The Outdoor Pressroom

Tale of bear intervention in lion attack met by skepticism

Officials with the California Department of Fish and Game say they've been "unable to substantiate" the claims made by Robert Biggs, 61, who reported that a black bear saved him from an attacking mountain lion as he hiked Monday near Paradise, Calif. Department spokesman Patrick Foy said Biggs claims to have survived 3 lion attacks in his life, though none are documented. Biggs responded by calling the DFG "gestapo." Fox News.

Rangers nab 15 foot python in SW Florida

Florida Forest Service rangers last week captured a 15-foot, 3-inch invasive Burmese python from a canal in the Picayune Strand State Forest, just inches shy of the 16- foot record for the state. Its capture solidifies the python's presence in Southwest Florida as biologists struggle to control the core population located in Everglades National Park, to the east. Naples News.

Coyotes' taste for cats is good news for birds

The  American Bird Conservancy (ABC), one of the principal conservation groups that fully grasps the fooolishness of Trap, Neuter, Release programs (TNR) in which feral cats are caught, neutered, and released back outdoors, reports this week that studies indicate that as coyotes move into urban areas, their predominant prey is outdoor cats. And that, in the big picture, is good news for wild birds.

Poacher charged with felony under new Wyoming law

Colton Lapp, 19, of Worland, Wyo., is the first person to be charged under the state's new felony poaching law, which became effective in July, 2011. Lapp allegedly killed four mule deer bucks and shot at another near Thermopolis after being convicted twice of poaching. Less than one year ago, he was convicted of killing a trophy mule deer scoring 210 6/8 and was fined more than $9,000. In January 2012, he was found to be an accessory to poaching and was fined $5,040. Casper Tribune.

Injured cyclist not clotheslined, he was fly-lined

An injured Denver bicyclist originally believed to have been clotheslined by a "booby trap," was instead the victim of a simple accident involving a fly fisherman on the Platte River. Police say the angler was landing a large fish when the cyclist grazed his line and lost control of his bike. The victim remains hospitalized with a chipped bone in his spine, concussion, broken pelvis, broken arm and multiple abrasions. The Coloradoan with thanks to The Goat.

Decapitated cottonmouth bites homeless man

A man in a Mobile, Ala. homeless camp thought it was safe to place his finger inside the mouth of a water moccasin after another camp member chopped off its head. It wasn't. "I thought it was dead," said James "Bo" McMahon, who was taken to a hospital emergency room for antivenin treatment by a WALA cameraman. Press-Register.

Arkansas Bigfoot hunter nets fine, not Sasquatch

The National Park Service cited and fined professional Bigfoot hunter Matt Pruitt $525 for leading a 31-person Sasquatch search expedition along Arkansas' Buffalo National River last month without first obtaining the required written permit. Pruitt  charges participants between $300 and $500 each, which means he netted somewhere between $9,000 and $15,000, despite the paltry fine. Not bad. LiveScience.

Hunters blame wolves for Yellowstone elk herd's decline

Hunters and outfitters continue to blame predators—primarily wolves—for the steep decline in the elk herd that migrates between Yellowstone National Park and Montana. New data show the Northern Yellowstone elk herd is down to about 4,174 animals, a 10 percent drop from the prior year's count and down from around 20,000 in 1992. AP.

Hiker claims he was attacked by lion, saved by bear

A 69-year-old Paradise, Calif. man credits the intervention of a sow black bear for saving him during a mountain lion attack while hiking Monday morning. Robert Biggs said he was watching a mother bear, a yearling and a newborn when the cat pounced. "It must have been stalking the little bear, but it was on me in seconds," he said. Paradise Post.

Re-enactor prompts Virginia campus lockdown

A report of a man with a gun sent two Bristol, Va. school campuses into alert lockdown mode Tuesday morning, but the man turned out to be a Civil War re-enactor carrying an historic long rifle for a presentation to a history class at Virginia Intermont College. There was no immediate word whether he was wearing Blue or Gray. Kingsport Times-News.

Nebraska right to hunt amendment heads to ballot

Following a 41-3 vote in the state Senate yesterday, voters in Nebraska will have the opportunity to approve a constitutional amendment protecting the right "to hunt, to fish and to harvest wildlife, including by the use of traditional methods." The measure also would make public hunting, fishing and harvesting of wildlife a "preferred means" of managing and controlling wildlife. Omaha World-Herald.

Texas Ag Commish supports exotic antelope lawsuit

Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples this week joined the Texas Attorney General in filing an amicus brief in support of the Exotic Wildlife Association’s lawsuit against the Interior Dept. and FWS, requesting the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to allow private Texas landowners to manage three species of endangered African antelope – the Scimitar Horned Oryx, Addax and Dama Gazelle. Wilson County News.

Idaho Senate kills ATV authority bill

A measure to strip the Idaho Department of Fish and Game of the authority to regulate ATV-mounted hunters has been shot down by Senate lawmakers. The Senate voted 20-15 against the measure, which takes aim at Fish and Game rules requiring sportsmen on ATVs in a third of Idaho's hunting units to avoid off-road vehicle trails. AP.

No health violations for deer in restaurant freezer

The health inspector for Carbon County, Wyo., dispatched after the Wyoming Department of Game and Fish executed a search warrant at the China House restaurant, said the eatery did not violate any regulations by placing deer meat in its freezer personal consumption. "Their rules in China are a little different than ours, and I don't think those guys really knew that," said inspector Kevin Krouch. Rawlins Daily Times.

Maryland delegates shoot down hunting license cost hike

Legislation that would have increased the cost of hunting licenses in Maryland 63 percent was handed a rare 64-69 defeat in the Democrat-heavy House of Delegates Monday night. The bill would have hiked the cost of a hunting license from $24.50 to $40, as well as imposed various other fees related to hunting stamps. CityBizList.