1
00:00:02,840 --> 00:00:06,880
Speaker 1: From Mediators World News headquarters in Bozeman, Montana. This is

2
00:00:06,960 --> 00:00:11,360
Speaker 1: Cal's weekend review, presented by Steel. Steel products are available

3
00:00:11,400 --> 00:00:15,200
Speaker 1: only at authorized dealers. For more, go to Steel Dealers

4
00:00:15,320 --> 00:00:20,720
Speaker 1: dot com. Now here's your host, Ryan cal Callahan.

5
00:00:22,200 --> 00:00:24,040
Speaker 2: If you live in South Carolina and you see a

6
00:00:24,120 --> 00:00:26,720
Speaker 2: giant black and white lizard that looks like it might

7
00:00:26,760 --> 00:00:30,520
Speaker 2: have salmonella, don't panic. It's a South American tagu lizard

8
00:00:30,720 --> 00:00:33,320
Speaker 2: and the Department of Natural Resources wants to know about it.

9
00:00:33,920 --> 00:00:37,720
Speaker 2: Like most exotic reptiles that invade natural habitats in North America,

10
00:00:37,960 --> 00:00:40,680
Speaker 2: giant tagu lizards are brought to the US as pets

11
00:00:40,720 --> 00:00:44,120
Speaker 2: by people who don't know how to use Google. There's

12
00:00:44,200 --> 00:00:49,120
Speaker 2: also a not talked about enough industry of raising these

13
00:00:49,360 --> 00:00:54,800
Speaker 2: potentially catastrophically harmful species here on American soil in states

14
00:00:54,920 --> 00:01:00,120
Speaker 2: like you guessed at Florida. Now, when individuals realize as

15
00:01:00,160 --> 00:01:02,080
Speaker 2: their new pet can grow to be four feet long

16
00:01:02,160 --> 00:01:04,360
Speaker 2: in way more than your average house cat, they dump

17
00:01:04,400 --> 00:01:07,520
Speaker 2: them in the woods. Tag you. Lizards eat other reptiles

18
00:01:07,560 --> 00:01:11,760
Speaker 2: and the eggs of ground nesting birds like turkeys and quail, crocodiles, alligators,

19
00:01:11,959 --> 00:01:14,760
Speaker 2: which means hunters should be especially keen to nip this

20
00:01:14,880 --> 00:01:18,800
Speaker 2: invasive in the bud. Tagu lizards also carry salmonella in

21
00:01:18,840 --> 00:01:22,679
Speaker 2: their feces, so you know, don't go eating lizard poop.

22
00:01:23,280 --> 00:01:26,280
Speaker 2: The DNR has received over one hundred reported sightings of

23
00:01:26,319 --> 00:01:29,720
Speaker 2: these gnarly looking lizards in fourteen different counties all across

24
00:01:29,760 --> 00:01:33,679
Speaker 2: South Carolina. Officials have created an online reporting system and

25
00:01:33,680 --> 00:01:36,160
Speaker 2: they're asking for the public to submit a report whenever

26
00:01:36,160 --> 00:01:39,440
Speaker 2: they see one. Big thanks to listener Jonathan Lawllas for

27
00:01:39,520 --> 00:01:42,600
Speaker 2: sending us this story, and if any of our South

28
00:01:42,640 --> 00:01:45,520
Speaker 2: Carolina listeners have spotted a tago lizard, let me know

29
00:01:45,720 --> 00:01:48,920
Speaker 2: by sending me a note at ask cl at the

30
00:01:48,960 --> 00:01:52,360
Speaker 2: meat eater dot com. Let's ask cal. This week we're

31
00:01:52,400 --> 00:01:55,400
Speaker 2: knocking the dust off Christmas, break with the crime desk, legislation,

32
00:01:55,520 --> 00:01:57,560
Speaker 2: and so much more. But first I'm going to tell

33
00:01:57,560 --> 00:02:00,960
Speaker 2: you about my week, and just to get right to

34
00:02:01,040 --> 00:02:04,000
Speaker 2: the point here, I'm trying to wrap up a really

35
00:02:04,440 --> 00:02:08,520
Speaker 2: great project on elk hoof disease in Washington State. If

36
00:02:08,520 --> 00:02:11,799
Speaker 2: you're listening and are holding depredation tags and onen't mind

37
00:02:11,880 --> 00:02:15,280
Speaker 2: myself and the crew tagging along for the harvest of

38
00:02:15,520 --> 00:02:19,400
Speaker 2: an infected elk A diseased elk. Please rite in let

39
00:02:19,400 --> 00:02:22,000
Speaker 2: me know as soon as possible whether you're a landowner

40
00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:26,000
Speaker 2: with a transferable permit or you yourself have a permit in

41
00:02:26,040 --> 00:02:29,200
Speaker 2: your hand and are willing to subject yourself to me

42
00:02:29,960 --> 00:02:33,160
Speaker 2: right in to askcl that's Ascal at the meat eater

43
00:02:33,240 --> 00:02:36,920
Speaker 2: dot com. Outside of that, I'm so darned excited to

44
00:02:36,919 --> 00:02:39,920
Speaker 2: get snort back out in the field for ducks and geese.

45
00:02:40,120 --> 00:02:42,880
Speaker 2: We've not had a real deal hunt for months, so

46
00:02:43,480 --> 00:02:46,600
Speaker 2: I'm planning it to be a have weather be will

47
00:02:46,639 --> 00:02:50,160
Speaker 2: travel type a end to the bird season. If you

48
00:02:50,200 --> 00:02:52,440
Speaker 2: want to see a great hunt from last season, please

49
00:02:52,480 --> 00:02:54,440
Speaker 2: head over to the meat Eater YouTube channel and take

50
00:02:54,480 --> 00:02:58,160
Speaker 2: a look. Also, don't miss the Alua fishing episode on

51
00:02:58,200 --> 00:03:01,799
Speaker 2: the Big Island. It is a beautiful show. You'll love it.

52
00:03:02,639 --> 00:03:05,600
Speaker 2: And to plant the seed early. We've been working hard

53
00:03:05,639 --> 00:03:09,280
Speaker 2: on the twenty twenty four BHA Rendezvous, which takes place

54
00:03:09,400 --> 00:03:13,200
Speaker 2: April eighteen through twenty twenty twenty four at the Minnesota

55
00:03:13,200 --> 00:03:17,200
Speaker 2: State Fair Rounds Saint Paul, Minnesota, Line up Minnesota Turkey

56
00:03:17,240 --> 00:03:19,720
Speaker 2: Trip and hit up the Ronde. I'll see you there.

57
00:03:19,960 --> 00:03:22,480
Speaker 1: Don't miss it, don't even be late.

58
00:03:24,120 --> 00:03:25,920
Speaker 2: My goodness, we got a lot of ground to cover,

59
00:03:26,320 --> 00:03:31,240
Speaker 2: so moving on to the crime desk. A drone operator

60
00:03:31,280 --> 00:03:34,320
Speaker 2: in Pennsylvania has issued four citations last month for what

61
00:03:34,440 --> 00:03:36,960
Speaker 2: game warden said was an illegal use of a drone,

62
00:03:37,040 --> 00:03:38,560
Speaker 2: but he claims he was doing it to help a

63
00:03:38,600 --> 00:03:43,720
Speaker 2: hunter recover a wounded buck. Joshua Wingaroth operates Wingy drone services,

64
00:03:43,920 --> 00:03:47,040
Speaker 2: and one of those services is deer recovery. According to

65
00:03:47,120 --> 00:03:50,120
Speaker 2: report in Lancaster Farming, wing Garoth was called out to

66
00:03:50,160 --> 00:03:53,000
Speaker 2: the Welsh Mountain Nature Preserved by a hunter who claimed

67
00:03:53,000 --> 00:03:55,520
Speaker 2: to have shot and wounded a deer. The game wardens

68
00:03:55,600 --> 00:03:57,760
Speaker 2: rolled up a short time later and slapped him with

69
00:03:57,840 --> 00:04:01,280
Speaker 2: two counts of unlawful devices and methods and one count

70
00:04:01,320 --> 00:04:05,000
Speaker 2: each of disturbance of game and spotlighting. Ordens say wind

71
00:04:05,040 --> 00:04:08,200
Speaker 2: Garth disturbed an antler deer while operating the drone and

72
00:04:08,360 --> 00:04:10,920
Speaker 2: used an artificial light from the drone to locate deer,

73
00:04:10,960 --> 00:04:14,520
Speaker 2: which is illegal during her general rifle season. If convicted

74
00:04:14,520 --> 00:04:16,920
Speaker 2: of all charges, wind Garoth is looking at a maximum

75
00:04:16,920 --> 00:04:19,679
Speaker 2: fine of twenty five hundred dollars and three months in jail.

76
00:04:20,160 --> 00:04:22,440
Speaker 2: States have different laws when it comes to drones and

77
00:04:22,480 --> 00:04:26,200
Speaker 2: deer recovery. Some allow it explicitly, while others just don't

78
00:04:26,200 --> 00:04:29,480
Speaker 2: prohibit it. Pennsylvania law states that it is illegal to

79
00:04:29,560 --> 00:04:33,760
Speaker 2: use electronic devices while hunting, including while trying to recover game,

80
00:04:34,080 --> 00:04:36,320
Speaker 2: but as we covered in episode two twenty eight, some

81
00:04:36,400 --> 00:04:39,840
Speaker 2: say this prohibition should be lifted. They say that drones

82
00:04:39,839 --> 00:04:42,039
Speaker 2: can be a valuable tool when hunters are looking for

83
00:04:42,080 --> 00:04:44,839
Speaker 2: a wounded animal, and that fishing game agencies should make

84
00:04:44,880 --> 00:04:47,880
Speaker 2: an exception to the no electronics rule, just as they

85
00:04:47,880 --> 00:04:50,720
Speaker 2: do with predator calls and trail cameras. Will see how

86
00:04:50,760 --> 00:04:53,200
Speaker 2: this legal case plays out, but it wouldn't be at

87
00:04:53,240 --> 00:04:55,839
Speaker 2: all surprised to see a bill in the Pennsylvania legislature

88
00:04:55,839 --> 00:04:59,720
Speaker 2: this year that addresses this issue specifically. Right in and

89
00:05:00,040 --> 00:05:02,039
Speaker 2: let me know what you think. You've probably picked up

90
00:05:02,080 --> 00:05:06,160
Speaker 2: on the fact that I personally don't find that we

91
00:05:06,200 --> 00:05:09,520
Speaker 2: need more technology and hunting for the sake of our

92
00:05:09,560 --> 00:05:14,440
Speaker 2: actual hunting skills, but I am wide open to other opinions,

93
00:05:14,800 --> 00:05:18,240
Speaker 2: and if you got a strong one, well articulated one,

94
00:05:18,400 --> 00:05:20,760
Speaker 2: please write in let me know what you think. We'll

95
00:05:20,800 --> 00:05:25,440
Speaker 2: get her up here on the podcast. Missouri game wardens

96
00:05:25,440 --> 00:05:28,440
Speaker 2: say they are shell shocked after finding fifteen white tailed

97
00:05:28,440 --> 00:05:31,080
Speaker 2: deer with their heads cut off and bodies left to rot.

98
00:05:31,440 --> 00:05:33,960
Speaker 2: The deer were found this year in Wayne and Reynolds Counties,

99
00:05:34,040 --> 00:05:38,040
Speaker 2: and wardens have arrested two suspects. These yahoos haven't been named,

100
00:05:38,120 --> 00:05:40,640
Speaker 2: and it's unclear exactly how they managed to kill so

101
00:05:40,680 --> 00:05:43,280
Speaker 2: many deer, but we can draw a few conclusions based

102
00:05:43,320 --> 00:05:46,080
Speaker 2: on their charges. We know, for example, that they're being

103
00:05:46,240 --> 00:05:48,960
Speaker 2: charged with spotlighting deer at night and shooting them from

104
00:05:49,000 --> 00:05:52,679
Speaker 2: the roadway. They've also been charged with trespassing and wanton waste.

105
00:05:53,040 --> 00:05:56,320
Speaker 2: The Missouri Department of Conservation posted an image on Facebook

106
00:05:56,360 --> 00:05:59,720
Speaker 2: showing nine of the fifteen buckheads, and any hunter would

107
00:05:59,720 --> 00:06:02,360
Speaker 2: have been happy to take one of them home. And

108
00:06:02,360 --> 00:06:05,200
Speaker 2: that's what poaching is. It's stealing from hunters. I don't

109
00:06:05,200 --> 00:06:07,680
Speaker 2: believe that poachers are hunters, but you know, that's a

110
00:06:07,680 --> 00:06:11,000
Speaker 2: whole different argument. Thanks to the two people in custody,

111
00:06:11,240 --> 00:06:13,320
Speaker 2: hunters won't have the chance to harvest any of these

112
00:06:13,360 --> 00:06:17,960
Speaker 2: fifteen bucks in the upcoming season. Moving on to Virginia,

113
00:06:18,279 --> 00:06:21,400
Speaker 2: the Department of Natural Resources is looking for someone who

114
00:06:21,520 --> 00:06:24,000
Speaker 2: shot and wounded a bald eagle on Christmas Eve. The

115
00:06:24,040 --> 00:06:26,960
Speaker 2: Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center took in a juvenile eagle that

116
00:06:27,000 --> 00:06:29,800
Speaker 2: had sustained a gunshot wound to its wing. The bird

117
00:06:29,839 --> 00:06:32,200
Speaker 2: had evaded capture for over a week and had been

118
00:06:32,240 --> 00:06:35,440
Speaker 2: living on deer carcasses. As a side note, most people

119
00:06:35,480 --> 00:06:39,000
Speaker 2: don't know that scavenging forms a significant portion of even

120
00:06:39,000 --> 00:06:42,200
Speaker 2: a healthy bald eagles diet. They hunt fish in small mammals,

121
00:06:42,240 --> 00:06:44,960
Speaker 2: but the Smithsonian reports that they eat carry in willingly

122
00:06:45,120 --> 00:06:48,560
Speaker 2: and are notorious for robbing osprey of their catches. That's

123
00:06:48,560 --> 00:06:50,680
Speaker 2: no excuse for shooting one, but it does kind of

124
00:06:50,680 --> 00:06:55,279
Speaker 2: make you wish we'd chosen a different national symbol. I

125
00:06:55,320 --> 00:06:59,000
Speaker 2: don't necessarily, you know, agree with that. Everybody likes a

126
00:06:59,000 --> 00:07:03,599
Speaker 2: good janitor or anyway, When wildlife doctors x rayed the

127
00:07:03,640 --> 00:07:06,360
Speaker 2: eagle's wing, they concluded that the break was too severe

128
00:07:06,480 --> 00:07:09,080
Speaker 2: and they euthanized it. It's no wonder it didn't want

129
00:07:09,120 --> 00:07:11,520
Speaker 2: to be captured. If you know someone who took a

130
00:07:11,520 --> 00:07:14,000
Speaker 2: pot shot at an eagle on late December in er

131
00:07:14,040 --> 00:07:17,280
Speaker 2: around why the County Virginia, give your local game ward

132
00:07:17,280 --> 00:07:19,000
Speaker 2: and a call. It'd be great to give this story

133
00:07:19,000 --> 00:07:23,440
Speaker 2: a happier ending. An Ohio man who shot what could

134
00:07:23,440 --> 00:07:26,280
Speaker 2: be the world's third biggest typical white tail is now

135
00:07:26,360 --> 00:07:30,080
Speaker 2: under investigation for poaching. Details are still scarce, but the

136
00:07:30,120 --> 00:07:33,440
Speaker 2: Ohio Department of Natural Resources put out at press release

137
00:07:33,480 --> 00:07:35,920
Speaker 2: saying that they've seized the antlers in cape of a

138
00:07:36,000 --> 00:07:40,800
Speaker 2: giant deer shot by Christopher CJ. Alexander. Outdoor Life reported

139
00:07:40,840 --> 00:07:43,480
Speaker 2: that the buck was green scored at two hundred and

140
00:07:43,560 --> 00:07:47,920
Speaker 2: six and seven eighths inches. Green scoring, if you're not familiar,

141
00:07:48,320 --> 00:07:52,720
Speaker 2: is just scoring the antlers, taping the length of the bone,

142
00:07:53,080 --> 00:07:57,680
Speaker 2: and accordance with the Boone crocket measuring system before it's

143
00:07:57,720 --> 00:08:02,000
Speaker 2: gone through an official drying period. If you are like

144
00:08:02,080 --> 00:08:05,800
Speaker 2: me and have never harvested something worth making it official,

145
00:08:06,320 --> 00:08:10,240
Speaker 2: I guess they're all official anyway. Big issues with scoring systems,

146
00:08:10,520 --> 00:08:14,000
Speaker 2: I digress antlers have to drive for sixty days before

147
00:08:14,080 --> 00:08:16,720
Speaker 2: they are scored because they will shrink slightly after the

148
00:08:16,760 --> 00:08:20,320
Speaker 2: deer is killed. Anyway, Alexander told Outdoor Life that he

149
00:08:20,400 --> 00:08:22,600
Speaker 2: shot the deer within the boundaries of a thirty acre

150
00:08:22,640 --> 00:08:25,760
Speaker 2: property owned by his sister, but he was strangely hesitant

151
00:08:25,840 --> 00:08:28,480
Speaker 2: to have the deer officially scored by Boon and Crockett scorers.

152
00:08:29,240 --> 00:08:32,040
Speaker 2: Now the DNR has a reason to question his story.

153
00:08:32,520 --> 00:08:35,480
Speaker 2: Their press release says they have launched an investigation because

154
00:08:35,480 --> 00:08:37,920
Speaker 2: they got a tip that Alexander failed to obtain the

155
00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:42,439
Speaker 2: lawfully required written permission prior to hunting on private property.

156
00:08:42,520 --> 00:08:46,080
Speaker 2: It's possible Alexander's own sister is narking him out, but

157
00:08:46,120 --> 00:08:48,920
Speaker 2: I think it's more likely straight across the property boundaries

158
00:08:49,000 --> 00:08:51,920
Speaker 2: chasing this deer. As Pat Dirkin says, big bucks make

159
00:08:52,000 --> 00:08:55,040
Speaker 2: stupid people. Of course, we don't know yet how this

160
00:08:55,120 --> 00:08:57,960
Speaker 2: investigation will conclude. Maybe a jealous neighbor is trying to

161
00:08:57,960 --> 00:09:01,559
Speaker 2: make Alexander's life difficult. Let's hope that's the case. Most

162
00:09:01,679 --> 00:09:05,000
Speaker 2: up to date update on this thing is the buck

163
00:09:05,040 --> 00:09:08,400
Speaker 2: has been confiscated. The statement that goes along with it

164
00:09:08,440 --> 00:09:11,360
Speaker 2: says that it is confiscated until the investigation is done,

165
00:09:12,000 --> 00:09:17,680
Speaker 2: so we'll come back to that one. Moving on to

166
00:09:17,720 --> 00:09:22,560
Speaker 2: the legislative desk, New York Governor Cafe Hochel signed a

167
00:09:22,559 --> 00:09:25,760
Speaker 2: bill last month that banned so called wildlife killing contests.

168
00:09:25,800 --> 00:09:29,120
Speaker 2: The bill prohibits anyone from organizing or participating in a

169
00:09:29,240 --> 00:09:32,439
Speaker 2: hunting contest quote with the objective of taking or hunting

170
00:09:32,480 --> 00:09:36,560
Speaker 2: wildlife for prizes or other inducement, or for entertainment. The

171
00:09:36,559 --> 00:09:39,280
Speaker 2: bill provides an exception for deer, turkey, and bear. But

172
00:09:39,360 --> 00:09:42,040
Speaker 2: your local big buck contest wasn't the target of the

173
00:09:42,160 --> 00:09:45,960
Speaker 2: activists behind this legislation. As the Humane Society makes clear

174
00:09:45,960 --> 00:09:49,800
Speaker 2: in their gleeful press release, this is mostly about kyo contest.

175
00:09:49,840 --> 00:09:53,240
Speaker 2: The Animal rights group has sent undercover videographers to expose

176
00:09:53,360 --> 00:09:56,080
Speaker 2: these contests at least twice in New York. Of course,

177
00:09:56,080 --> 00:09:58,880
Speaker 2: they aren't really exposing anything since the contest were legal

178
00:09:58,920 --> 00:10:00,880
Speaker 2: at the time and they were open to the public,

179
00:10:01,240 --> 00:10:03,800
Speaker 2: but they did manage to get images of dead coyotes,

180
00:10:03,840 --> 00:10:06,800
Speaker 2: which was apparently enough to get kyot calling contest banned.

181
00:10:07,240 --> 00:10:09,480
Speaker 2: The Empire State is now the tenth state to ban

182
00:10:09,559 --> 00:10:12,000
Speaker 2: these contests, since California became the first to do so

183
00:10:12,080 --> 00:10:15,000
Speaker 2: in twenty fourteen. We covered this bill all the way

184
00:10:15,000 --> 00:10:17,840
Speaker 2: back in episode two nineteen when the legislature passed it,

185
00:10:18,120 --> 00:10:20,280
Speaker 2: but it's been sitting on the governor's desk for months.

186
00:10:20,480 --> 00:10:22,880
Speaker 2: Hunters had hoped she might veto it, but instead she

187
00:10:23,000 --> 00:10:26,040
Speaker 2: decided to sign it three days before Christmas. For those

188
00:10:26,040 --> 00:10:28,200
Speaker 2: of you living in the forty other states where kyoke

189
00:10:28,280 --> 00:10:31,800
Speaker 2: contests are still illegal, get ready. The animal rights crowd

190
00:10:31,840 --> 00:10:34,440
Speaker 2: isn't shy about their intentions. They want to see kyoke

191
00:10:34,520 --> 00:10:37,360
Speaker 2: contest banned in all fifty states, so you can bet

192
00:10:37,440 --> 00:10:39,880
Speaker 2: you'll see similar legislation in your neck of the woods.

193
00:10:40,320 --> 00:10:44,320
Speaker 2: Keep tuning in, We'll keep you posting now. On the

194
00:10:44,320 --> 00:10:47,000
Speaker 2: other end of the spectrum, New Hampshire State legislature is

195
00:10:47,040 --> 00:10:49,480
Speaker 2: considering a bill that would remove gray squirrels from the

196
00:10:49,480 --> 00:10:52,600
Speaker 2: list of game animals. Current law allows squirrel hunting from

197
00:10:52,640 --> 00:10:55,000
Speaker 2: the beginning of September to the end of January, and

198
00:10:55,080 --> 00:10:58,079
Speaker 2: hunters must obtain a license before going after their daily

199
00:10:58,120 --> 00:11:01,360
Speaker 2: bag limit of five squirrels. Under this new bill, hunters

200
00:11:01,400 --> 00:11:04,280
Speaker 2: could go after squirrel's year round with no daily bag limit.

201
00:11:04,720 --> 00:11:08,600
Speaker 2: I'm always skeptical when politicians start messing around with game regulations,

202
00:11:08,760 --> 00:11:12,160
Speaker 2: even when they want to expand hunting opportunities. Many states

203
00:11:12,200 --> 00:11:14,520
Speaker 2: have a year round open season on squirrels, so it's

204
00:11:14,559 --> 00:11:17,480
Speaker 2: not totally unreasonable for New Hampshire to do the same.

205
00:11:17,880 --> 00:11:20,280
Speaker 2: But I haven't seen anything for the bills sponsors about

206
00:11:20,280 --> 00:11:23,040
Speaker 2: the state of New Hampshire's gray squirrel population, so it's

207
00:11:23,120 --> 00:11:26,080
Speaker 2: unclear exactly why they chose to introduce this bill now.

208
00:11:26,520 --> 00:11:28,840
Speaker 2: But there is one animal rights activist who thinks she

209
00:11:28,920 --> 00:11:32,600
Speaker 2: knows according to local media, Christina Schneider thinks this bill

210
00:11:32,679 --> 00:11:35,800
Speaker 2: was written with revenge in mind. One of the bill's sponsors,

211
00:11:36,000 --> 00:11:39,280
Speaker 2: guy by the names of James Splane, was infamously removed

212
00:11:39,280 --> 00:11:41,640
Speaker 2: from the House Fish and Game Committee in twenty nineteen.

213
00:11:42,160 --> 00:11:44,199
Speaker 2: He got the boot because he responded to a vegan

214
00:11:44,280 --> 00:11:46,840
Speaker 2: animal rights activist by posting a photo of a squirrel

215
00:11:46,880 --> 00:11:49,800
Speaker 2: he shot off his bird feeder with a fifty caliber muzzleloader.

216
00:11:50,240 --> 00:11:52,559
Speaker 2: You can imagine what the image looks like. To make

217
00:11:52,640 --> 00:11:55,520
Speaker 2: matters worse, he shot the animal outside of squirrel season

218
00:11:55,559 --> 00:11:57,360
Speaker 2: and then claimed to have done it because the squirrel

219
00:11:57,440 --> 00:12:00,880
Speaker 2: was invading his chicken coop. Now, animal rights activists say

220
00:12:00,880 --> 00:12:04,640
Speaker 2: that Spilane is trying to eliminate squirrel season altogether, presumably

221
00:12:04,840 --> 00:12:08,160
Speaker 2: so he can obliterate his neighborhood squirrels in peace. He

222
00:12:08,200 --> 00:12:10,400
Speaker 2: carried away in on this one. The bill is SB

223
00:12:10,640 --> 00:12:13,360
Speaker 2: five four to eight dah FN and we'll post a

224
00:12:13,400 --> 00:12:18,079
Speaker 2: link at the media dot com forward slash col Now,

225
00:12:18,120 --> 00:12:20,880
Speaker 2: we've been hammering on Colorado a lot recently, but I

226
00:12:20,880 --> 00:12:23,600
Speaker 2: can't stress enough how important it is for Coloradoms to

227
00:12:23,600 --> 00:12:27,160
Speaker 2: pay attention to what Governor Poulos is doing. Listener Casey

228
00:12:27,200 --> 00:12:29,400
Speaker 2: Martin sent me an article published in The Fence Post,

229
00:12:29,400 --> 00:12:32,520
Speaker 2: an outlet that covers agricultural news. The author claims to

230
00:12:32,520 --> 00:12:35,600
Speaker 2: have obtained a document that outlines Governor Polis's priorities for

231
00:12:35,640 --> 00:12:39,080
Speaker 2: Colorado parks and wildlife. He wants to introduce wolverines to

232
00:12:39,120 --> 00:12:41,480
Speaker 2: the state within the next two years, and to add

233
00:12:41,520 --> 00:12:44,960
Speaker 2: bag limits on fur bears and curtail trapping. In fact,

234
00:12:45,040 --> 00:12:48,280
Speaker 2: according to this document quote, the governor is also a

235
00:12:48,320 --> 00:12:52,559
Speaker 2: supportive of ending fur trapping altogether. It is unclear exactly

236
00:12:52,600 --> 00:12:55,720
Speaker 2: how the wolverine reintroduction and the trapping banner related, but

237
00:12:55,800 --> 00:12:58,160
Speaker 2: it's easy to imagine how the former might lead to

238
00:12:58,160 --> 00:13:01,680
Speaker 2: the latter. Between the wolf reintroduction, the wolverine reintroduction, and

239
00:13:01,720 --> 00:13:04,600
Speaker 2: the proposed ban on mountain lion hunting, it's easy to

240
00:13:04,600 --> 00:13:07,120
Speaker 2: see why elk hunters and fur trappers in Colorado are

241
00:13:07,120 --> 00:13:11,719
Speaker 2: getting extremely nervous, and it's easy to see why this

242
00:13:11,760 --> 00:13:14,640
Speaker 2: whole guard the gate bs is not going to cut

243
00:13:14,679 --> 00:13:19,720
Speaker 2: it in this instance. Okay, you have got to be proactive.

244
00:13:20,240 --> 00:13:23,160
Speaker 2: If you are a trapper, if you are someone who

245
00:13:23,280 --> 00:13:26,319
Speaker 2: likes to hunt mountain lions, you have got to start

246
00:13:26,360 --> 00:13:30,880
Speaker 2: writing well written, well thought out op ads and getting

247
00:13:30,920 --> 00:13:36,800
Speaker 2: them consistently printed in newspapers in your state. This is

248
00:13:37,040 --> 00:13:42,319
Speaker 2: about affecting the voting non hunting crowd, the folks in

249
00:13:42,360 --> 00:13:45,520
Speaker 2: the middle, not the anti people, not the pro people,

250
00:13:45,880 --> 00:13:48,200
Speaker 2: but the folks in the middle. And you got to

251
00:13:48,320 --> 00:13:53,280
Speaker 2: tell them why hunting and trapping is important to you.

252
00:13:54,120 --> 00:13:56,480
Speaker 2: Odds are it's not important to you because you just

253
00:13:56,559 --> 00:14:00,000
Speaker 2: like killing and hurting shit. Okay. Tell them about the food,

254
00:14:00,280 --> 00:14:03,240
Speaker 2: Tell them about the sustainability of the practice. Tell them

255
00:14:03,360 --> 00:14:05,480
Speaker 2: why it matters to you and your family, the bonds

256
00:14:05,480 --> 00:14:07,480
Speaker 2: that you forage out there in the woods, all the

257
00:14:07,480 --> 00:14:11,280
Speaker 2: good things that people just don't get to hear about.

258
00:14:12,559 --> 00:14:18,199
Speaker 2: Moving on to the conservation desk, the Biden administration announced

259
00:14:18,200 --> 00:14:21,440
Speaker 2: a plan last month to help conserve America's old growth forests.

260
00:14:21,760 --> 00:14:24,640
Speaker 2: The administration is directing the US Department of Agriculture to

261
00:14:24,680 --> 00:14:27,600
Speaker 2: amend all one hundred and twenty eight forest land management

262
00:14:27,680 --> 00:14:31,000
Speaker 2: plans across the country to conserve and restore old growth

263
00:14:31,000 --> 00:14:34,360
Speaker 2: forests in the National Forest System. According to a press release,

264
00:14:34,440 --> 00:14:37,800
Speaker 2: this will provide consistent direction across the Forest Service on

265
00:14:37,840 --> 00:14:41,000
Speaker 2: how to conserve and restore old growth forest conditions across

266
00:14:41,000 --> 00:14:43,320
Speaker 2: the nation and marks the first time that the Forest

267
00:14:43,320 --> 00:14:46,640
Speaker 2: Service has adopted a nationwide Forest Plan amendment to guide

268
00:14:46,720 --> 00:14:51,040
Speaker 2: new management direction on all national forests at once. Defining

269
00:14:51,080 --> 00:14:54,320
Speaker 2: what is and is not an old growth forest is difficult.

270
00:14:54,720 --> 00:14:57,080
Speaker 2: Old forests in New Jersey look a lot different from

271
00:14:57,120 --> 00:15:00,240
Speaker 2: old forests in Oregon, just like old trees at ten

272
00:15:00,280 --> 00:15:03,360
Speaker 2: thousand feet look a lot different than old trees at

273
00:15:03,400 --> 00:15:07,440
Speaker 2: three thousand feet. Regional forest management agencies have adopted a

274
00:15:07,520 --> 00:15:11,240
Speaker 2: variety of definitions, but the Department of Agriculture recently released

275
00:15:11,280 --> 00:15:14,720
Speaker 2: a report that offers guidelines that can be used anywhere

276
00:15:14,760 --> 00:15:18,000
Speaker 2: in the country. The report explains that old forests are

277
00:15:18,000 --> 00:15:21,320
Speaker 2: in the later stages of stand development and include large trees,

278
00:15:21,800 --> 00:15:25,080
Speaker 2: the accumulation of large dead woody material, a high number

279
00:15:25,120 --> 00:15:28,840
Speaker 2: of canopy layers, and complex ecosystems. These are forests that

280
00:15:28,880 --> 00:15:32,000
Speaker 2: have been around for hundreds, sometimes thousands of years. The

281
00:15:32,080 --> 00:15:35,320
Speaker 2: USDA also says that old growth forests are distinguished by

282
00:15:35,360 --> 00:15:40,040
Speaker 2: their ecosystem services and social, cultural, and economic values. The

283
00:15:40,120 --> 00:15:43,040
Speaker 2: people living in the area have imparted cultural and even

284
00:15:43,120 --> 00:15:46,960
Speaker 2: spiritual significance to these forests. Local economies rely on the

285
00:15:46,960 --> 00:15:49,920
Speaker 2: ecosystem for things like recreation, and it plays a central

286
00:15:50,000 --> 00:15:52,560
Speaker 2: role in the area's heritage. Some of this is a

287
00:15:52,560 --> 00:15:55,080
Speaker 2: little too mushy for you scientific types, but I think

288
00:15:55,080 --> 00:15:57,520
Speaker 2: it's good to acknowledge the many different ways we rely

289
00:15:57,640 --> 00:16:00,240
Speaker 2: on forests and why we love to visit them. Old

290
00:16:00,240 --> 00:16:02,600
Speaker 2: growth for uts have gotten a lot of coverage recently

291
00:16:02,640 --> 00:16:05,600
Speaker 2: for their ability to capture carbon dioxide and help with

292
00:16:05,640 --> 00:16:08,280
Speaker 2: climate change, but that's only one of the many reasons

293
00:16:08,320 --> 00:16:11,160
Speaker 2: to protect them. They provide a habitat for thousands of

294
00:16:11,200 --> 00:16:14,000
Speaker 2: species of plants and animals, and they hold clean water.

295
00:16:14,440 --> 00:16:16,800
Speaker 2: Plus they're just too cool to have on the landscape.

296
00:16:17,040 --> 00:16:19,320
Speaker 2: Some of the sequoias in California have been around since

297
00:16:19,320 --> 00:16:23,000
Speaker 2: before Socrates was annoying people with weird questions, where Alexander

298
00:16:23,040 --> 00:16:26,200
Speaker 2: the Great was conquering the then known world. It's amazing

299
00:16:26,240 --> 00:16:28,640
Speaker 2: to see something so old, and I'm glad the USDA

300
00:16:28,720 --> 00:16:31,800
Speaker 2: is spending time and resources to make sure these ecosystems

301
00:16:31,880 --> 00:16:34,960
Speaker 2: are protected. This will also be an opportunity for you

302
00:16:35,000 --> 00:16:37,720
Speaker 2: to get involved. Amending all one hundred and twenty eight

303
00:16:37,760 --> 00:16:40,920
Speaker 2: forest land management plans is no small task, and government

304
00:16:40,960 --> 00:16:44,320
Speaker 2: agencies will be required to seek public comment. When they do,

305
00:16:44,520 --> 00:16:49,080
Speaker 2: be sure to weigh in. Kentucky residents received an early

306
00:16:49,160 --> 00:16:51,240
Speaker 2: Christmas present this year when the Department of Fish and

307
00:16:51,240 --> 00:16:54,960
Speaker 2: Wildlife announced the largest conservation easement in the state's history.

308
00:16:55,320 --> 00:16:57,920
Speaker 2: Working in partnership with the Nature Conservancy and the Rocky

309
00:16:57,920 --> 00:17:01,160
Speaker 2: Mountain Elk Foundation, the state is permanently protecting fifty five

310
00:17:01,200 --> 00:17:05,280
Speaker 2: thousand acres for conservation and public access. The expansive plot

311
00:17:05,320 --> 00:17:08,600
Speaker 2: builds on the ongoing Cumberland Forest Project, a two hundred

312
00:17:08,600 --> 00:17:11,840
Speaker 2: and fifty three thousand acre conservation project meant to protect

313
00:17:11,840 --> 00:17:15,840
Speaker 2: Appleatch's diverse to ecosystems. In a two part venture, the

314
00:17:15,880 --> 00:17:19,520
Speaker 2: easement permanently protects the acreage and Bell, Knox and Leslie

315
00:17:19,560 --> 00:17:22,919
Speaker 2: Counties from any commercial development, securing its place as an

316
00:17:22,960 --> 00:17:26,120
Speaker 2: ecological hotspot and securing its place in the future as

317
00:17:26,119 --> 00:17:30,040
Speaker 2: an outdoor destination. Kentucky has the largest elk herd east

318
00:17:30,040 --> 00:17:32,800
Speaker 2: of the Mississippi. In this plot, in the southeastern part

319
00:17:32,800 --> 00:17:34,640
Speaker 2: of the state is right in the heart of where

320
00:17:34,680 --> 00:17:37,680
Speaker 2: those elk are living. In one hundred years, we may

321
00:17:37,720 --> 00:17:40,480
Speaker 2: look back on this as the beginning of the Kentucky

322
00:17:40,520 --> 00:17:43,760
Speaker 2: elk hunting mecca. The Bluegrass State is off to a

323
00:17:43,800 --> 00:17:50,240
Speaker 2: good start. Moving on to the recycling desk. Christmas is

324
00:17:50,240 --> 00:17:52,399
Speaker 2: coming gone, but some of you are still holding on

325
00:17:52,440 --> 00:17:55,720
Speaker 2: to that dry needle shedding tree. I get it, it's

326
00:17:55,760 --> 00:17:58,040
Speaker 2: tough to let go of the holiday magic, but we're

327
00:17:58,080 --> 00:17:59,919
Speaker 2: already a week into the new year and this is

328
00:18:00,080 --> 00:18:01,280
Speaker 2: getting embarrassing for you.

329
00:18:05,000 --> 00:18:07,040
Speaker 1: The good news is that you can dispose of your

330
00:18:07,119 --> 00:18:10,040
Speaker 1: Christmas tree and help local wildlife at the same time.

331
00:18:10,560 --> 00:18:14,199
Speaker 2: Many state game agencies offer tree drop off programs. You

332
00:18:14,240 --> 00:18:16,600
Speaker 2: bring your old tree to a drop off location, and

333
00:18:16,680 --> 00:18:19,720
Speaker 2: biologists use those trees for fish habitat. They tie a

334
00:18:19,760 --> 00:18:21,760
Speaker 2: bunch of them together, weigh them down, and sink them

335
00:18:21,800 --> 00:18:24,080
Speaker 2: in the bottom of a lake or pond. That creates

336
00:18:24,200 --> 00:18:27,280
Speaker 2: excellent cover for fish and other animals like snakes, turtles,

337
00:18:27,280 --> 00:18:29,960
Speaker 2: and frogs. When the trees are placed in shallow water,

338
00:18:30,000 --> 00:18:32,240
Speaker 2: they also offer places for birds to perch and look

339
00:18:32,240 --> 00:18:35,800
Speaker 2: for food. State agencies will also sometimes mark the locations

340
00:18:35,800 --> 00:18:38,600
Speaker 2: of their underwater Christmas trees, and if you ask nicely,

341
00:18:38,880 --> 00:18:41,040
Speaker 2: they may tell you where those are. For the next

342
00:18:41,080 --> 00:18:43,040
Speaker 2: two or three years. It'll be a great place to

343
00:18:43,080 --> 00:18:46,800
Speaker 2: go after crappie, perch and other tasty fish. So there's

344
00:18:46,800 --> 00:18:48,720
Speaker 2: a hot tip get your new year off to a

345
00:18:48,760 --> 00:18:52,880
Speaker 2: great start. You can contribute to a state Fish attracting device.

346
00:18:53,680 --> 00:18:56,240
Speaker 2: Only donate your natural trees. You don't want a plastic

347
00:18:56,280 --> 00:18:58,280
Speaker 2: tree floating around in your local lake for the next

348
00:18:58,280 --> 00:19:01,359
Speaker 2: ten thousand years. On that note, also be sure to

349
00:19:01,400 --> 00:19:04,679
Speaker 2: remove all ornaments, tinsel, and other decorations. As much as

350
00:19:04,680 --> 00:19:06,919
Speaker 2: you enjoy that Santa Claus ornament you got from your

351
00:19:06,960 --> 00:19:10,440
Speaker 2: great aunt Betty, the fish won't feel the same. Donating

352
00:19:10,480 --> 00:19:12,600
Speaker 2: your tree to wildlife takes more effort than leaving it

353
00:19:12,640 --> 00:19:15,000
Speaker 2: out on the curb, But the holiday season generates too

354
00:19:15,040 --> 00:19:18,320
Speaker 2: much trash already. As your final act of Christmas charity,

355
00:19:18,440 --> 00:19:20,600
Speaker 2: why don't you do something that will help the environment

356
00:19:20,680 --> 00:19:23,560
Speaker 2: rather than pollute it. Plus, you might someday catch a

357
00:19:23,560 --> 00:19:26,600
Speaker 2: fish that was living around the tree you donated. Now

358
00:19:26,600 --> 00:19:28,520
Speaker 2: that's what I call a Christmas miracle.

359
00:19:29,000 --> 00:19:32,160
Speaker 1: Kevin, what did you do to my room?

360
00:19:32,800 --> 00:19:35,399
Speaker 2: Thanks so much for listening. Remember to write in to

361
00:19:35,520 --> 00:19:39,040
Speaker 2: ask c Al that's Askcal at themeateater dot com and

362
00:19:39,119 --> 00:19:40,560
Speaker 2: let me know what's going on in your neck of

363
00:19:40,600 --> 00:19:43,600
Speaker 2: the woods. You know you appreciate it. On top of that,

364
00:19:43,920 --> 00:19:46,560
Speaker 2: remember to track down your local steel dealer by going

365
00:19:46,600 --> 00:19:49,879
Speaker 2: to www dot steel dealers dot com to find a local,

366
00:19:49,960 --> 00:19:52,719
Speaker 2: knowledgeable steel dealer near you. They'll get you set up

367
00:19:52,720 --> 00:19:54,440
Speaker 2: with what you need, and they won't try to send

368
00:19:54,440 --> 00:19:56,760
Speaker 2: you home with what you don't. Thanks again, I'll talk

369
00:19:56,760 --> 00:20:04,040
Speaker 2: to you next week. Dan had been in m A

370
00:20:04,520 --> 00:20:04,760
Speaker 2: m A.

371
00:20:04,920 --> 00:20:06,960
Speaker 1: The Danser