The Outdoor Pressroom

Jet lands after striking ducks in Alaska

A Conoco-Phillips Boeing 737 carrying 135 oil field workers to Deadhorse, Alaska hit a flock of ducks Thursday soon after takeoff from Fairbanks, cracking the plane's windshield and forcing the pilot to abruptly return and land. No one was injured and the broken windshield was replaced. The Fairbanks News-Miner.

Delaware DNR: Deer in ocean not unusual

Following the sighting of a whitetail deer in the ocean off Rehoboth Beach, Delaware last weekend, state wildlife authorities note that deer are excellent swimmers and should not be harassed if seen in the water. "Can you imagine telling your insurance company you hit a deer with your boat?" queried resident Pat Schmidt. In the Daily Times.

Mass. turkey hunter blindsided by bobcat

Massachusetts turkey hunter Rick Donati sat motionless, in full camo, using his box call to imitate a lovelorn hen when a bobcat slammed him from the side, knocking him over. “So I’m purring and I’m putting away, and all of a sudden, it was like I was hit by a giant sack of grain,” he said. The sack of grain had claws and fur and weighed about 35 pounds. More at my Slugs & Plugs blog.

PA sting snares man who sought wild turkeys

An advertisement on the Internet commerce site Craigslist prompted game authorities in Pennsylvania to launch a sting operation that led to the arrest of a Maryland man who attempted to illegally purchase 25 wild turkeys. Douglas Gordon Carroll III, 58, of Timonium, MD pleaded guilty to charges and was fined $2,000 plus court costs. In the York Daily Record.

SC high court rules against gun sales tax holiday

I know this is somewhat old news, but I haven't seen this posted elsewhere. In early May, the South Carolina Supreme Court struck down a state law that created a sales tax holiday for firearms, instituted last year as "Second Amendment Weekend" on the first weekend after Thanksgiving. Details of the ruling in the Charleston Business Journal.

Tenn. governor vetoes restaurant-carry bill

Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen vetoed legislation on Thursday allowing Tennessee’s 220,000 handgun-carry permit holders to legally carry firearms in restaurants that sell alcohol. The measure's sponsor, Rep. Curry Todd, said lawmakers are poised to override the governor's action. The Chattanooga Times-Free Press.

5-ft woman, 6-lb test, 50-in muskie

Lifelong angler Vicky Penny of Waco, Nebraska, caught her best-ever muskie at Merritt Reservoir last weekend, a 32.5-pound, 50.5-inch whopper, while using 6-pound test line without a steel leader. "Most guys would be using 40- to 50-pound test line, with a rod that's got action like a pool cue, and steel leaders," said Daryl Bauer, state Game & Parks fisheries program manager. The North Platte Telegraph. 

Feisty pup chases mountain lion from Oregon yard

When a cougar leapt a fence into the Corvallis, Ore. yard of Loren Wingert on Memorial Day and pinned her diminutive border terrier to the ground, her smaller Chihuahua barked like a big dog, causing the predator to flee. “My dogs see something in the yard, they go after it,” Wingert said, adding, “Actually, they were pretty lucky.” They were, indeed. The Corvallis Gazette-Times.

Gator found in Florida restaurant men's room

After receding flood waters finally permitted the reopening of Clark's Fish Camp restaurant in Jacksonville, Fla., an unwelcome visitor--a 3-foot alligator--was discovered behind the commode in the men's room. "I think if it would've been bigger than 3 feet I would've soiled my britches," said manager Erin McGough. Good thing. First Coast News.

Committee OK's $5 hike in Wisconsin handgun purchase fee

The Wisconsin Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee has endorsed a budget measure to raise the fee for purchasing a handgun in the state from $8 to $13, but it was far short of the $30 fee requested by Gov. Jim Doyle. The New Richmond News.

Denial of firearms ID sparks suit by NJ quadriplegic

James Cap, 46, a quadriplegic from Manville, NJ, has filed suit against the town and its police chief for denying him the right to purchase a firearm for hunting. Cap, who says with assistance from a friend he can aim with a mechanical device and fire by blowing into a tube, believes the denial amounts to discrimination. Reported in the Star-Ledger.

Researchers say Bigfoot evidence found--in Oklahoma!

When you think of the mythical Sasquatch creature, the Northwoods or Pacific Northwest come to mind, right? D.W. Lee, Director of the Mid-America Bigfoot Research Center says a 15 3/4-inch footprint was cast, "vocalizations" were heard and a crew member was hit by a rock this weekend in SE Oklahoma's Kiamichi Mountains. "A lot of people, it doesn't really dawn on them when rocks land near them, that Bigfoot could be responsible," said Lee. The Tulsa World.

BCHA: Working for the right to ride since 1972

An excellent feature article in the Flathead (MT) Beacon about the history and work of the Backcountry Horsemen of America, a 16,000 member, 26-chapter organization that works to perpetuate the use of horses and mules for hunting, packing and recreation on America's public lands. Photo is yours truly, circa 1979. Hat tip to The Westerner.

Retired WW II warship sunk for Florida reef

The USNS General Hoyt S. Vandenberg, a retired WWII troop transport ship, was detonated and sunk yesterday seven miles south of Key West in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, to become part of the world's second-largest artificial coral reef. Daily Tech.

Deer makes mess at Alabama hospital

A young whitetail buck crashed through a window at Mongomery's Baptist Medical Center East’s Breast Health Center yesterday, but confined his damage to a locked classroom before workers could wrap him in a tarp and remove him from the building. No one was injured and the deer later died. The Montgomery Advertiser.