The Outdoor Pressroom

Ted Williams' Louisville Slugger fishing rod fetches $1,600

A wide array of baseball, hunting and fishing memorabilia belonging to the great Ted Williams was sold at auction on Saturday, April 28, including a Louisville Slugger "Bonefish Special" baseball bat/fisihng rod. Though estimated to fetch between $500-$750, the successful bidder laid down $1,600 for the unique item. Hunt Auctions.

Rep. Paul Ryan: Catfish noodler, bowhunter, trailblazer

A New York Times profile on rising GOP star Rep. Paul Ryan notes one associate describes him as "a hunting-obsessed gym rat," who leads conservative members of Congress through exercise sessions at 6:30 each morning. An avowed bowhunting fanatic who wouldn't miss being in a treestand on opening day of Wisconsin's whitetail archery season, he also admits a new fondness for catfish noodling.

Teamwork needed to free coonhound trapped in culvert

The task proved too much for the Frankton (Ind.) Volunteer Fire Department, but with a special camera and Watson Excavating, Tramp, Gordon Mott's 4-year-old Treeing Walker, was freed after becoming trapped in a 10-inch culvert while chasing a raccoon some 100-feet into the hole and becoming hopelessly wedged for 12 hours. Herald Bulletin.

Research indicates wind farms contribute to warming

Utilizing satellite data gathered from 2003 to 2011 to examine surface temperatures across a wide area of west Texas, researchers have concluded that wind-generating farms warm the surface of the land beneath them during the night, and may contribute to changing weather patterns and prolonged drought. Analysts say the phenomena could dampen efforts to expand wind energy as a green energy solution. Discovery News.

Final chapter in the Broder Buck family feud?

Perhaps the final chapter in the long feud surrounding the world's largest non-typical mule deer—the Broder Buck—ended with the April 11 passing of Don Broder, the man at the dispute's center. Don took ownership of the 355 2/8 B&C deer killed in 1926 by his father, Ed, after his dad's 1968 death. In 2004, Don spent 11 days in jail for defying a court order to relenquish the deer to be sold and the proceeeds divided among siblings, though he later revealed he'd already sold it to a Montana collector. See my 2004 story here, and my Headline Hunter blog and Calgary Herald.

Suspect in illegal baiting case provides the evidence

James Erickson, 52, of Eatonville, Wash., was arraigned last week in Okanogan County Court on charges of using bait to lure bears, unlawful big-game hunting, unlawful transport, spotlighting and possession of stolen property over the past two years. The most compelling evidence in the case came from the primary suspect–photos from his seized trail cameras. Rich Landers in the Spokane Spokesman Review.

Bird dog makes point to locate family's wayward cockatiel

U.S. Forest Service employee Dave Madden was taking a break from his job at the Helena (Mont.) Airport with his 2-year-old German shorthaired pointer, Bella, when she froze on point at something in the tall grass. This time wasn't the usual quail or Hungarian partridge, it was the Zuidema family's pet cockatiel, Zoey, that had escaped through an open door a day earlier. Helena Independent-Record.

Columbia Sportswear reaches $22,880 settlement with EPA

In an agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Portland, Ore.-based Columbia Sportswear will pay $22,880 for distributing mislabeled pesticide-treated "Insect Blocker" clothes in violation of federal regulations. When an incoming Columbia shipment was denied entry at a foreign port, EPA  issued a Stop Sale Order on the products until they could be properly labeled by the company, which fully cooperated with agency. EPA.

Robbins: The NRA has everything do with hunting

Today's column by our good friend and associate J.R. Robbins over at NRAhuntersrights.org, takes on Lily Raff McCaulou's New York Times op-ed piece, "I Hunt but the NRA Isn't for Me," that has garnered significant attention from those in the hunting and shooting sports industry this week.

Hunter's pot smoking attracts cops, not gobblers

When Connecticut Conservation Police detected the telltale aroma of marijuana coming from a popup blind on public land during yesterday's turkey-hunt opener, they peeked inside and saw Raymond Lass, 22, sucking a doobie instead of blowing a diaphram call. After conducting a field sobriety test—which he allegedly failed—officers charged Lass with hunting under the influence and possession of marijuana. Woodbury Patch.

Oregon requests cormorant control to protect salmon fry

Now that Oregon wildlife managers have secured permission from the feds to kill sea lions that feed on protected salmon below Bonneville Dam and elsewhere, they've turned their sights toward double-crested cormorants, a destructive migratory fowl responsible for eating millions of salmon fry each year. An April 5 letter to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from Wildlife Chief Ron Anglin says harassment has "proved insufficient" in cormorant control. AP.

Non-violent offenders may be sentenced to roadkill patrol

A new program announced this week by Ingham County (Michigan) Sheriff Gene L. Wriggelworth would sentence some non-violent offenders to remove dead animals from the county's roadways as an alternative to jail time. Wriggelsworth has scheduled a press conference for Friday to announce his plans for The Dead Animal Recovery Team, or D.A.R.T. Lansing News.

Big photo week at CU: Bear in the air and Obama at the bar

Yes, it's been a photographic week around the University of Colorado in Boulder. First, President Obama gave a speech before an enthusiastic crowd of young supporters and later made a surprise visit to "The Sink," an off-campus watering hole, where he posed for a photo with a visibly excited female student. And today biologists with the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Department were called to the campus to remove a bear from a tree near student housing. Click on both photos for a larger view.

Wyoming sets 52-wolf quota for fall hunt

The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission voted Wednesday to allow hunters to kill up to 52 wolves in a zone around Yellowstone National Park this fall even as Gov. Matt Mead said he remains hopeful that Congress will act to exempt the state's wolf management plan from anticipated legal challenges from litigious environmental groups. AP.

Giant sea bass takes kayaker on 'Mr. Toad's Wild Ride'

Skipper Ricky Perez of the Black Pearl was forced to rescue one of the numerous kayak anglers he regularly shuttles to a variety of coastal Southern California fishing hotspots after Anthony Pinner hooked a giant black sea bass weighing around 250 pounds that towed him a mile from San Clemente Island. "He was on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride and there was no getting off," said Perez. Phil Friedman Outdoors.