon Derby announced that David Frenier of Anchorage had “taken home the top prize of $10,000” by catching a 13.61-pound salmon.
The Anchorage Daily News reports that this particular salmon is the smallest fish in the competition’s history to win the top prize. Frenier himself doesn’t seem to be bothered by that, however.
“My brother says the cash weighs the same,” he told the outlet with a laugh. Frenier’s fish is reportedly 1.5 pounds lighter than the previous smallest winner, a 15-pound fish in 1958.
Frenier noted that the competition appeared to be significantly less crowded this year than previous years, likely due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
“You can really tell the impacts of the pandemic,” he told the Anchorage Daily News. “We had no trouble finding a parking spot and it wasn’t crowded at the dock.”
Other Stuff That Might Tickle Your Fancy
There is still hope for Bristol Bay. The Army Corps of Engineers gave the Canadian-owned company Northern Dynasty Minerals 90 days to submit a “compensatory mitigation” plan to address “unavoidable adverse impacts".@FlyFishermanMag has the full story: https://t.co/pOZj2Ij2Yu pic.twitter.com/Z6UVf0RrJ3
— Outdoor Channel (@OUTDChannel) August 26, 2020
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