1 00:00:10,200 --> 00:00:14,240 Speaker 1: From Meat Eaters World News headquarters in Bozeman, Montana. This 2 00:00:14,320 --> 00:00:19,080 Speaker 1: is Cow's week in Review with Ryan cow Klahan. Here's 3 00:00:19,160 --> 00:00:23,759 Speaker 1: cal Winter storms have been sweeping across the country for 4 00:00:23,800 --> 00:00:26,160 Speaker 1: the last week or so, but humans aren't the only 5 00:00:26,200 --> 00:00:29,360 Speaker 1: critters feeling jack frost nipping at their toes. In the 6 00:00:29,440 --> 00:00:33,120 Speaker 1: Kansas town of Norton, two bobcats found themselves stuck at 7 00:00:33,120 --> 00:00:36,040 Speaker 1: the top of a telephone pole after an ice storm 8 00:00:36,120 --> 00:00:39,600 Speaker 1: froze them in place. Local residents called the power company 9 00:00:39,680 --> 00:00:41,839 Speaker 1: to see what could be done about the cat sickles, 10 00:00:42,120 --> 00:00:44,080 Speaker 1: and it turned out that the right man was on 11 00:00:44,120 --> 00:00:47,080 Speaker 1: the job. A Cow's Weekend Review listener sent us this story, 12 00:00:47,120 --> 00:00:50,240 Speaker 1: and he explained that the lineman sent up to rescue 13 00:00:50,280 --> 00:00:53,360 Speaker 1: the cats is a friend of his. He's also a hunter, trapper, 14 00:00:53,440 --> 00:00:56,840 Speaker 1: end quote, an all around good dude. Those trapping skills 15 00:00:56,880 --> 00:01:00,480 Speaker 1: came in handy for this particular problem. Dominic Irb told 16 00:01:00,520 --> 00:01:03,120 Speaker 1: local media that when he arrived at the scene and 17 00:01:03,160 --> 00:01:05,520 Speaker 1: climbed up to the bobcats, he realized that he was 18 00:01:05,560 --> 00:01:07,959 Speaker 1: dealing with a mother and a cub. The mother was 19 00:01:07,959 --> 00:01:09,600 Speaker 1: frozen to the top of the pole, so he had 20 00:01:09,640 --> 00:01:11,559 Speaker 1: to make a snare out of a piece of pipe 21 00:01:11,560 --> 00:01:14,440 Speaker 1: and some rope to hold her down while he beat 22 00:01:14,520 --> 00:01:17,440 Speaker 1: the ice loose. That allowed him to lower the cat down, 23 00:01:17,760 --> 00:01:19,840 Speaker 1: and he did the same with the kitten. He said. 24 00:01:19,840 --> 00:01:22,080 Speaker 1: The mother ran off as soon as she hit the ground, 25 00:01:22,240 --> 00:01:24,960 Speaker 1: and the kitten ran off in the same direction. It's 26 00:01:25,080 --> 00:01:27,160 Speaker 1: unclear why they decided to climb to the top of 27 00:01:27,240 --> 00:01:29,920 Speaker 1: a telephone pole during an ice storm, but these two 28 00:01:29,959 --> 00:01:33,080 Speaker 1: aren't the first wildcats to find themselves in that situation. 29 00:01:33,680 --> 00:01:36,000 Speaker 1: Back in twenty twenty one, a bobcat was stuck on 30 00:01:36,040 --> 00:01:38,679 Speaker 1: a telephone pole for two days in New Mexico. The 31 00:01:38,720 --> 00:01:40,959 Speaker 1: power company had to shut off the power so the 32 00:01:41,000 --> 00:01:43,640 Speaker 1: cat could be rescued, but it was eventually released in 33 00:01:43,680 --> 00:01:47,800 Speaker 1: the Heela National Forest. Bobcats are dexterous climbers, and I 34 00:01:47,800 --> 00:01:49,560 Speaker 1: could see how that high perch would give him a 35 00:01:49,560 --> 00:01:51,520 Speaker 1: good look at prey. But it looks like they learned 36 00:01:51,520 --> 00:01:55,320 Speaker 1: a valuable lesson on having flat feet. This week, we've 37 00:01:55,360 --> 00:01:59,520 Speaker 1: got the Michigan Desk, squirrel hunting, NCIS Coyote Division Hooters, 38 00:01:59,680 --> 00:02:01,760 Speaker 1: and so much more. But first I'm gonna tell you 39 00:02:01,760 --> 00:02:04,120 Speaker 1: about my week, And my week has been full of 40 00:02:04,160 --> 00:02:08,320 Speaker 1: a bunch of super boring lame adult responsibility stuff. I'm 41 00:02:08,320 --> 00:02:10,480 Speaker 1: not gonna bore you with it, but it should open 42 00:02:10,600 --> 00:02:14,440 Speaker 1: up to some fun later in the month. As I 43 00:02:14,520 --> 00:02:18,280 Speaker 1: have already been bemoaning, the Montana waterfowl season will shortly 44 00:02:18,320 --> 00:02:20,600 Speaker 1: come to a close. Then what the heck are we 45 00:02:20,639 --> 00:02:24,720 Speaker 1: gonna do? Anyway? Perk your darned ears up, because this 46 00:02:24,880 --> 00:02:41,800 Speaker 1: is a fair warning alert. California, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, 47 00:02:41,960 --> 00:02:47,880 Speaker 1: New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, 48 00:02:48,080 --> 00:02:53,760 Speaker 1: Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin, and our United States Congress 49 00:02:54,080 --> 00:02:57,200 Speaker 1: will all be in session. If they aren't already, they 50 00:02:57,240 --> 00:02:59,840 Speaker 1: will be shortly, meaning that we all got a lot 51 00:02:59,840 --> 00:03:03,920 Speaker 1: of work to do. Okay, lawmakers and lobbyists and motivated 52 00:03:03,919 --> 00:03:07,839 Speaker 1: individuals of which I hope and pray you are, will 53 00:03:07,840 --> 00:03:10,360 Speaker 1: be making time time that they could be filling up 54 00:03:10,400 --> 00:03:14,760 Speaker 1: with fun or other responsibilities to testify on, behalf of, 55 00:03:15,120 --> 00:03:19,239 Speaker 1: or against bills that will affect you and us and 56 00:03:19,320 --> 00:03:23,959 Speaker 1: me and snort. Please write in to askc al that's 57 00:03:24,040 --> 00:03:27,079 Speaker 1: ascal at the meeater dot com to keep us all 58 00:03:27,200 --> 00:03:30,200 Speaker 1: up to snuff on the happenings in your state so 59 00:03:30,240 --> 00:03:33,200 Speaker 1: we can get the word out. Just a for instance, 60 00:03:33,720 --> 00:03:37,200 Speaker 1: I know of two little bits of proposed legislation, one 61 00:03:37,200 --> 00:03:40,240 Speaker 1: of which will make it illegal by state law to 62 00:03:40,360 --> 00:03:43,240 Speaker 1: not have a mule deer buck hunt in the majority 63 00:03:43,240 --> 00:03:46,280 Speaker 1: of units in Montana. Another from the great state of 64 00:03:46,320 --> 00:03:49,160 Speaker 1: North Dakota would make it illegal for the state to 65 00:03:49,240 --> 00:03:52,720 Speaker 1: regulate baiting on private land for the purposes of big 66 00:03:52,720 --> 00:03:55,640 Speaker 1: game hunting. You probably all know where I stand on 67 00:03:55,680 --> 00:03:58,320 Speaker 1: stuff like this. I won't even get into it right. 68 00:03:58,960 --> 00:04:03,520 Speaker 1: All I'm saying is regulation is far better for wildlife, 69 00:04:03,560 --> 00:04:09,480 Speaker 1: which is constantly changing, habitat which is constantly changing, than legislation. 70 00:04:10,400 --> 00:04:14,120 Speaker 1: The role of state game agencies right is to regulate 71 00:04:14,320 --> 00:04:17,560 Speaker 1: the game, which belongs to everyone. And it doesn't matter 72 00:04:17,560 --> 00:04:20,040 Speaker 1: if you're a private property owner or not, unless you're 73 00:04:20,040 --> 00:04:24,440 Speaker 1: willing to put up two high fences around your entire property, 74 00:04:24,839 --> 00:04:27,400 Speaker 1: then you can do whatever the hell you want. Anyway, 75 00:04:27,560 --> 00:04:29,719 Speaker 1: Trust me when I say there are a lot more 76 00:04:29,760 --> 00:04:32,520 Speaker 1: of these types of bills, some of which will never 77 00:04:32,560 --> 00:04:34,320 Speaker 1: see the light of day, but all of which are 78 00:04:34,360 --> 00:04:37,760 Speaker 1: important pieces of the information puzzle that you need to 79 00:04:37,760 --> 00:04:40,599 Speaker 1: be aware of, So help us all out and write 80 00:04:40,600 --> 00:04:44,080 Speaker 1: in and be prepared for a lot of quote politics. 81 00:04:44,440 --> 00:04:46,960 Speaker 1: Here on the cows we can review feed all of 82 00:04:47,000 --> 00:04:50,359 Speaker 1: which will be followed with a cal to action to 83 00:04:50,520 --> 00:04:54,520 Speaker 1: call rit and go testify on behalf of your interests. 84 00:04:54,839 --> 00:04:57,920 Speaker 1: Trust me, others will do it for you and you 85 00:04:57,960 --> 00:05:01,760 Speaker 1: may not like what they have to say. Moving on 86 00:05:01,839 --> 00:05:06,160 Speaker 1: to the green energy desk, Hunters and Anglers are up 87 00:05:06,200 --> 00:05:08,960 Speaker 1: in arms in Michigan after the state's Department of Natural 88 00:05:09,000 --> 00:05:12,440 Speaker 1: Resources announced plans to clear cut four hundred and twenty 89 00:05:12,480 --> 00:05:14,960 Speaker 1: acres of public land to make way for a new 90 00:05:15,040 --> 00:05:17,400 Speaker 1: solar farm. The decision was made as part of a 91 00:05:17,480 --> 00:05:21,159 Speaker 1: larger program to generate revenue for the DNR by leasing 92 00:05:21,200 --> 00:05:25,279 Speaker 1: public land for solar arrays. The outlet m Live reported 93 00:05:25,320 --> 00:05:28,000 Speaker 1: that these four hundred acres could be the first of 94 00:05:28,160 --> 00:05:31,159 Speaker 1: as many as four thousand acres to be turned into 95 00:05:31,160 --> 00:05:34,880 Speaker 1: solar farms in the coming years. Solar arrays being built 96 00:05:34,960 --> 00:05:38,160 Speaker 1: on public land have come under increasing scrutiny in the 97 00:05:38,240 --> 00:05:41,840 Speaker 1: last few years, including on this here podcast. Hunters and 98 00:05:41,880 --> 00:05:45,080 Speaker 1: Anglers care about the environment, but much like the controversies 99 00:05:45,120 --> 00:05:48,200 Speaker 1: around mineral extraction. We want to make sure solar farms 100 00:05:48,279 --> 00:05:53,520 Speaker 1: won't destroy vital habitat or decrease recreational opportunity, especially when 101 00:05:53,520 --> 00:05:57,800 Speaker 1: there's so many viable, and let's face it, more effective 102 00:05:58,040 --> 00:06:02,040 Speaker 1: solutions out there that don't involve public land. This proposed 103 00:06:02,040 --> 00:06:04,479 Speaker 1: solar array was set to be built on four hundred 104 00:06:04,520 --> 00:06:07,880 Speaker 1: and twenty acres of a twelve hundred acre property located 105 00:06:07,920 --> 00:06:11,719 Speaker 1: in Opsigo County, in the northern portion of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. 106 00:06:11,880 --> 00:06:14,400 Speaker 1: The DNR decided to lease these acres in part because 107 00:06:14,440 --> 00:06:17,359 Speaker 1: they're adjacent to an existing solar farm and our cross 108 00:06:17,400 --> 00:06:20,400 Speaker 1: cut by existing power lines. That makes some sense, but 109 00:06:20,520 --> 00:06:23,440 Speaker 1: right now the property is covered in forest. Building the 110 00:06:23,440 --> 00:06:26,719 Speaker 1: solar panels will require chopping down all those trees, which 111 00:06:26,800 --> 00:06:29,479 Speaker 1: might actually cause more harm than good in terms of 112 00:06:29,480 --> 00:06:33,039 Speaker 1: greenhouse gas emissions. Forests gobble up the carbon dioxide that 113 00:06:33,080 --> 00:06:36,400 Speaker 1: contributes to climate change, and there is some research suggesting 114 00:06:36,440 --> 00:06:39,840 Speaker 1: that losing these carbon sinks results in more greenhouse gases 115 00:06:39,880 --> 00:06:42,880 Speaker 1: than the solar arrays help mitigate. I've been in touch 116 00:06:42,880 --> 00:06:45,479 Speaker 1: with Michigan United Conservation Clubs, which is one of the 117 00:06:45,520 --> 00:06:48,480 Speaker 1: biggest advocates for hunters and anglers in the state. They 118 00:06:48,520 --> 00:06:50,919 Speaker 1: said that while there is a hunt club nearby, they 119 00:06:51,000 --> 00:06:53,960 Speaker 1: can't confirm whether any hunting or fishing occurs on those 120 00:06:54,000 --> 00:06:57,120 Speaker 1: four hundred and twenty acres. However, they are concerned by 121 00:06:57,160 --> 00:07:01,160 Speaker 1: the precedent this decision sets. The DNR hasn't been transparent 122 00:07:01,160 --> 00:07:04,159 Speaker 1: about the criteria they use to select this property. The 123 00:07:04,279 --> 00:07:06,960 Speaker 1: MUCC is calling on the DNR to publish a clear 124 00:07:07,000 --> 00:07:10,840 Speaker 1: set of criteria for choosing solar farm property that avoids 125 00:07:10,880 --> 00:07:16,480 Speaker 1: harming wildlife, habitat migration corridors, and recreational opportunities. They also 126 00:07:16,520 --> 00:07:19,160 Speaker 1: want the DNR to open up a public comment period 127 00:07:19,240 --> 00:07:22,840 Speaker 1: about this project and all projects moving forward. That way, 128 00:07:23,160 --> 00:07:25,480 Speaker 1: hunters and anglers will have a chance to voice their 129 00:07:25,480 --> 00:07:30,400 Speaker 1: concerns about proposed solar farms. The dnar's mission is to conserve, protect, 130 00:07:30,440 --> 00:07:33,400 Speaker 1: and manage the state's natural resources so they can be 131 00:07:33,520 --> 00:07:37,160 Speaker 1: used and enjoyed by current and future generations. It's tough 132 00:07:37,200 --> 00:07:41,480 Speaker 1: to square that mission with building solar arrays on public land, 133 00:07:41,800 --> 00:07:44,640 Speaker 1: and Michigan public land users should stay on top of 134 00:07:44,680 --> 00:07:47,440 Speaker 1: this one every step of the way. If the cows, 135 00:07:47,440 --> 00:07:51,280 Speaker 1: we can review inboxes any indication that's exactly what you're doing. 136 00:07:51,600 --> 00:07:53,400 Speaker 1: A bunch of you sent me this story, and it's 137 00:07:53,440 --> 00:07:56,640 Speaker 1: safe to say you are not happy. Listener Bill Hicks 138 00:07:56,640 --> 00:08:00,000 Speaker 1: says it quote makes my blood boil to see things 139 00:08:00,160 --> 00:08:04,680 Speaker 1: like this going on. Listener Justin Moore calls it absolutely ridiculous, 140 00:08:05,000 --> 00:08:07,680 Speaker 1: and Jeff McCormick says it's not what we want to 141 00:08:07,720 --> 00:08:11,800 Speaker 1: see for our public land. These fellows aren't alone. Michigan 142 00:08:11,880 --> 00:08:14,640 Speaker 1: hunters have been writing their elected officials, and one of 143 00:08:14,680 --> 00:08:18,080 Speaker 1: those representatives has called for mass firings at the DNR 144 00:08:18,240 --> 00:08:21,040 Speaker 1: if this plan isn't scrapped. The outcry has been so 145 00:08:21,240 --> 00:08:23,880 Speaker 1: fierce that there are even some reports that the Solar 146 00:08:23,920 --> 00:08:28,040 Speaker 1: Farm company may be backing out. Our we Clean Energy 147 00:08:28,160 --> 00:08:31,120 Speaker 1: told the Outlet Bridge Michigan that they are quote not 148 00:08:31,320 --> 00:08:34,560 Speaker 1: seeking to lease state owned land for this project. We'll 149 00:08:34,600 --> 00:08:37,040 Speaker 1: see if that turns out to be true, but for now, 150 00:08:37,240 --> 00:08:39,280 Speaker 1: it's safe to say that if you don't want to 151 00:08:39,320 --> 00:08:42,440 Speaker 1: see state land clear cut for solar panels, keep up 152 00:08:42,440 --> 00:08:46,199 Speaker 1: the pressure. It's looking like it's working. If you live 153 00:08:46,240 --> 00:08:48,800 Speaker 1: in Michigan and want to voice your opinion, you should 154 00:08:48,800 --> 00:08:52,280 Speaker 1: contact the dn R director at dn R DASH director 155 00:08:52,679 --> 00:08:57,319 Speaker 1: at Michigan dot gov. Ask that any and all green 156 00:08:57,440 --> 00:09:01,240 Speaker 1: energy projects on public land go through a transparent public 157 00:09:01,320 --> 00:09:04,720 Speaker 1: process before moving forward. If you don't live in Michigan 158 00:09:04,880 --> 00:09:07,360 Speaker 1: and are wondering how does this apply to me, I 159 00:09:07,360 --> 00:09:10,839 Speaker 1: can almost guarantee you there are similar proposals in your state. 160 00:09:10,960 --> 00:09:14,079 Speaker 1: I know here in Montana we're going through it right now. 161 00:09:14,240 --> 00:09:17,559 Speaker 1: There's a ton of government money behind green energy projects 162 00:09:17,760 --> 00:09:20,560 Speaker 1: and everyone is looking to cash in. It's critical that 163 00:09:20,600 --> 00:09:23,400 Speaker 1: we hunters and anglers stay engaged and up to date 164 00:09:23,480 --> 00:09:27,160 Speaker 1: on these proposals to make sure panels don't replace the 165 00:09:27,160 --> 00:09:32,319 Speaker 1: public land we all love. Now, this particular piece probably 166 00:09:32,400 --> 00:09:36,920 Speaker 1: has some of you dedicated listeners really scratching your heads. 167 00:09:37,120 --> 00:09:39,440 Speaker 1: And it's not over the fact that we're talking about 168 00:09:39,480 --> 00:09:44,559 Speaker 1: green energy or hunter conflict. You're thinking, well, wait, isn't 169 00:09:44,679 --> 00:09:49,600 Speaker 1: state land private land and not necessarily public land? And 170 00:09:49,679 --> 00:09:52,920 Speaker 1: you are correct. I'm glad you listened all the way through. 171 00:09:53,280 --> 00:09:57,640 Speaker 1: Great opportunity to talk about this again, Okay, and yeah, 172 00:09:57,720 --> 00:10:00,000 Speaker 1: I'm going to bring up the State of Utah lawsuit 173 00:10:00,360 --> 00:10:05,160 Speaker 1: which threatens federally managed public lands. The team that is 174 00:10:05,280 --> 00:10:09,360 Speaker 1: advocating for the disposal of eighteen and a half million 175 00:10:09,400 --> 00:10:13,640 Speaker 1: acres of federally managed public lands in the state of Utah, 176 00:10:13,760 --> 00:10:17,840 Speaker 1: which could have repercussions all across the United States. They 177 00:10:17,880 --> 00:10:23,040 Speaker 1: are using public land, public access all across their messaging, 178 00:10:23,679 --> 00:10:27,600 Speaker 1: the point of which is to confuse you, which I've 179 00:10:27,600 --> 00:10:31,000 Speaker 1: probably did by reading this piece the way I did. Okay, 180 00:10:31,720 --> 00:10:36,680 Speaker 1: federally managed public lands are de facto public lands by 181 00:10:36,720 --> 00:10:41,400 Speaker 1: and large, State lands like this DNR oftentimes have a 182 00:10:41,640 --> 00:10:48,079 Speaker 1: mandate a responsibility to bring in revenue, which can run 183 00:10:48,360 --> 00:10:52,800 Speaker 1: counter to public access. Okay, some of that holds true 184 00:10:52,840 --> 00:10:56,079 Speaker 1: for federally managed land, but by and large, one of 185 00:10:56,080 --> 00:11:00,320 Speaker 1: the biggest criticisms of the federal management route is is 186 00:11:00,440 --> 00:11:04,320 Speaker 1: a cumbersome process. Right, There's lots of steps. Well, friends 187 00:11:04,320 --> 00:11:06,640 Speaker 1: and neighbors. At each one of those steps, there's a 188 00:11:06,760 --> 00:11:10,960 Speaker 1: public approval process, basically an opportunity for all of us 189 00:11:11,200 --> 00:11:14,680 Speaker 1: to write in and say, oh boy, I don't like this. Okay, Yeah, 190 00:11:15,040 --> 00:11:18,959 Speaker 1: the wheels of government turned painfully slow, But if you're 191 00:11:18,960 --> 00:11:21,760 Speaker 1: paying attention, it can be a lot more transparent than 192 00:11:21,800 --> 00:11:26,400 Speaker 1: it appears. The Michigan DNR and Clean Energy project here 193 00:11:26,520 --> 00:11:30,760 Speaker 1: has been and continue on the state land example. I 194 00:11:30,840 --> 00:11:34,200 Speaker 1: brought this up many many times, but my home state 195 00:11:34,360 --> 00:11:38,760 Speaker 1: of Montana, my beloved home, rolled out a tax payer 196 00:11:38,800 --> 00:11:44,120 Speaker 1: funded plan to develop and dispose of state lands. State 197 00:11:44,200 --> 00:11:49,880 Speaker 1: lands are a huge hunting, fishing, access opportunity, recreational shooting 198 00:11:49,880 --> 00:11:52,800 Speaker 1: opportunity here in the state of Montana. It wasn't all 199 00:11:52,840 --> 00:11:56,600 Speaker 1: that long ago that state lands were not public. We 200 00:11:56,960 --> 00:12:01,480 Speaker 1: know relatively recently got the right to publicly access kind 201 00:12:01,480 --> 00:12:04,920 Speaker 1: of by default de facto public access on state lands, 202 00:12:04,960 --> 00:12:08,880 Speaker 1: but that land is private. It is not public. We 203 00:12:09,000 --> 00:12:12,079 Speaker 1: just have access to it right now. However, friends and 204 00:12:12,080 --> 00:12:15,680 Speaker 1: neighbors in Montana, specifically, if you drive around anything close 205 00:12:15,720 --> 00:12:18,400 Speaker 1: to an urban area in Montana, a lot of those 206 00:12:18,440 --> 00:12:21,240 Speaker 1: state lands have big lease signs on them right now. 207 00:12:21,480 --> 00:12:26,760 Speaker 1: And it's not talking about cattle grazing. Moving on to 208 00:12:26,840 --> 00:12:31,600 Speaker 1: the killer squirrel desk, A new study published last month 209 00:12:31,720 --> 00:12:35,760 Speaker 1: has documented some strange and you know, if you watch 210 00:12:35,960 --> 00:12:38,160 Speaker 1: squirrels around your bird feeder every day and you think 211 00:12:38,200 --> 00:12:40,760 Speaker 1: they're super cute and cuddly, you may find this disturbing 212 00:12:41,120 --> 00:12:46,120 Speaker 1: behavior among squirrels At a park in Contra Costa County, California, 213 00:12:46,240 --> 00:12:49,760 Speaker 1: student researchers with the Universities of Wisconsin and California Davis 214 00:12:50,000 --> 00:12:53,440 Speaker 1: have been observing California ground squirrels at Brione's regional park 215 00:12:53,520 --> 00:12:56,439 Speaker 1: for the last twelve years, but this year the students 216 00:12:56,440 --> 00:12:59,959 Speaker 1: observed a behavior they'd never seen before. The squirrels were hunted, 217 00:13:00,679 --> 00:13:05,120 Speaker 1: killing and eating California voles. The vole population had been 218 00:13:05,120 --> 00:13:07,679 Speaker 1: steadily increasing in the park, and the ground squirrels were 219 00:13:07,679 --> 00:13:11,000 Speaker 1: taking advantage. The students captured video and photographs of the 220 00:13:11,040 --> 00:13:13,880 Speaker 1: squirrels chasing down the voles, biting them on the back 221 00:13:13,880 --> 00:13:16,960 Speaker 1: of the head, and eating the head whole. Then the 222 00:13:16,960 --> 00:13:19,040 Speaker 1: squirrels would start to peel the meat from the rest 223 00:13:19,040 --> 00:13:21,640 Speaker 1: of the vole's body. Sometimes they had to fight off 224 00:13:21,760 --> 00:13:24,360 Speaker 1: other squirrels that were trying to steal their meal. A 225 00:13:24,440 --> 00:13:27,640 Speaker 1: ground squirrel's diet usually consists of various kinds of nuts 226 00:13:27,679 --> 00:13:30,640 Speaker 1: and acorns that they can be more flexible, whether they're 227 00:13:30,679 --> 00:13:33,760 Speaker 1: driven to it by necessity or to take advantage of nutritious, 228 00:13:33,800 --> 00:13:36,520 Speaker 1: high quality meat. This probably doesn't come as much of 229 00:13:36,520 --> 00:13:39,240 Speaker 1: a surprise to squirrel hunters, though sharp teeth can be 230 00:13:39,240 --> 00:13:41,959 Speaker 1: deployed on a wide variety of food. Squirrels have been 231 00:13:42,000 --> 00:13:45,560 Speaker 1: known to eat insects, eggs, hatchling birds, and even each 232 00:13:45,679 --> 00:13:49,320 Speaker 1: other's young. Researchers believe this community of squirrels is responding 233 00:13:49,320 --> 00:13:51,920 Speaker 1: to a boom in the local vole population, and they're 234 00:13:51,960 --> 00:13:54,840 Speaker 1: curious to see whether a steady meat diet will mean 235 00:13:54,920 --> 00:13:58,360 Speaker 1: more squirrel babies, which are called kits later in the spring. 236 00:13:59,080 --> 00:14:01,280 Speaker 1: Most interesting part of this to me is the fact 237 00:14:01,360 --> 00:14:05,199 Speaker 1: that it is active hunting that is being observed. They 238 00:14:05,200 --> 00:14:08,400 Speaker 1: haven't been able to see anything that looks like coordinated 239 00:14:08,480 --> 00:14:12,280 Speaker 1: hunting efforts yet, but they could be on the verge 240 00:14:12,280 --> 00:14:15,120 Speaker 1: of it, as they have observed some of the younger 241 00:14:15,160 --> 00:14:18,559 Speaker 1: squirrels doing what a lot of predator groups do with 242 00:14:18,720 --> 00:14:22,960 Speaker 1: their young, where a lot of the play behavior mimics 243 00:14:23,120 --> 00:14:27,640 Speaker 1: hunting behavior. So super fascinating stuff on a teeny tiny, 244 00:14:27,640 --> 00:14:37,520 Speaker 1: fuzzy cute scale. Moving on to the CSI desk, Colorado 245 00:14:37,560 --> 00:14:40,720 Speaker 1: Parks and Wildlife reported last month that it had apprehended 246 00:14:40,760 --> 00:14:43,920 Speaker 1: the coyote responsible for attacking a four year old girl 247 00:14:43,960 --> 00:14:46,880 Speaker 1: back in November. How did they pin the crime on 248 00:14:46,960 --> 00:14:51,320 Speaker 1: that particular coyote. The agency says it analyzed DNA material 249 00:14:51,440 --> 00:14:54,520 Speaker 1: between the coyotes pause and matched it with the girls. 250 00:14:54,800 --> 00:14:57,000 Speaker 1: The animal had been killed as part of the agency's 251 00:14:57,000 --> 00:14:59,520 Speaker 1: effort to eliminate all the coyotes in a Colorado Springs 252 00:14:59,560 --> 00:15:03,040 Speaker 1: neighborhood and the net cropsy revealed that they'd finally taken 253 00:15:03,080 --> 00:15:06,320 Speaker 1: out the correct animal, but that's not all the necropsy revealed. 254 00:15:06,520 --> 00:15:09,960 Speaker 1: CPW says the animal's stomach contained human food and its 255 00:15:10,000 --> 00:15:13,640 Speaker 1: paws had other human DNA buried deep between its toes. 256 00:15:14,080 --> 00:15:16,440 Speaker 1: Reading between the lines of the press release, it sounds 257 00:15:16,480 --> 00:15:18,960 Speaker 1: like the coyote had been hanging around people's houses and 258 00:15:19,000 --> 00:15:21,840 Speaker 1: eating human food for a long time. The agency doesn't 259 00:15:21,880 --> 00:15:24,560 Speaker 1: offer any further detail, but they do say they've launched 260 00:15:24,560 --> 00:15:27,320 Speaker 1: an investigation into who might be feeding the animals in 261 00:15:27,360 --> 00:15:30,880 Speaker 1: the neighborhood. The local wildlife manager said quote, Since we 262 00:15:30,960 --> 00:15:34,520 Speaker 1: began our search, we routinely saw three coyotes that boldly 263 00:15:34,560 --> 00:15:37,800 Speaker 1: approached houses and clearly had lost their fear of humans. 264 00:15:37,960 --> 00:15:40,680 Speaker 1: This tells us they were searching for food. As a result, 265 00:15:40,760 --> 00:15:43,400 Speaker 1: we continue to investigate the source of the feeding. It 266 00:15:43,480 --> 00:15:47,080 Speaker 1: is illegal to feed wildlife in Colorado, and violators can 267 00:15:47,120 --> 00:15:49,360 Speaker 1: be fined up to one hundred dollars for each offense. 268 00:15:49,680 --> 00:15:52,520 Speaker 1: In a situation like this, where feeding results in the 269 00:15:52,520 --> 00:15:55,320 Speaker 1: injury of a child, I wouldn't be surprised to see 270 00:15:55,360 --> 00:16:01,120 Speaker 1: a judge increase those penalties. Moving on hunting, addition of 271 00:16:01,200 --> 00:16:05,800 Speaker 1: the accident's desk. A duck hunter in South Carolina shot 272 00:16:05,840 --> 00:16:08,240 Speaker 1: and killed a twenty three year old man he believed 273 00:16:08,320 --> 00:16:10,920 Speaker 1: was a deer. Details are still scarce at this point. 274 00:16:11,040 --> 00:16:14,320 Speaker 1: The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources told local media 275 00:16:14,400 --> 00:16:16,800 Speaker 1: that two men were duck hunting on private property in 276 00:16:16,800 --> 00:16:19,600 Speaker 1: Clarendon County, in the central portion of the state. It 277 00:16:19,640 --> 00:16:23,040 Speaker 1: was around seven am on Wednesday, December nineteenth, which means 278 00:16:23,080 --> 00:16:25,640 Speaker 1: it was still about half an hour before sunrise. The 279 00:16:25,720 --> 00:16:27,960 Speaker 1: duck hunter spied what he thought was a deer and 280 00:16:28,000 --> 00:16:31,040 Speaker 1: pulled the trigger of a shotgun. Tragically, what he thought 281 00:16:31,080 --> 00:16:33,040 Speaker 1: was a deer was actually a member of his family 282 00:16:33,120 --> 00:16:36,760 Speaker 1: named Skuyler Anthony Julian Mackenzie. Mackenzie was trying to join 283 00:16:36,800 --> 00:16:39,720 Speaker 1: the two other hunters, but they weren't expecting him and 284 00:16:39,800 --> 00:16:43,000 Speaker 1: so assumed the large creature walking through the woods must 285 00:16:43,000 --> 00:16:47,520 Speaker 1: be a deer. Just a long, pregnant pause for all 286 00:16:47,520 --> 00:16:50,160 Speaker 1: you hunters out there, because you know exactly what happened. 287 00:16:50,600 --> 00:16:54,680 Speaker 1: They did not identify their target and what's beyond one 288 00:16:54,720 --> 00:17:00,560 Speaker 1: of the basic and unfortunately often overlooked tenants of hunters education. 289 00:17:01,280 --> 00:17:03,960 Speaker 1: The South Carolina DNR hasn't said what kind of shotgun 290 00:17:04,000 --> 00:17:06,440 Speaker 1: shells the hunter was using, but it sounds like this 291 00:17:06,600 --> 00:17:09,320 Speaker 1: quote deer hunt was a last minute affair. I'd be 292 00:17:09,359 --> 00:17:12,159 Speaker 1: surprised if they'd taken buckshotter slugs into the duck blind. 293 00:17:13,960 --> 00:17:15,960 Speaker 1: In other tragic duck hunting news, the bodies of the 294 00:17:16,000 --> 00:17:18,680 Speaker 1: two brothers who went missing while duck hunting in California 295 00:17:18,960 --> 00:17:22,320 Speaker 1: have both been found. Seventeen and nineteen year old brothers 296 00:17:22,560 --> 00:17:25,760 Speaker 1: went duck hunting in mid December and Thermalito After Bay 297 00:17:25,800 --> 00:17:29,000 Speaker 1: in northern California. They were using kayaks, and the seventeen 298 00:17:29,080 --> 00:17:33,119 Speaker 1: year old flipped lots of hazy details here, but the 299 00:17:33,240 --> 00:17:36,520 Speaker 1: nineteen year old called nine to one one before jumping 300 00:17:36,520 --> 00:17:39,480 Speaker 1: in to try to save his younger sibling. How they 301 00:17:39,520 --> 00:17:42,399 Speaker 1: both drowned remains a mystery, but officials were unable to 302 00:17:42,440 --> 00:17:45,840 Speaker 1: locate either of the teens for over two weeks. Tough conditions, 303 00:17:45,880 --> 00:17:50,680 Speaker 1: including high winds, white caps, dense underwater vegetation hampered recovery efforts. 304 00:17:50,960 --> 00:17:56,240 Speaker 1: Law enforcement agencies deployed all kinds of search technologies, including drones, helicopters, sonar, 305 00:17:56,400 --> 00:17:59,160 Speaker 1: and divers. The body of the older brother was found 306 00:17:59,200 --> 00:18:01,320 Speaker 1: at the end of Decenter and the younger brother's body 307 00:18:01,359 --> 00:18:04,119 Speaker 1: was found last week. The boy's mother called her older 308 00:18:04,160 --> 00:18:06,359 Speaker 1: son a hero for diving in to save his brother, 309 00:18:06,680 --> 00:18:09,119 Speaker 1: and the GoFundMe for the family has raised over fifty 310 00:18:09,119 --> 00:18:12,280 Speaker 1: seven thousand dollars as of this recording. This is a 311 00:18:12,320 --> 00:18:14,440 Speaker 1: freak accident of my family and I are trying to 312 00:18:14,440 --> 00:18:17,080 Speaker 1: wrap our heads around, and we also have four girls 313 00:18:17,160 --> 00:18:19,679 Speaker 1: at home who we still need to care for. This 314 00:18:19,720 --> 00:18:21,760 Speaker 1: is hard for me to write, as I'm beyond broken 315 00:18:21,880 --> 00:18:26,080 Speaker 1: into so many pieces. That's a quote from the boy's mother, ma'am. 316 00:18:26,760 --> 00:18:29,439 Speaker 1: I'll tell you right now. I've been a guy who 317 00:18:29,560 --> 00:18:33,080 Speaker 1: hunts alone for a long long time. I'm very confident, 318 00:18:33,359 --> 00:18:36,040 Speaker 1: and I went out hunting with Snort for kind of 319 00:18:36,040 --> 00:18:39,240 Speaker 1: a last minute, relatively close to the house hunt the 320 00:18:39,280 --> 00:18:41,280 Speaker 1: other day, a place that I've hunted many times but 321 00:18:41,320 --> 00:18:43,120 Speaker 1: probably haven't been back to a couple of years ago. 322 00:18:43,840 --> 00:18:47,200 Speaker 1: Was wearing my chest waiters and went across the same 323 00:18:47,240 --> 00:18:51,720 Speaker 1: old spot. And it's a little sneaky. It doesn't look 324 00:18:51,800 --> 00:18:54,680 Speaker 1: like you can do it, but you can. And man, 325 00:18:54,840 --> 00:18:57,520 Speaker 1: the river went over the top of my waiters, got soaked, 326 00:18:57,960 --> 00:19:01,240 Speaker 1: but managed to maintain my footing and get a And 327 00:19:01,320 --> 00:19:05,480 Speaker 1: it's just deeper than I remembered, and you know, and 328 00:19:05,600 --> 00:19:07,679 Speaker 1: rivers change all the time. You get caught with your 329 00:19:07,680 --> 00:19:11,440 Speaker 1: pants down, so you know it's a tragedy. And the 330 00:19:11,480 --> 00:19:14,600 Speaker 1: only good that can come out of these tragedies is 331 00:19:15,000 --> 00:19:18,119 Speaker 1: to take those mistakes as good reminders to be safe, 332 00:19:18,520 --> 00:19:21,040 Speaker 1: slow down and think before you charge ahead, like I did. 333 00:19:22,320 --> 00:19:26,800 Speaker 1: Moving on to the Camo Desk. A new study published 334 00:19:26,800 --> 00:19:30,280 Speaker 1: in the journal PNAS claims to have solved a mystery 335 00:19:30,280 --> 00:19:33,439 Speaker 1: that has long baffled the owl biologists. Barn owls are 336 00:19:33,520 --> 00:19:36,560 Speaker 1: native to all of South America, Central America, Mexico, and 337 00:19:36,640 --> 00:19:39,240 Speaker 1: most of the US. Much of this range isn't covered 338 00:19:39,280 --> 00:19:41,280 Speaker 1: in snow for most of the year, but the plumage 339 00:19:41,320 --> 00:19:44,639 Speaker 1: on a barn owl's belly is bright white. Biologists wondered 340 00:19:44,640 --> 00:19:47,520 Speaker 1: what advantage a white belly gives to a nocturnal animal 341 00:19:47,680 --> 00:19:50,480 Speaker 1: that relies on stealth and speed when hunting its prey. 342 00:19:50,760 --> 00:19:53,880 Speaker 1: In this new study, researchers claim to have found an answer. 343 00:19:54,160 --> 00:19:57,159 Speaker 1: They modeled the radiometric quantities of the sky, the ground, 344 00:19:57,240 --> 00:19:59,600 Speaker 1: and the barn owl and found that the barn owls 345 00:19:59,640 --> 00:20:03,240 Speaker 1: white plumage helps it blend into a moonlit sky, much 346 00:20:03,320 --> 00:20:06,480 Speaker 1: like fish have bright colored undersides. To match the sunlit water. 347 00:20:06,760 --> 00:20:09,720 Speaker 1: The barn owls bright white belly blends into the moonlight 348 00:20:09,840 --> 00:20:12,480 Speaker 1: and helps camouflage it from the rodents it's hunting on 349 00:20:12,560 --> 00:20:15,080 Speaker 1: the ground. This allows it to approach prey to within 350 00:20:15,080 --> 00:20:19,280 Speaker 1: a few yards from broad range of directions without being detected. 351 00:20:19,640 --> 00:20:22,920 Speaker 1: Of course, not everyone is convinced. In fact, a twenty 352 00:20:23,040 --> 00:20:26,600 Speaker 1: nineteen study found the exact opposite. Rather than using their 353 00:20:26,600 --> 00:20:29,560 Speaker 1: bright feathers as camouflage, this study suggests that the white 354 00:20:29,600 --> 00:20:32,840 Speaker 1: feathers stun and owls prey and immobilize it. Just like 355 00:20:32,880 --> 00:20:34,760 Speaker 1: the headlights of a car make a deer freeze in 356 00:20:34,800 --> 00:20:38,320 Speaker 1: its tracks, the bright bellies of barn owls keep voles, mice, 357 00:20:38,359 --> 00:20:41,199 Speaker 1: and other rodents frozen in place long enough that the 358 00:20:41,240 --> 00:20:44,480 Speaker 1: owl can snatch them up. CNN spoke with the authors 359 00:20:44,480 --> 00:20:47,080 Speaker 1: of that previous study and the authors of the new one, 360 00:20:47,359 --> 00:20:51,080 Speaker 1: and both acknowledge the plausibility of the other theory without 361 00:20:51,200 --> 00:20:54,760 Speaker 1: abandoning their own. It's worth noting that this new study 362 00:20:54,760 --> 00:20:58,600 Speaker 1: doesn't actually include any field research. They did not investigate 363 00:20:58,760 --> 00:21:02,080 Speaker 1: hunting success in real to plumage color, so their paper 364 00:21:02,119 --> 00:21:05,240 Speaker 1: is really more of a theory than anything else. Still, 365 00:21:05,320 --> 00:21:07,840 Speaker 1: the author of the twenty nineteen papers suggested a way 366 00:21:07,880 --> 00:21:10,760 Speaker 1: they could both be right. He said that at long distance, 367 00:21:10,960 --> 00:21:13,399 Speaker 1: the white plumage might help the owl blend into the 368 00:21:13,400 --> 00:21:17,000 Speaker 1: moonlit sky, while at close range the owl uses its 369 00:21:17,000 --> 00:21:20,400 Speaker 1: feathers to stun its prey. Whatever the truth is, it's 370 00:21:20,440 --> 00:21:22,719 Speaker 1: super cool and it's nice to know that even owls 371 00:21:22,760 --> 00:21:25,439 Speaker 1: which have been hunting for survival for millions of years 372 00:21:26,160 --> 00:21:28,120 Speaker 1: still need a little camo to get the job done. 373 00:21:29,359 --> 00:21:33,679 Speaker 1: Moving on to the gripp and grin desk, a police 374 00:21:33,680 --> 00:21:36,240 Speaker 1: department in East Texas is facing criticism for hitting a 375 00:21:36,280 --> 00:21:38,720 Speaker 1: mountain line with a police cruiser, taking a grip and 376 00:21:38,760 --> 00:21:41,480 Speaker 1: grin with the cat, then posting it on the department's 377 00:21:41,520 --> 00:21:44,919 Speaker 1: Facebook page. And officer with the Longview Police Department was 378 00:21:44,920 --> 00:21:47,679 Speaker 1: patrolling a ring road on the outskirts of town around 379 00:21:47,680 --> 00:21:50,000 Speaker 1: three am when he struck the cat with his car. 380 00:21:50,200 --> 00:21:52,760 Speaker 1: The cat wasn't dead, but the department said its injuries 381 00:21:52,800 --> 00:21:55,200 Speaker 1: were too severe to survive and they put it down 382 00:21:55,240 --> 00:21:57,760 Speaker 1: there on the road. Texas Parks and Wildlife said the 383 00:21:57,800 --> 00:22:00,040 Speaker 1: line was an eighty three pound female between three and 384 00:22:00,080 --> 00:22:03,680 Speaker 1: four years old. That's unfortunate, especially since mountain lions aren't 385 00:22:03,680 --> 00:22:05,919 Speaker 1: common in that area. Of the country, but instead of 386 00:22:05,960 --> 00:22:08,600 Speaker 1: just reporting the incident Texas Parks and Wildlife, one of 387 00:22:08,600 --> 00:22:11,440 Speaker 1: the officers took a photo holding the cat and smiling 388 00:22:11,760 --> 00:22:14,760 Speaker 1: and then posting it on social media. As you might expect, 389 00:22:14,800 --> 00:22:17,840 Speaker 1: it was not well received. Commenters said the decision showed 390 00:22:17,840 --> 00:22:22,000 Speaker 1: that the department had quote zero class, tasteless and shows 391 00:22:22,040 --> 00:22:25,639 Speaker 1: disregard and disrespect for local wildlife. The incident caught the 392 00:22:25,640 --> 00:22:28,840 Speaker 1: attention of national media outlets, and I imagined the long 393 00:22:28,920 --> 00:22:33,119 Speaker 1: View Comm's department had a stressful few days fielding questions 394 00:22:33,240 --> 00:22:36,960 Speaker 1: or ignoring them. Col's We Can Review producer Jordan Sillers 395 00:22:36,960 --> 00:22:39,719 Speaker 1: lives about an hour outside of Longview, and he reports 396 00:22:39,760 --> 00:22:42,520 Speaker 1: a mixed opinion from local hunters. Some took the issue 397 00:22:42,520 --> 00:22:44,760 Speaker 1: with the fact that much of the online criticism came 398 00:22:44,760 --> 00:22:47,400 Speaker 1: from the animal rights crowd. Those people get upset about 399 00:22:47,400 --> 00:22:49,480 Speaker 1: any kind of grip and grin, and so some local 400 00:22:49,560 --> 00:22:51,880 Speaker 1: hunters came to the defense of the long View PD. 401 00:22:52,440 --> 00:22:54,560 Speaker 1: Others acknowledged that it's a little strange to post a 402 00:22:54,600 --> 00:22:56,919 Speaker 1: grip and grin with any animal you didn't hunt. I 403 00:22:56,960 --> 00:22:59,440 Speaker 1: don't know of many hunters who would pose with roadkill, 404 00:22:59,640 --> 00:23:02,200 Speaker 1: and it's seems like a government agency should be even 405 00:23:02,200 --> 00:23:05,040 Speaker 1: more cautious about what it puts online. Mounta lions are 406 00:23:05,080 --> 00:23:08,639 Speaker 1: also extremely rare in East Texas. It's understandable that the 407 00:23:08,640 --> 00:23:11,520 Speaker 1: Long VIEWPD would want to tell the public about this incident, 408 00:23:11,720 --> 00:23:13,919 Speaker 1: but it seems like a better strategy would be to 409 00:23:13,920 --> 00:23:15,560 Speaker 1: post an image of the cat on the side of 410 00:23:15,600 --> 00:23:17,560 Speaker 1: the road, not in the arms of a police officer. 411 00:23:18,160 --> 00:23:21,320 Speaker 1: There's a win win here, kids, office barbecue with the cat. 412 00:23:21,520 --> 00:23:24,560 Speaker 1: Mountain lines are super tasty. You could have served, you know, 413 00:23:24,760 --> 00:23:30,040 Speaker 1: pulled cat sliders while telling people about Mountalin conservation and 414 00:23:30,640 --> 00:23:34,440 Speaker 1: possible range expansion. What do you think would you ever 415 00:23:34,520 --> 00:23:37,280 Speaker 1: pose with roadkill and post it online? What if you 416 00:23:37,320 --> 00:23:39,560 Speaker 1: hit the biggest buck of your life? Would that change 417 00:23:39,560 --> 00:23:42,760 Speaker 1: your stance? Let me know by writing in to askcl 418 00:23:42,800 --> 00:23:45,520 Speaker 1: at the Medior dot com. Just get the ball rolling here. 419 00:23:45,840 --> 00:23:48,680 Speaker 1: I got a picture with me and old Joe Dirt 420 00:23:48,760 --> 00:23:54,280 Speaker 1: aka Garrett Smith holding the alligator down in Louisiana that 421 00:23:54,520 --> 00:23:56,680 Speaker 1: I'll admit. We tried to catch alive, but a truck 422 00:23:56,760 --> 00:24:01,720 Speaker 1: hit it before he could swing the minivan around. That's 423 00:24:01,720 --> 00:24:03,280 Speaker 1: all I got for you this week. Thank you so 424 00:24:03,400 --> 00:24:05,960 Speaker 1: much for listening, and remember to write in to a 425 00:24:06,160 --> 00:24:09,480 Speaker 1: s k C a L. That's askcal themebeter dot com. 426 00:24:09,600 --> 00:24:11,240 Speaker 1: Let me know what's going on your neck of the woods. 427 00:24:11,640 --> 00:24:22,520 Speaker 1: Thanks again, we'll talk to you next week.