Ep. 447: Safari Lovebirds, Crossbows, and Bad Bills

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Speaker 1: From Meat Eaters World News headquarters in Bozeman, Montana. This is Col’s Week in Review with Ryan cal Calahan. Here’s cal A Wyoming Small Claims court recently dismissed a suit by a jilted lover who had spent six thousand dollars on his sweetheart’s tickets for a hunting safari in Zimbabwe, only to have her back out at the last minute. She argued that she didn’t know about the plans when the tickets were bought and would have said no if she had known. It’s not every day that you see a lover’s quarrel with an African elephant trophy on the line. A couple wrinkles in this case. First, both parties in the case have the last name Weber, but you spell Nina Weber with two bees and Scott Weber with one. Next, Nina Weber is a Wyoming State rep which raises the profile of the spat even further. So what were each of these hunters of the heart? Arguing? Nina said that her legislative calendar would have prevented her from traveling during the hunt season. She also wouldn’t have accepted the safari invitation because the last one the couple had gone on in twenty twenty three had been a fiasco. Among the lurid details, a black mamba apparently infiltrated their camp, the son of the cook stole from the guests, and Nina alleges that a group of Zimbabweans who had never seen a blonde woman before began chanting the words white witch in their native language when they saw her. Now, to me, that makes for a darn good story to each their own. Although the circuit court judge who heard the case found this last story credible and cited it in his dismissal Nina’s ex Scott Weber That’s one Bee said that this account was greatly exaggerated. Listen, I have no way of knowing, but given that Zimbabwe is the third most popular destination for a safari hunting in the world and hosts over a million four in tourists a year, I’d also find it hard to believe that seeing a woman with blonde hair would be that rare for residents of the country. But you know, maybe I’m just picking sexual sides here, I guess anyway. Scott also testified that the twenty twenty three hunt was a grand time, and that the couple bagged a six thousand pounds hippopotamus, a cape buffalo, and a crocodile on the twenty twenty five hunt. They were supposed to go after elephants and leopards. So you know, if that’s your thing, I can understand how missing out on that trip would add to your heartache. Scott has pledged to appeal the ruling to a higher court, but I have a feeling that Nina will be the one quarry that will always elude him. But for any of you other ladies out there, sounds like, well, Scott’s got some cash. Those are high dollar hunts. Probably look him up on the tinder machine. Okay, so your Brad Pitt. This week we’ve got Massachusetts coal legislation and so much more. But first I’m going to tell you about my week. In My week was a bit frantic. I’ll start with the good part. First, duck hunting with my buddy Sean and the Sacramento Valley. That was the weekend, the closest thing now and I have the skinny ducks, the non fat ducks, and the little shot up ducks from the trip simmering in a gumbo right now that I’m dying to get to. But first I got to talk to you folks. That was a great time, great time. But prior to that, I got pulled into the DC whirlwind in a very formal way, testified in front of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Fish and Wildlife. The prelude to the panel was a literal front row seat to our new Fish and Wildlife Director Brian Nesvick’s first testimony, most of which was related to the pre Christmas order he sent out regarding a full review of refuges and hatcheries, which we covered two weeks ago, so fortunate timing. There. We covered ESA, grizzly bears, and access and broad terms on the panel I sat on. It was interesting and live on c SPAN. Of course, I did get a follow up question from the panel which will be written and allow for a lot more detail than the testimony did. Interesting experience, folks. Before this and after this. For the next day and a half, we cruised all over Capitol Hill, met with staff, reps, senators, appointees, and so much more. Honestly, we were feeling pretty darn good about things, spreading the word of public lands, waters and wildlife until like the eleventh hour of my trip. So this is immediately following the podcast you heard last week with the two founding members of the Public Lands Caucus, Vasquez and Zinkie, we got word that a vote was going to happen House Joint Resolution one forty, which of course already has happened if you’re paying attention, And as you know, the House voted to rescind a mineral withdrawal in the Rainy River Watershed, which will allow the permit process and eventual development of a Chilean owned copper mind which, according to the Army Corps of Engineers, has a likelihood of water contamination in the National Forest, which houses about forty percent of cold water in the entirety of the National Forest system that friends and neighbors is a kick to the schnuts. During the last administration, the public comment period on this project took in over six hundred and seventy five thousand comments, most of which opposed the project. Since then, tens of thousands of comments to representatives and senators, letters from sportsmen’s groups, outdoor businesses, science societies have been submitted, and still the response from our representatives to rescind the mineral withdrawal through the use of the Congressional Review Act, which, as we’ve previously reported here, if it makes it through the Senate and is signed by the President, that whole Resource Management Plan MP for the forest cannot be used again. Despite the public process that created the RMP, using the best available science and user groups at the table. All this happened in five days Thursday to Wednesday. Who says government is slow? Now? For listeners of the podcast, you may recall that we had Julie Lucas of Mining Minnesota, the actual Mining Trade Association, on this here podcast. I really like Julie, felt her to be genuine, but my takeaways have not changed. The Twin Metals project has a short lifespan, a big footprint in a socially and environmentally sensitive area which happens to be on our public lands. The mine’s next door, which are up and running with contracts already in place, have multi generational potential i e. Lots of jobs for a long time. It’s in a different watershed, and to my knowledge, copper does not go sour or rot in the ground. We don’t need it for our country right now. Maybe there is a time when we will and will be in a better place technologically to make this project safer, or there will be a company that has a better environmental track record that the American people can get behind, which is why the people spoke in the first place for the twenty year moratorium. So what now, Well, we’re not making any more of this capital w wilderness. Cold clean water is a resource that is only going to get higher in demand, and it’s on your public lands. You have a right to weigh in. Call your senators, make the phone lines ring, tell them this is the one instance we’re doing nothing. Is the middle ground, the radical middle It’s not a total mineral withdrawal. It’s a twenty year moratorium. The risks are high on this one. That’s my take. Anyway, Moving on to crossbows. This summer, we told you about a bill in New York State that would have liberalized the bow hunting season to include crossbows in addition to vertical bows. Well, Governor Kathy Hochel signed the bill on August twenty seven, just in time for it to go into effect for the twenty twenty five to twenty six hunting season, and the first results of the change are now in According to the New York DEEC over thirteen and a half thousand hunters completed their Bow Hunter Education certification by December twenty twenty five, almost twice as many as the previous year. That increase happened with just four months of having the crossbow law in effect. I can’t wait to see what will happen this year with a full twelve months of expanded crossbow access. I won’t go too far into my reservations on crossbow hunting again, but for my mind to be fully at ease with this change, I would also want to see statistics for how many deer were shot and at what distances. We’ll get the former, but not the latter. Every state’s different. In fact, every county in every state is at least in some way. So if you have big hold ups on crossbows, it’s another tool in the tool belt. You could make an argument that city folks have a real hard time being able to practice with a vertical bow, and suburbs are overrun with deer carrion, lyons disease, and if we can get some of these city folks on board with some of this hunting stuff, maybe we’ll win some of these political battles a little more easily, or maybe we’ll learn that crossbow hunting’s too easy, too effective, and we’re taking a bigger bite out of the sustainable harvest than we wanted to. Time will tell. Now. If you were a new hunter in New York State and are curious about this crossbow situation, it’s worth checking out Kinfolk Hunting Collective, New York BHA, and the New York Crossbow Coalition for getting this one done. Those organizations were at table working on the nuances of this new hunting opportunity in New York State. Moving slightly over on the East Coast, the Massachusetts Hunting listening sessions are kicking off. Mass Wildlife is holding a series of listening sessions in January and February to hear from citizens about various measures to expand hunting access. First up, it’s currently completely against the law in Massachusetts to hunt with a crossbow unless you have a permanent disability. For all the reasons I mentioned earlier, changing this law would be a major win for hunter recruitment. Next, Massachusetts in Maine are the only two states left that have a total ban on Sunday hunting. We all celebrated recently when Pennsylvania finally allowed unrestricted hunting on Sundays, but the Keystone State had already enjoyed a fair number of hunting opportunity on the Lord’s Day, so let’s get this one changed in Massachusetts too. I know New Englanders love a good rivalry, so Bay State, don’t let Maine be it of punch. There have been thirty nine attempts in the last forty five years to pass Sunday hunting in Maine, including a new one that might have legs, so don’t sleep. Finally, Massachusetts prohibits hunting within five hundred feet of a dwelling and within one hundred and fifty feet of a road, much more than surrounding states, making many accessible hunting spots off limits. All of these changes would require laws to be passed by the legislature, so mass Wildlife is hoping to collect together all the comments from these sessions to lobby lawmakers to pass these laws. So get to these meetings and make a lot of noise on these issues. We’ve seen that there’s a momentum to modernize hunting access, but lawmakers only do what their constituents tell them to do. We’ll post information on the sessions on the cal to Action site at the Meat eater dot com or google Mass Wildlife Listening Sessions and you’ll find it. Another one is setbacks, which is currently arch is lumped in with the shotguns as far as how far away you have to be from a dwelling. They want to hear your opinion on separating archery equipment from firearm equipment. By adjusting that setback to allow archers to hunt closer to dwellings, you actually add an incredible amount of real estate huntable real estate in the state of Massachusetts. So again, slap a Google on Mass Wildlife Listening Sessions or head on over to the CALTA Action part of the website. Jumping over to the legislative desk. A few weeks ago, I told you about Missouri’s plan to scale back its fight against CWD, but not all states are adopting the same strategy. Just last week, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries declared a state of emergency in response to a positive case of chronic wasting disease in a hunter harvested deer. The deer was shot in Concordia Parish, which means an enhanced mitigation zone has been created in Concordia in the neighboring Catahoula Parish. The zone also extends into avoils. Whoo, boy, I need some help with this one, Louisiana folks, go ahead and right in askca l at the meeater dot com avoil us A v O y E l e s voyees boy, I’m digging myself a hole la sale point coup then rapidness parishes. What does this mean for deer hunters? Well, effective February one of this year, baiting deer is banned within that zone. The delay is to allow hunters to use the remainder of the feed they have in their feeders. Hunters are prohibited from removing deer carcasses from that area. The emergency declaration is in place for one hundred and eighty days to give the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission the chance to finalize the management zone. The public will have a chance to comment on that decision, so be on the lookout for an announcement from the Commission. This isn’t the first case of CWD in the Pelican State. There have actually been forty nine confirmed cases, but all except this one and one other we’re in the same parish in the northeastern part of the state. The fact that another case has been detected outside that parish is caused for concern, which is why the Wildlife Department is acting so quickly and decisively. Speaking of deer bating, a bill is moving forward in the Michigan legislature that would allow hunters to set out bait for deer during open hunting seasons. House Bill four four four five past the House Natural Resources and Tourism Committee on December seventeen and is awaiting a vote on the House floor. Supporters of the bill include some hunters, most famously Teddy Nuggets aka the Motor City Madman aka the Nuge aka Uncle Ted ted Nujump. He’s from the Michigan state but now lives in Texas. Farmers also support the bill because they say making it easier for hunters to kill deer will help con roll the population and reduced crop damage. Opponents point out that encouraging deer to congregate around feeders will increase the spread of CWD. They also worry about state legislator’s co opting management decisions that should be made by the biologists and wildlife managers in the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. This bill is not being backed by the Michigan DNR, as that agency is also concerned about the spread of CWD. The state legislature passed a similar bill all the way back in twenty nineteen, thanks in part to a fiery lobbying effort from well aka, you know who I’m talking about. The bill was vetoed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer, who is still living in the Governor’s mansion. She hasn’t said publicly whether she plans to do the same this time around, but I don’t see any reason to think otherwise. Whichever side of this controversy you fall on, be sure to get in touch with your reps and let them know what you think. Yet another controversial piece of deer hunting legislation is being considered in Kentucky. Listener Ethan Pugh sent me Kentucky key House Bill one for two, which would increase the number of deer permits available to landowners and their spouse’s children and agents. Specifically, the bill would require the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources to issue a minimum of five deer destruction permits to landowners whose property has been damaged by deer. These permits are valid for two years and allow the holder to kill deer outside the designated hunting seasons. Landowners would also be able to request an additional buck tag if they can prove they’ve shot three antlerless deer during that same season. Finally, House Bill one two would allow anyone with a hunting license to take an antlerless deer with any legal weapon for a period of ten days after the conclusion of the muzzleloder season in December. This bill is clearly designed to help landowners mitigate property damage by killing more deer, but as Ethan pointed out, a better solution might be to incentivize property owners to allow more public hunting on their land. The state’s Chapter of Hunters for the Hungry already he runs a program in Kentucky called Kentucky Whitetail Access. This initiative matches landowners with hunters and joining is as simple as emailing Ky Hunters for the Hungary at gmail dot com. That’s a great initiative, but it sounds like landowners are still having trouble. Maybe, as Ethan suggests, the legislatures should work with the Department of Fish and Wildlife to increase awareness of that program rather than circumvent the agency to hand out more permits to landowners. To his credit, Ethan hasn’t just been sitting on the sideline. He told me. He contacted one of the bill’s sponsors, Rep. Myron Dosset. Ethan expressed his concerns about the bill and said Rep. Dosset sounded sympathetic. Dawst even said he planned to remove the extra buck tag provision and would also be reconsidering dough harvest in areas below the population goal line. That’s a great start and an awesome example of how to speak up. If we all had that attitude, we could change things for the better. Big Ataboid to Ethan and to everyone else who calls and writes their reps. This legislative season, animal rights groups are once again moving in Oregon to pass a ballot initiative that would ban all hunting and fishing in the state. The initiative is creatively titled the People for the Elimination of Animal Cruelty Exemption Act or the Peace Act. It would remove exceptions for hunters and anglers in animal cruelty laws, which would criminalize any act that injures or kills an animal. Would also remove various exceptions for farmers and ranchers, which would pretty much outlaw raising livestock for meat. Given these serious, wide ranging impacts, you might assume the group pushing this initiative would have convincing, well reasoned responses to objections from hunters and ranchers. Well, you’d be wrong. To hunters who worry about losing access to food, recreation and conservation dollars, they say this quote. Within the state of Oregon, we have ample food as well as the resources needed to distribute that food to every citizen. There are also a multitude of humane and creative methods for conserving our environment, and in a state as wonderful as Oregon, there are countless activities we can engage in for recreation that do not involve taking the life of an animal. But who wants to do those? You might also assume that this resolution has no chance of becoming law, given how many industries and individuals would be impacted in that you might be wrong as well. Longtime listeners of cows we can review know that this initiative has been introduced before and it failed to get on the ballot, but the Oregon Hunter’s Association reports that the petition has already secured ninety thousand signatures. This means it only needs another thirty thousand signatures by July to get on November’s ballot, which the OHA thinks is likely. Of course, a majority of Oregonians will still have to vote for this insanity before it becomes law, but I’d say even being on the ballot is too close for comfort. If you live in Oregon, be sure to let your family, friends, and neighbors know to vote no on this initiative in November. Its official number is IP twenty eight. You can read it for yourself Oregon Initiative Petition twenty eight. And remember ask questions, pointed questions when those kids in the clipboards come up on the street. Another call to action for listeners in Wisconsin, a bill to establish a fall sand hill crane hunt is stuck in committee right now and may die there, so calling your reps now can help get it to a vote this time. Opponents of the hunt worry that the population can’t take any hunting pressure, but one hundred and ten thousand sand hill cranes visit Wisconsin every year, a number that exceeds the flyway goal established by US Fish and Wildlife by two to three times, and the population is growing at an estimated four percent per year. Opponents also worry that cranes are an especially vulnerable species, with a lower reproduction rate than other birds and potentially at risk for avian fluid and other maladies. The parameters of the hunt recommended by US Fish and Wildlife take these factors into account. Avian flu has only affected a tiny part of the overall crane population, and the season can be immediately suspended if a flu outbreak were to happen, and it’s not likely these cranes are completely protected as it is. Fourteen hundred cranes were killed last year under depredation permits to protect farmer’s crops, but because use of the animal isn’t allowed under depredation permits, the birds were just left to rot in the field. And even with that cull, crane depredation still cost Wisconsin farmers four million dollars last year. Backcountry Hunters and Anglers has put together an excellent explainer on this issue, and one thing that I didn’t know that I’m taking from that guide. The Wisconsin Constitution guarantees the right to hunt harvest game quote, subject only to reasonable restrictions in law unquote. Reasonable restrictions in this case don’t apply because this bird has won far surpassed federal population. Goes two is causing millions and ns agricultural damage, and three is a recognized game bird hundred and seventeen states and five provinces under a federal management regime that has protected a thriving continental population. So even from a constitutional point of view, this is a hunt whose time has come. So all you badgers call your state reps and voice your support for SB one one two. This bill is still in committee and at risk of dying there, so the more reps who ask for it to come to a vote, the better. We’ll post this one at the meaeater dot com forward slash cal as well. You can find it there. Fecundity right, Cranes are a little fecundity species. It takes them a few years to get up to like real reproductive kicking butt, which we all know the fun is in the trying, but not when your population is at risk. Cranes are an incredible species. I don’t want to gloss over the fact that we do need to pay attention, but we’ve proven time and time time again that we can keep populations growing and have sustainable harvest. It’s a darn tasty bird, and one of the things that can get overlooked by the non hunting public is boy most of the time. If folks get involved with hunting things, they’re really involved with making sure they stick around at harvestable levels. Moving over to the coal ash desk, coal ash contains mercury and arsenic. Normally, this waste would have to be dumped into lined pits that prevent toxic chemicals from seeping into the ground. But in twenty twenty the last Trump administration, a rule exempted coal plants from the requirement of having to dump coal ash into lined pits if they plant to shutter by October seventeen, twenty twenty eight. Now they’ve issued a rule that extended that deadline by three years until twenty thirty one. Administration officials argue that the exemption are necessary to meet the country’s demands for energy, especially with the rise of artificial intelligence and the data centers that operate. Opponents, especially those who live near these online pits, worry that water supplies will be tainted by toxins soaking into the ground. Moving on to the crime desk, an infamous West Virginia angler, known to his critics as treble hook Trent, appears to be getting his just desserts. Listener James Britton sent me an email with links to Facebook posts showing a fellow named Trenton mullenex holding several enormous trout. Trenton has made a name for himself catching these fish every year in the small streams and ponds of West Virginia. As is often the case when a hunter angler has yearly success, he’s gained following up critics. These commenters fall into two camps. Some accuse him of knowing where the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources stocks the big fish. The DNR stocks have select few of these monsters every year, and James tells me most anglers dream there lives of catching just one. Meanwhile, old Trent managed to hook into three lunkers within the first two days of this year’s trout season. Other commentors accused Trent of pulling off a snag and grab. They said Trent uses treble hooks to snag big trout rather than catching them on a legal hook. We still don’t know the details of what happened, and I’ll reiterate here that in this country, everyone, including West Virginia fishermen, are innocent until proven guilty. But after the firestorm on Facebook last week, it seems like game Wardens started taking a closer look at treble hook Trent. He was charged on January eighth with one count of snag and fish in one count of obstructing an officer. There’s no word yet on when he’ll appear in Magistrate Court of Pendleton County, but if there’s any updates, we’ll get them to you. Thanks so much for listening. That’s all we got this week. Remember to write in ask c Al that’s Askcal at the Meat Eater dot com. Let me know what’s going on in your neck the woods. We appreciate it. Thanks again, Talk to you next week. M m HM.