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 --> 00:00:19,480 Speaker 1: is Cow's Week in Review with Ryan cow Cala. Here's Cal. 3 00:00:21,120 --> 00:00:23,200 Speaker 1: We say it all the time on this podcast, but 4 00:00:23,400 --> 00:00:25,560 Speaker 1: have you ever thought about where the phrase neck of 5 00:00:25,560 --> 00:00:28,200 Speaker 1: the woods comes from? I ask you write in to 6 00:00:28,400 --> 00:00:30,920 Speaker 1: ask Cal at the meaeater dot com and tell me 7 00:00:30,960 --> 00:00:34,360 Speaker 1: what's happening in your neck of the woods every episode. 8 00:00:35,040 --> 00:00:38,600 Speaker 1: But why don't I just say your section of the woods, 9 00:00:38,760 --> 00:00:41,360 Speaker 1: or you're part of the woods, or you know where 10 00:00:41,400 --> 00:00:44,240 Speaker 1: you're currently at a few minutes on the Google machine 11 00:00:44,240 --> 00:00:47,520 Speaker 1: tells me that this idiom was coined by American colonists 12 00:00:47,520 --> 00:00:50,680 Speaker 1: in the sixteen hundreds. Some argued that neck sounds a 13 00:00:50,720 --> 00:00:54,160 Speaker 1: lot like algonquin for point or corner, so your neck 14 00:00:54,200 --> 00:00:56,200 Speaker 1: of the woods is just your corner of the woods. 15 00:00:56,320 --> 00:00:58,480 Speaker 1: Others have pointed out that my neck sounds like the 16 00:00:58,560 --> 00:01:03,080 Speaker 1: German my neck, which just means my corner, same kind 17 00:01:03,120 --> 00:01:05,440 Speaker 1: of thing, But the consensus seems to be that the 18 00:01:05,440 --> 00:01:08,800 Speaker 1: word neck was used by American colonists to describe a 19 00:01:08,880 --> 00:01:12,199 Speaker 1: narrow strip of woods that, when imagined from above, would 20 00:01:12,200 --> 00:01:14,520 Speaker 1: have looked like the neck of an animal. You might 21 00:01:14,560 --> 00:01:16,759 Speaker 1: build your house or a group of homes in these 22 00:01:16,800 --> 00:01:19,520 Speaker 1: sections of forest. So your neck of the woods was 23 00:01:19,600 --> 00:01:23,120 Speaker 1: literally the strip of forest you called home. So there 24 00:01:23,160 --> 00:01:26,319 Speaker 1: you go. You learn something new every week on Col's 25 00:01:26,440 --> 00:01:30,160 Speaker 1: Week in Review. This week we've got the hottest fashion 26 00:01:30,280 --> 00:01:33,360 Speaker 1: trend in the pet world. I'm talking about dire wolves 27 00:01:33,640 --> 00:01:36,760 Speaker 1: plus big bears, breeders and legislation. But first, I'm going 28 00:01:36,800 --> 00:01:38,520 Speaker 1: to tell you about my week in My week was 29 00:01:38,760 --> 00:01:42,959 Speaker 1: interesting as always, Frankly, been working like a dog trying 30 00:01:43,000 --> 00:01:46,119 Speaker 1: to figure out if under our watch we are going 31 00:01:46,160 --> 00:01:49,520 Speaker 1: to let our elected representatives sell off our public lands. 32 00:01:49,840 --> 00:01:53,640 Speaker 1: I'm not talking about national parks either. It's a real conversation, gang. 33 00:01:53,800 --> 00:01:56,160 Speaker 1: It might not be happening at your dinner table, but 34 00:01:56,240 --> 00:02:00,560 Speaker 1: it's absolutely happening. I know this sounds very simil, but 35 00:02:00,680 --> 00:02:03,560 Speaker 1: you just need to call your senators and congress people 36 00:02:03,840 --> 00:02:07,320 Speaker 1: right now. Talk with them if possible, if not, talk 37 00:02:07,360 --> 00:02:09,880 Speaker 1: with the staff member, and just let them know you 38 00:02:10,000 --> 00:02:13,520 Speaker 1: have a connection to public lands or you're planning on 39 00:02:13,919 --> 00:02:17,600 Speaker 1: making your public land connection even stronger, and talk to 40 00:02:17,639 --> 00:02:21,040 Speaker 1: them about specifics. Make it clear that you're not talking 41 00:02:21,040 --> 00:02:23,600 Speaker 1: about national parks. Make it clear that you're talking about 42 00:02:23,639 --> 00:02:29,120 Speaker 1: that seemingly barren sagebrush flat a Bureau of Land Management ground. 43 00:02:29,680 --> 00:02:32,400 Speaker 1: Let them know how important it is to you, and 44 00:02:32,440 --> 00:02:35,200 Speaker 1: how you know it will be important for the next 45 00:02:35,240 --> 00:02:39,760 Speaker 1: generation as well, especially when it occasionally comes alive with 46 00:02:39,919 --> 00:02:43,880 Speaker 1: pollinators and sage grouse and antelope and jack rabbits and pronghorn. 47 00:02:44,520 --> 00:02:47,919 Speaker 1: I myself ran out for the turkey opener here in Montana, 48 00:02:48,120 --> 00:02:53,120 Speaker 1: just to a spot like this. Nobody else there. It's inconspicuous, 49 00:02:53,160 --> 00:02:56,480 Speaker 1: it doesn't look good. I got there at dark, walked 50 00:02:56,480 --> 00:02:59,880 Speaker 1: with old Snorticus, listening to all the migratory birds settle 51 00:03:00,160 --> 00:03:02,720 Speaker 1: for the night, sandhill cranes making a hell of a commotion. 52 00:03:03,240 --> 00:03:06,480 Speaker 1: No turkeys though, No gobbles, no yelps, nothing to my 53 00:03:06,560 --> 00:03:09,679 Speaker 1: coyoke calls or owl hoots or crow talk. And that's 54 00:03:09,680 --> 00:03:13,520 Speaker 1: what you get for exactly zero scouting regardless. We woke 55 00:03:13,600 --> 00:03:16,520 Speaker 1: up the next morning well before turkey time. The prairie 56 00:03:16,639 --> 00:03:20,080 Speaker 1: was alive with birds, meadow larks, killed deer, night hawks, 57 00:03:20,360 --> 00:03:22,920 Speaker 1: two pairs of cranes doing their best to imitate a 58 00:03:22,960 --> 00:03:26,000 Speaker 1: flock of one hundred or more. But no turkey talk. 59 00:03:26,560 --> 00:03:29,800 Speaker 1: So we took our time. I slept mostly pre dressed 60 00:03:29,919 --> 00:03:32,960 Speaker 1: to hunt, so my getting ready was just sliding out 61 00:03:32,960 --> 00:03:34,760 Speaker 1: of the go fast camper, which is like, you know, 62 00:03:34,800 --> 00:03:37,200 Speaker 1: one of those like rooftop tent things that you know 63 00:03:37,360 --> 00:03:39,800 Speaker 1: rightfully so get made fun of. I don't use this 64 00:03:39,840 --> 00:03:42,600 Speaker 1: thing a whole lot, but holy cow, it's comfortable and 65 00:03:42,640 --> 00:03:46,360 Speaker 1: convenient when I do. It's a quick strike mechanism. And 66 00:03:46,400 --> 00:03:49,920 Speaker 1: then I slid out of the camper into my ancient 67 00:03:49,960 --> 00:03:53,120 Speaker 1: pair of extra toughs that I describe as mostly waterproof. 68 00:03:53,160 --> 00:03:56,040 Speaker 1: At this point, then we repeated our walk from the 69 00:03:56,120 --> 00:04:01,600 Speaker 1: night before. Again, no gobbles, just racus pre I did 70 00:04:01,640 --> 00:04:03,760 Speaker 1: have a really cool encounter with the young bull moose 71 00:04:03,760 --> 00:04:06,480 Speaker 1: who emerged out of the brush to some hen yelps 72 00:04:06,760 --> 00:04:10,360 Speaker 1: and engaged our general direction with the classic bovid stare 73 00:04:10,520 --> 00:04:13,400 Speaker 1: of a thousand yards or more. And then I thought, 74 00:04:13,520 --> 00:04:16,480 Speaker 1: h time to get back to work. Tuesdays are when 75 00:04:16,520 --> 00:04:19,400 Speaker 1: the Montana Fishing Game Committee at the Old State House 76 00:04:19,480 --> 00:04:22,440 Speaker 1: meets and there are bills on the docket to testify on. 77 00:04:23,320 --> 00:04:28,120 Speaker 1: Then beyond reason, there's turkey fans emerging from the thick brush. 78 00:04:28,279 --> 00:04:31,360 Speaker 1: Two or three jakes and one tom, I think snort, 79 00:04:31,400 --> 00:04:33,560 Speaker 1: and I set up. I yelped at the gaggle of 80 00:04:33,560 --> 00:04:36,960 Speaker 1: birds in the gray light and they do what turkeys do. 81 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:40,440 Speaker 1: They walk the opposite direction, swing around us, and come 82 00:04:40,440 --> 00:04:43,200 Speaker 1: into the back door, where, out of a corner of 83 00:04:43,240 --> 00:04:45,920 Speaker 1: my eye, two jakes begin to jump up and spur 84 00:04:46,040 --> 00:04:48,720 Speaker 1: each other in an attempt to win the decoy's attention. 85 00:04:49,480 --> 00:04:52,000 Speaker 1: It's the first morning of the first day of the season, 86 00:04:52,360 --> 00:04:55,720 Speaker 1: and it's just too much for Snort. She pops up 87 00:04:55,800 --> 00:04:58,560 Speaker 1: from her crouch and squares up to look at the commotion, 88 00:04:58,920 --> 00:05:02,080 Speaker 1: which of course puts the birds on edge. They start 89 00:05:02,080 --> 00:05:04,840 Speaker 1: to putt and walk away, not run away, because this 90 00:05:04,920 --> 00:05:08,080 Speaker 1: small flock of birds doesn't know it's turkey season yet. 91 00:05:08,839 --> 00:05:11,960 Speaker 1: Snort lays down to my muffled curses, and the birds 92 00:05:12,000 --> 00:05:15,080 Speaker 1: wander over a hill. Once out of sight, we reposition. 93 00:05:15,480 --> 00:05:18,320 Speaker 1: I crawl up to thirty yards, plant the decoy and 94 00:05:18,360 --> 00:05:21,640 Speaker 1: the defunct two track they disappeared on, and slide back 95 00:05:21,680 --> 00:05:25,599 Speaker 1: to an alder patch. Two yelps and tail fans mount 96 00:05:25,640 --> 00:05:28,720 Speaker 1: the hill, not so much in rank as in a 97 00:05:28,800 --> 00:05:32,160 Speaker 1: ball of bird with no shot opportunity to kill just one. 98 00:05:32,839 --> 00:05:35,520 Speaker 1: The tom and jake gobble at each other, full neck 99 00:05:35,600 --> 00:05:38,760 Speaker 1: stretched almost to the point of kissing. For a moment, 100 00:05:38,880 --> 00:05:42,680 Speaker 1: I think two for one, but the next retract back 101 00:05:42,720 --> 00:05:45,240 Speaker 1: into the hands, and as the girls begin to put 102 00:05:45,279 --> 00:05:49,240 Speaker 1: their dislike of man and dog and decoy very evident. 103 00:05:49,440 --> 00:05:52,960 Speaker 1: At fifteen yards, Tom is left out in the open, 104 00:05:53,760 --> 00:05:58,520 Speaker 1: and just like that, it's over seven point fifteen in 105 00:05:58,560 --> 00:06:01,360 Speaker 1: the morning. I believe he's a young bird, but he's 106 00:06:01,400 --> 00:06:06,400 Speaker 1: a big bird, short beard, huge, full fan, no spurs, 107 00:06:06,960 --> 00:06:10,599 Speaker 1: and twenty two pounds on the scale. Then I packed 108 00:06:10,680 --> 00:06:13,479 Speaker 1: up headed for Helena in time to exercise my rights 109 00:06:13,480 --> 00:06:16,880 Speaker 1: as a citizen and inform are duly elected as to 110 00:06:17,080 --> 00:06:21,320 Speaker 1: my desires on matters of public funding for habitat improvement, 111 00:06:21,440 --> 00:06:24,400 Speaker 1: both on the public and private side of the barbed wire. 112 00:06:25,279 --> 00:06:27,839 Speaker 1: One thing I noticed up there, there's a usual cast 113 00:06:27,880 --> 00:06:32,080 Speaker 1: and crew of you know, conservation heroes, really guys who 114 00:06:32,120 --> 00:06:35,680 Speaker 1: are there all the time. Aside from being there all 115 00:06:35,720 --> 00:06:38,839 Speaker 1: the time and advocating their butts off, they have this 116 00:06:38,920 --> 00:06:42,200 Speaker 1: other thing in common. They're getting old. So we need 117 00:06:42,240 --> 00:06:46,080 Speaker 1: some youth at that state House when our legislature is 118 00:06:46,120 --> 00:06:50,960 Speaker 1: in session. This particular committee kicked off well after five o'clock, 119 00:06:51,080 --> 00:06:54,839 Speaker 1: so our working class heroes and our school kids had 120 00:06:54,880 --> 00:06:57,799 Speaker 1: no excuses could have been there. It's tough to time 121 00:06:57,920 --> 00:07:00,680 Speaker 1: like this all the time, but we need you pay 122 00:07:00,720 --> 00:07:03,400 Speaker 1: attention get there. It's not as scary as it seems. 123 00:07:04,600 --> 00:07:08,200 Speaker 1: Moving on to the vanity pet desk aka dire Wolves, 124 00:07:10,840 --> 00:07:13,800 Speaker 1: Game of Thrones fans rejoice. Dire wolves are back and 125 00:07:13,920 --> 00:07:16,160 Speaker 1: dragons are soon to follow. At least that's what you 126 00:07:16,240 --> 00:07:19,640 Speaker 1: might think if you've been reading the headlines recently. An 127 00:07:19,640 --> 00:07:23,480 Speaker 1: outfit called Colossal Biosciences announced earlier this month they have 128 00:07:23,600 --> 00:07:27,360 Speaker 1: successfully brought two dire wolf puppies into the world. The 129 00:07:27,400 --> 00:07:30,520 Speaker 1: little critters have long, white fur, and, at six months old, 130 00:07:30,840 --> 00:07:34,760 Speaker 1: already weigh eighty pounds. Colossal Biologists say they expect them 131 00:07:34,800 --> 00:07:37,720 Speaker 1: to eventually tip the scales at one hundred and fifty pounds, 132 00:07:38,000 --> 00:07:40,760 Speaker 1: which is about how big dire wolves were when they 133 00:07:40,880 --> 00:07:44,800 Speaker 1: roamed the place to Seem ten thousand years ago. For context, 134 00:07:44,880 --> 00:07:47,960 Speaker 1: modern gray wolves average about eighty five pounds, though big 135 00:07:48,000 --> 00:07:51,200 Speaker 1: males can clock in at one hundred and eighty pounds. 136 00:07:51,720 --> 00:07:54,920 Speaker 1: The company created these canines using portions of dire wolf 137 00:07:55,000 --> 00:07:58,520 Speaker 1: DNA found in a thirteen thousand year old tooth found 138 00:07:58,560 --> 00:08:01,640 Speaker 1: in Iowa and a seven two thousand year old skull 139 00:08:01,720 --> 00:08:05,400 Speaker 1: fragment found in Idaho. They compared these DNA fragments to 140 00:08:05,480 --> 00:08:09,360 Speaker 1: modern wolf DNA and found fifteen gene variants they believe 141 00:08:09,520 --> 00:08:13,239 Speaker 1: separate these two types of canines. Then they used gene 142 00:08:13,360 --> 00:08:17,440 Speaker 1: editing technology to adjust the genes of wolf embryos, inserted 143 00:08:17,440 --> 00:08:21,720 Speaker 1: those embryos into female dogs, and hey, presto, magic dire 144 00:08:21,760 --> 00:08:25,000 Speaker 1: wolves again. Of course, it didn't take long for other 145 00:08:25,040 --> 00:08:28,120 Speaker 1: researchers in the scientific community to start poking holes and 146 00:08:28,200 --> 00:08:32,280 Speaker 1: Colossal's claims. We don't have the entire wolf genome. We 147 00:08:32,280 --> 00:08:35,280 Speaker 1: don't know how big it was, which means we don't 148 00:08:35,320 --> 00:08:38,160 Speaker 1: know with certainty that these dire wolf puppies match their 149 00:08:38,160 --> 00:08:42,480 Speaker 1: prehistoric ancestors, or to what degree they do if so. So, 150 00:08:42,679 --> 00:08:46,080 Speaker 1: strictly speaking, they aren't dire wolves. At the same time, 151 00:08:46,320 --> 00:08:50,000 Speaker 1: they do appear to be especially large wolves. Colossal reps, 152 00:08:50,040 --> 00:08:52,800 Speaker 1: who spoke with Eli Fournier for his article over at 153 00:08:52,800 --> 00:08:55,400 Speaker 1: the meeater dot Com, argue that if it looks like 154 00:08:55,400 --> 00:08:57,960 Speaker 1: a dire wolf and talks like a dire wolf, it is, 155 00:08:58,040 --> 00:09:01,720 Speaker 1: for all intents and purposes, a dire wolf. You should 156 00:09:01,800 --> 00:09:05,959 Speaker 1: keep that in mind this Halloween season. Okay, choose your 157 00:09:06,000 --> 00:09:10,320 Speaker 1: costume appropriately, but there's an even deeper question here, and 158 00:09:10,360 --> 00:09:16,240 Speaker 1: that is why poor quet Juarum Peche. What's the point 159 00:09:16,280 --> 00:09:20,240 Speaker 1: all this. These wolves have lost their natural habitat, so 160 00:09:20,679 --> 00:09:24,440 Speaker 1: this isn't a reintroduction effort. Colossal says they plan to 161 00:09:24,440 --> 00:09:26,760 Speaker 1: breed these wolves at some point down the line and 162 00:09:26,840 --> 00:09:30,920 Speaker 1: rewild their property at an undisclosed location. They also say 163 00:09:30,960 --> 00:09:34,079 Speaker 1: that this technology can help other animals on the verge 164 00:09:34,080 --> 00:09:37,280 Speaker 1: of extinction. Creating new individuals in the lab could help 165 00:09:37,360 --> 00:09:40,320 Speaker 1: with genetic diversity, or simply to ensure we have a 166 00:09:40,320 --> 00:09:43,440 Speaker 1: few examples of critters that have gone extinct. At the 167 00:09:43,440 --> 00:09:47,239 Speaker 1: same time, there's a hazard here if we can supposedly 168 00:09:47,400 --> 00:09:50,760 Speaker 1: quote bring back dire wolves. Some might say, why are 169 00:09:50,800 --> 00:09:54,280 Speaker 1: we so worried about currently endangered species. We don't need 170 00:09:54,280 --> 00:09:59,280 Speaker 1: to concern ourselves with habitat protection and ecosystem conservation or connectivity. 171 00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:02,840 Speaker 1: Can just make more prairie chickens or condors or blackfooted 172 00:10:02,880 --> 00:10:05,960 Speaker 1: ferrets in the lab. That's the danger of promoting this 173 00:10:06,120 --> 00:10:09,640 Speaker 1: kind of tech, and it's not hypothetical. Our own Interior 174 00:10:09,679 --> 00:10:12,600 Speaker 1: Secretary Doug Burgham took to x to push for Endangered 175 00:10:12,600 --> 00:10:16,040 Speaker 1: Species Act reform in light of the dire wolf experiment. 176 00:10:16,360 --> 00:10:20,160 Speaker 1: He said, quote, we need to continue improving recovery efforts 177 00:10:20,160 --> 00:10:22,720 Speaker 1: to make that a reality, and the marvel of de 178 00:10:22,840 --> 00:10:26,959 Speaker 1: extinction technology can help forge a future where populations are 179 00:10:27,000 --> 00:10:30,600 Speaker 1: never at risk. The truth is, populations always will be 180 00:10:30,679 --> 00:10:34,760 Speaker 1: at risk if they don't have good habitat. De extinction 181 00:10:34,880 --> 00:10:38,800 Speaker 1: technology can bring back a few individuals, but those individuals 182 00:10:39,160 --> 00:10:43,160 Speaker 1: are you know, they're kind of like decorative towels. Okay. 183 00:10:43,720 --> 00:10:46,720 Speaker 1: You ever go to somebody's house and they're like, oh yeah, 184 00:10:47,200 --> 00:10:50,640 Speaker 1: don't use those towels. They're just for looking at and 185 00:10:50,880 --> 00:10:52,600 Speaker 1: party is like, well, why the hell they are they 186 00:10:52,679 --> 00:10:55,600 Speaker 1: in the bathroom? Then that's kind of like what we're 187 00:10:55,600 --> 00:10:58,560 Speaker 1: talking about here. You got to have landscape, you got 188 00:10:58,559 --> 00:11:01,600 Speaker 1: to have habitat, you got to have connectivity, and if 189 00:11:01,600 --> 00:11:03,560 Speaker 1: you can't have those things, you're not going to have 190 00:11:03,559 --> 00:11:07,720 Speaker 1: the critters. A better version of Endangered Species Act reform 191 00:11:08,040 --> 00:11:12,080 Speaker 1: is preventing litigation that holds back the true intent of 192 00:11:12,120 --> 00:11:15,680 Speaker 1: the Endangered Species Act. Just imagine if we had all 193 00:11:15,800 --> 00:11:18,520 Speaker 1: the money spent on lawsuits and we had that put 194 00:11:18,600 --> 00:11:25,079 Speaker 1: into habitat. Moving on to the bear desk, here's a 195 00:11:25,120 --> 00:11:28,280 Speaker 1: fascinating story out of Missouri, sent in by listener Matt 196 00:11:28,320 --> 00:11:31,040 Speaker 1: Irvin in twenty twenty two. A twelve year old kid 197 00:11:31,080 --> 00:11:34,400 Speaker 1: named Wiley Williams shot what would have been Missouri's largest 198 00:11:34,440 --> 00:11:37,920 Speaker 1: ever black bear, a four hundred and twenty four pound monster. 199 00:11:38,040 --> 00:11:41,520 Speaker 1: He tagged after he won the state's competitive lottery drawing 200 00:11:42,920 --> 00:11:46,160 Speaker 1: and eighty hunters applied for one of four hundred permits, 201 00:11:46,480 --> 00:11:49,439 Speaker 1: but the quote of that year was only for forty bears, 202 00:11:50,080 --> 00:11:53,800 Speaker 1: meaning that three hundred and sixty bear hunters who won 203 00:11:54,080 --> 00:11:57,400 Speaker 1: a very hard to draw lottery would not be killing 204 00:11:57,480 --> 00:12:00,320 Speaker 1: a bear. Wiley drew a tag and brought down found 205 00:12:00,520 --> 00:12:03,840 Speaker 1: not just a bear, but a state record bear after 206 00:12:03,880 --> 00:12:06,880 Speaker 1: a week long hunt. However, he probably didn't hear about 207 00:12:06,920 --> 00:12:10,440 Speaker 1: this because it was seized by the Missouri Department of Conservation. 208 00:12:10,520 --> 00:12:13,200 Speaker 1: The agency said that they received a tip that Wiley's father, 209 00:12:13,280 --> 00:12:15,920 Speaker 1: not Wiley, was the one who shot the bear. That 210 00:12:16,000 --> 00:12:18,880 Speaker 1: turned out to be false. Wiley's father wasn't even on 211 00:12:18,920 --> 00:12:21,640 Speaker 1: the property when Wiley took the bear with his thirty thirty. 212 00:12:22,120 --> 00:12:26,800 Speaker 1: But during that investigation they also found something else, a 213 00:12:26,800 --> 00:12:30,880 Speaker 1: couple colonels of corn, which led MDC to believe that 214 00:12:30,920 --> 00:12:34,800 Speaker 1: the bear had been baited. It is illegal to bait 215 00:12:35,040 --> 00:12:39,920 Speaker 1: during hunting in Missouri four bears, However, you can entice 216 00:12:39,960 --> 00:12:43,920 Speaker 1: bears onto your property with bait prior to the hunting season, 217 00:12:44,240 --> 00:12:47,800 Speaker 1: so long as the bait is cleaned up. Wiley and 218 00:12:47,840 --> 00:12:50,600 Speaker 1: his dad and a fellow named Lindell Williams did all 219 00:12:50,640 --> 00:12:53,240 Speaker 1: of this. They baited ahead of time, prior to the 220 00:12:53,280 --> 00:12:55,640 Speaker 1: season opening. They cleaned the bait up, but they didn't 221 00:12:55,640 --> 00:12:59,840 Speaker 1: get all of it. MDC found quote twenty twenty five 222 00:13:00,040 --> 00:13:03,600 Speaker 1: Ernol's of corn. They issued a citation, and they seized 223 00:13:03,760 --> 00:13:06,599 Speaker 1: the bear. When the MDC sent its case to the 224 00:13:06,640 --> 00:13:10,840 Speaker 1: local prosecutor, that attorney amended Lindell's ticket to littering, which 225 00:13:10,880 --> 00:13:13,760 Speaker 1: is a non wildlife violation. At that point, Wiling and 226 00:13:13,840 --> 00:13:16,360 Speaker 1: his dad expected to get the bear back, but that 227 00:13:16,400 --> 00:13:20,079 Speaker 1: didn't happen. NBC says returning the bears against their policies, 228 00:13:20,280 --> 00:13:23,440 Speaker 1: and they want to use it for training purposes. Lindell 229 00:13:23,520 --> 00:13:25,720 Speaker 1: is assuing the agency on behalf of his son and 230 00:13:25,760 --> 00:13:29,360 Speaker 1: the cases currently before a circuit judge. Lindell argues that 231 00:13:29,400 --> 00:13:32,640 Speaker 1: this littering conviction isn't enough justification for the NBC to 232 00:13:32,679 --> 00:13:35,920 Speaker 1: seize the bear. Now, in these cases, you got to 233 00:13:35,960 --> 00:13:39,000 Speaker 1: give everybody the benefit of the doubt, because, as we know, 234 00:13:39,440 --> 00:13:42,600 Speaker 1: more often than not, more information comes out before it's 235 00:13:42,600 --> 00:13:45,280 Speaker 1: all said and done, this is a tough blow for 236 00:13:45,360 --> 00:13:47,840 Speaker 1: ol Wiley. Shooting a bear that big is a once 237 00:13:47,880 --> 00:13:50,800 Speaker 1: in a lifetime achievement. You can read more on this 238 00:13:51,320 --> 00:13:54,680 Speaker 1: at the Webster County Citizen. You probably already have a 239 00:13:54,679 --> 00:13:58,559 Speaker 1: subscription right in. Let us know what you think. Askcl 240 00:13:58,640 --> 00:14:01,560 Speaker 1: at the meateater dot com. It's not cutt and dry yet. 241 00:14:01,600 --> 00:14:06,920 Speaker 1: We'll get you informed when it is. Moving on to 242 00:14:06,920 --> 00:14:11,240 Speaker 1: the legislative desk. Last week, the Arizona Game and Fish 243 00:14:11,240 --> 00:14:14,520 Speaker 1: Commission considered a petition by the Center for Biological Diversity 244 00:14:14,720 --> 00:14:18,280 Speaker 1: to ban the use of hound dogs to hunt mountain lions, bears, bobcats, 245 00:14:18,280 --> 00:14:21,440 Speaker 1: boxes another wildlife. The Commission held a hearing at which 246 00:14:21,480 --> 00:14:25,360 Speaker 1: many residents, activists, and experts testified. One of those experts 247 00:14:25,400 --> 00:14:28,480 Speaker 1: was our buddy, Jim Heffelfinger, who presented Arizona Game in 248 00:14:28,480 --> 00:14:31,880 Speaker 1: Fish's official response to the petition. I won't get into 249 00:14:31,920 --> 00:14:34,840 Speaker 1: all the details, but here's a summary of what Jim said. 250 00:14:35,160 --> 00:14:39,080 Speaker 1: The petitions to ban hound hunting objected based on normative 251 00:14:39,320 --> 00:14:43,560 Speaker 1: value judgments and opinions of quote unsporting and unethical activities 252 00:14:43,880 --> 00:14:47,920 Speaker 1: instead of well constructed scientific studies. The CBD cited web 253 00:14:47,960 --> 00:14:51,880 Speaker 1: pages of anti hunting organizations and news reports, and unverified 254 00:14:51,960 --> 00:14:56,560 Speaker 1: information or simply speculations. Jim told the Commission, quote, decision 255 00:14:56,560 --> 00:15:00,400 Speaker 1: makers must base their decisions on objective, peer reviewed science 256 00:15:00,440 --> 00:15:04,880 Speaker 1: and reliable sources of consistently gathered information. Many of the 257 00:15:04,920 --> 00:15:08,119 Speaker 1: sources used in the petition do not satisfy the scientific 258 00:15:08,160 --> 00:15:13,000 Speaker 1: standard rightly expected of management agencies entrusted with the conservation 259 00:15:13,240 --> 00:15:17,480 Speaker 1: of these native species. Based in part on Jim's excellent testimony, 260 00:15:17,720 --> 00:15:20,960 Speaker 1: the Commission rejected the petition to ban hound hunting, but 261 00:15:21,120 --> 00:15:24,160 Speaker 1: keep an eye out for similar petitions in your state. 262 00:15:24,600 --> 00:15:28,760 Speaker 1: That's often how hound hunting bans start, so it's important 263 00:15:28,800 --> 00:15:32,400 Speaker 1: that everyone follow Arizona's lead and end these efforts before 264 00:15:32,400 --> 00:15:36,760 Speaker 1: they can get off the ground. As the Trump administration 265 00:15:36,880 --> 00:15:39,760 Speaker 1: moves to ramp up energy production on public land, some 266 00:15:39,920 --> 00:15:43,760 Speaker 1: members of Congress are working to protect especially valuable portions 267 00:15:43,880 --> 00:15:47,320 Speaker 1: of those lands from mining. Last week, Minnesota Senator Tina 268 00:15:47,360 --> 00:15:51,280 Speaker 1: Smith introduced the Boundary Waters Wilderness Protection Act. This bill 269 00:15:51,320 --> 00:15:54,560 Speaker 1: would permanently ban mining for copper, nickel, and precious metals 270 00:15:54,560 --> 00:15:58,120 Speaker 1: near the Boundary Waters Canoe area in northern Minnesota. Smith 271 00:15:58,160 --> 00:16:00,880 Speaker 1: said that while she's not opposed to mining in general, 272 00:16:01,120 --> 00:16:04,560 Speaker 1: a copper mind in this area would be too environmentally dangerous. 273 00:16:04,800 --> 00:16:08,000 Speaker 1: The Biden administration agreed with that assessment when they imposed 274 00:16:08,000 --> 00:16:11,520 Speaker 1: a mining moratorium towards the end of his term. President 275 00:16:11,560 --> 00:16:15,320 Speaker 1: Trump has officially reversed that moratorium, but he has signed 276 00:16:15,360 --> 00:16:19,120 Speaker 1: executive orders calling for as much mining as possible on 277 00:16:19,280 --> 00:16:23,120 Speaker 1: federal lands. The boundary waters will definitely be on that list, 278 00:16:23,200 --> 00:16:27,480 Speaker 1: and it's unclear what conclusion this administration will take. He'll 279 00:16:27,520 --> 00:16:31,040 Speaker 1: have plenty of allies if he decides to reverse the moratorium. 280 00:16:31,280 --> 00:16:35,680 Speaker 1: GOP Rep Pete Stabber reintroduced legislation in February to reverse 281 00:16:35,760 --> 00:16:39,640 Speaker 1: the mining ban and return two key federal mineral leases 282 00:16:39,840 --> 00:16:43,200 Speaker 1: that were revoked by the Biden administration in twenty twenty two. 283 00:16:43,960 --> 00:16:47,520 Speaker 1: Stobber says Smith's legislation has zero chance of passing, but 284 00:16:47,600 --> 00:16:50,800 Speaker 1: there is some evidence that Western Republicans may be breaking 285 00:16:50,880 --> 00:16:55,160 Speaker 1: ranks with moves that the administration is making. I mentioned 286 00:16:55,240 --> 00:16:57,960 Speaker 1: last week that my senators here in Montana voted in 287 00:16:57,960 --> 00:17:00,920 Speaker 1: favor of an amendment that would have pro prohibited public 288 00:17:01,000 --> 00:17:05,399 Speaker 1: land being sold off for affordable housing during the reconciliation process. 289 00:17:05,800 --> 00:17:09,919 Speaker 1: Representative Ryan Zink, another Montana Republican has also introduced a 290 00:17:09,960 --> 00:17:12,920 Speaker 1: bill called Keep Public Lands in Public Hands. This bill 291 00:17:12,960 --> 00:17:16,160 Speaker 1: would prohibit the FEDS from transferring a piece of publicly 292 00:17:16,200 --> 00:17:19,720 Speaker 1: accessible land if it is over three hundred acres. Zink 293 00:17:19,920 --> 00:17:22,480 Speaker 1: is breaking with his party on this issue, and this 294 00:17:22,560 --> 00:17:25,960 Speaker 1: week he got another ally when Idaho Republican rep. Mike 295 00:17:26,040 --> 00:17:30,320 Speaker 1: Simpson became an official sponsor of this legislation. We hope 296 00:17:30,359 --> 00:17:33,200 Speaker 1: that Zink and Simpson are only the first of many 297 00:17:33,240 --> 00:17:36,720 Speaker 1: Republicans to listen to their constituents, because I know you 298 00:17:36,760 --> 00:17:40,440 Speaker 1: are writing and calling and emailing yours and telling them 299 00:17:40,560 --> 00:17:43,399 Speaker 1: how good of an idea to Keep Public Lands in 300 00:17:43,400 --> 00:17:47,199 Speaker 1: Public Hands Act is to ensure future generations have the 301 00:17:47,200 --> 00:17:51,520 Speaker 1: same access to public lands that we've enjoyed. Please also 302 00:17:51,680 --> 00:17:56,199 Speaker 1: right in and thank Representative Simpson and Representative Zink for 303 00:17:56,480 --> 00:18:01,840 Speaker 1: their actions so far. Sticking with DC Area, a group 304 00:18:01,880 --> 00:18:05,000 Speaker 1: of Republican representatives have introduced a bill that would have 305 00:18:05,040 --> 00:18:09,800 Speaker 1: removed all restrictions on suppressor purchase and ownership. The Silencers 306 00:18:09,840 --> 00:18:13,200 Speaker 1: Help Us Save Hearing Act or SHUSH Act, would remove 307 00:18:13,240 --> 00:18:16,240 Speaker 1: suppressors from the National Firearm Act and treat them like 308 00:18:16,359 --> 00:18:20,040 Speaker 1: any other firearm accessory. No background check, No. Two hundred 309 00:18:20,040 --> 00:18:23,080 Speaker 1: dollars tax stamp no waiting. Under the Shush Act, you 310 00:18:23,119 --> 00:18:26,240 Speaker 1: could simply walk into a store, purchase a suppressor, and 311 00:18:26,359 --> 00:18:29,840 Speaker 1: walk out. The legislation was introduced by Texas Rep. Michael 312 00:18:29,880 --> 00:18:33,080 Speaker 1: Cloud and is being co sponsored by ten other Republicans 313 00:18:33,080 --> 00:18:35,960 Speaker 1: from states across the country. There was a push during 314 00:18:36,000 --> 00:18:39,480 Speaker 1: the last Trump administration to deregulate suppressors, but it never 315 00:18:39,520 --> 00:18:43,359 Speaker 1: gained much traction. It's unlikely this will pass either, since 316 00:18:43,400 --> 00:18:45,960 Speaker 1: they'd need seven Democrats to vote for it in the Senate. 317 00:18:46,280 --> 00:18:49,120 Speaker 1: But the good news is that even if this doesn't pass, 318 00:18:49,119 --> 00:18:52,440 Speaker 1: suppressors are easier to get than ever. Outfits like Silencer 319 00:18:52,480 --> 00:18:55,600 Speaker 1: Central have streamlined and simplified the process, and the ATF 320 00:18:55,840 --> 00:18:59,240 Speaker 1: has shortened approval time to mere days. Producer Jordan Sillers 321 00:18:59,240 --> 00:19:02,119 Speaker 1: applied for a russer on a recent Friday, received an 322 00:19:02,160 --> 00:19:05,520 Speaker 1: email saying he had been approved the next Monday, which 323 00:19:05,560 --> 00:19:08,800 Speaker 1: is great trending in the right direction. A suppressors just 324 00:19:08,960 --> 00:19:13,240 Speaker 1: tool gang, not a scary thing. No reason you can't 325 00:19:13,320 --> 00:19:17,320 Speaker 1: lean on our Democrats in the Senate to approve the 326 00:19:17,359 --> 00:19:23,760 Speaker 1: Shush Act either. Moving on to the legal desk, last week, 327 00:19:23,840 --> 00:19:26,800 Speaker 1: a Texas Appeals Court ruled that deer breeders do not 328 00:19:26,960 --> 00:19:31,360 Speaker 1: hold a vested property right in deer. The ruling comes 329 00:19:31,480 --> 00:19:34,760 Speaker 1: as legislatures in Alabama and the Lone Star State consider 330 00:19:34,840 --> 00:19:38,200 Speaker 1: bills that would categorize captive deer as the private property 331 00:19:38,359 --> 00:19:42,080 Speaker 1: of the people who run those facilities. This case revolves 332 00:19:42,119 --> 00:19:46,160 Speaker 1: around a deer breeding operation called RW Trophy Ranch located 333 00:19:46,280 --> 00:19:49,840 Speaker 1: just east of Dallas. CWD was detected on this facility 334 00:19:49,840 --> 00:19:52,640 Speaker 1: in twenty twenty one, and the Texas Parks and Wildlife 335 00:19:52,640 --> 00:19:56,639 Speaker 1: Department gave its owner, Robert Williams, several mitigation plans to 336 00:19:56,680 --> 00:19:59,680 Speaker 1: slow the spread of the disease, but Williams refused to 337 00:19:59,720 --> 00:20:02,520 Speaker 1: impl meant any of them, and so by twenty twenty two, 338 00:20:02,880 --> 00:20:05,840 Speaker 1: the disease had spread so rapidly that the agency was 339 00:20:05,880 --> 00:20:09,400 Speaker 1: forced to euthanize all the deer in the facility. Williams 340 00:20:09,440 --> 00:20:12,280 Speaker 1: fought that order in court for two years, but finally 341 00:20:12,320 --> 00:20:16,159 Speaker 1: in May of last year, TPWD depopulated the ranch of 342 00:20:16,200 --> 00:20:20,399 Speaker 1: whitetail deer, but Williams continued fighting the Wildlife agency in court. 343 00:20:20,640 --> 00:20:23,240 Speaker 1: He argued that TPWD had no right to kill the 344 00:20:23,280 --> 00:20:25,680 Speaker 1: deer in his facility, and that doing so amounted to 345 00:20:25,720 --> 00:20:28,840 Speaker 1: a violation of the Texas Constitution. His lawyers made a 346 00:20:28,880 --> 00:20:31,399 Speaker 1: variety of arguments we won't get into here, but the 347 00:20:31,600 --> 00:20:35,040 Speaker 1: justices didn't buy any of them. They said, quote in Texas, 348 00:20:35,320 --> 00:20:38,480 Speaker 1: all wild animals, including white tailed deer, belonged to the 349 00:20:38,520 --> 00:20:42,159 Speaker 1: state as trustee for the people. It is illegal to 350 00:20:42,200 --> 00:20:45,600 Speaker 1: possess them for any purpose not authorized by the Parks 351 00:20:45,640 --> 00:20:49,120 Speaker 1: and Wildlife Coade. Texas law stipulates that deer breeders must 352 00:20:49,119 --> 00:20:52,600 Speaker 1: obtain a license from TPWD, and they must follow all 353 00:20:52,720 --> 00:20:57,240 Speaker 1: rules and regulations imposed by the agency, including a requirement 354 00:20:57,359 --> 00:21:02,480 Speaker 1: to depopulate a CWD infected. The court thus dismissed Williams's 355 00:21:02,600 --> 00:21:05,160 Speaker 1: case and upheld a key tenant of the North American 356 00:21:05,160 --> 00:21:09,159 Speaker 1: model of wildlife conservation. People who argue that CWD is 357 00:21:09,160 --> 00:21:12,080 Speaker 1: some kind of hoax designed to attack deer hunting. Here's 358 00:21:12,119 --> 00:21:14,840 Speaker 1: looking at you, uncle ted, are often the same people 359 00:21:15,000 --> 00:21:19,240 Speaker 1: involved in the deer breeding industry. These legislators, activists, and 360 00:21:19,359 --> 00:21:23,359 Speaker 1: businessmen have a vested interest in deregulating their industry, and 361 00:21:23,400 --> 00:21:26,840 Speaker 1: they rightly see CWD as the main threat to that deregulation. 362 00:21:27,240 --> 00:21:30,120 Speaker 1: So they're pushing to discredit the biologists who warned about 363 00:21:30,119 --> 00:21:32,359 Speaker 1: the threats of the disease, while they also push to 364 00:21:32,400 --> 00:21:36,000 Speaker 1: turn native wildlife into private property. That's why cases like 365 00:21:36,080 --> 00:21:40,040 Speaker 1: this are very important and why will continue to monitor 366 00:21:40,200 --> 00:21:47,560 Speaker 1: these issues as they develop. Moving on to the mailbag listener, 367 00:21:47,600 --> 00:21:50,960 Speaker 1: Skyler Gass wrote in with a great breakthrough for salmon 368 00:21:51,040 --> 00:21:54,439 Speaker 1: populations on the West Coast, The Seattle Times reports that 369 00:21:54,520 --> 00:21:57,639 Speaker 1: researchers may have discovered a way to protect urban salmon 370 00:21:57,920 --> 00:22:01,720 Speaker 1: from a toxic byproduct of car tires. Skyler was part 371 00:22:01,760 --> 00:22:03,960 Speaker 1: of this work, and I'm very happy to share it 372 00:22:03,960 --> 00:22:06,399 Speaker 1: with all you. We've known since twenty twenty that a 373 00:22:06,440 --> 00:22:10,480 Speaker 1: chemical called six ppd quinone, which is produced by car 374 00:22:10,520 --> 00:22:13,479 Speaker 1: tires as they roll down the road, kills huge numbers 375 00:22:13,480 --> 00:22:17,160 Speaker 1: of salmon each year in the form of a runoff. If, 376 00:22:17,320 --> 00:22:21,280 Speaker 1: like many salmon streams do, a stream runs under or 377 00:22:21,320 --> 00:22:25,320 Speaker 1: near a roadway, chemical runoff can kill forty percent to 378 00:22:25,440 --> 00:22:29,800 Speaker 1: ninety percent of returning coho before they spawn. So researchers 379 00:22:29,840 --> 00:22:32,000 Speaker 1: put together a study to see what kind of soil 380 00:22:32,080 --> 00:22:36,000 Speaker 1: mixes that are approved for stormwater treatment are most effective 381 00:22:36,040 --> 00:22:39,439 Speaker 1: in filtering out this toxic tired dust. They found that 382 00:22:39,480 --> 00:22:43,919 Speaker 1: a soil containing compost, sand and coconut fiber and biochar 383 00:22:44,280 --> 00:22:47,080 Speaker 1: did the best job filtering out the chemical, but they 384 00:22:47,119 --> 00:22:50,040 Speaker 1: were astounded when they put that finding to the test. 385 00:22:50,240 --> 00:22:54,119 Speaker 1: They exposed twenty juvenile Coho salmon to treated water and 386 00:22:54,160 --> 00:22:58,040 Speaker 1: twenty to untreated water. Of the twenty exposed to untreated water, 387 00:22:58,359 --> 00:23:02,280 Speaker 1: only two survived, which you just how toxic this chemical is. 388 00:23:02,640 --> 00:23:05,200 Speaker 1: But of the twenty exposed to the water that had 389 00:23:05,240 --> 00:23:08,640 Speaker 1: been filtered through the special soil, all survived. There's still 390 00:23:08,680 --> 00:23:11,040 Speaker 1: more work to be done to see how this works 391 00:23:11,080 --> 00:23:13,560 Speaker 1: in the real world, but it's great news for salmon 392 00:23:13,640 --> 00:23:16,280 Speaker 1: fans out west, and I hope we can implement this 393 00:23:16,400 --> 00:23:22,560 Speaker 1: solution to protect the struggling population. Listener kirk Port wrote 394 00:23:22,640 --> 00:23:25,080 Speaker 1: in with an update on a bill we covered a 395 00:23:25,080 --> 00:23:27,879 Speaker 1: few weeks ago. Back in episode three five seven, I 396 00:23:28,000 --> 00:23:30,800 Speaker 1: told you about North Carolina Senate Bill T twenty. This 397 00:23:30,840 --> 00:23:33,600 Speaker 1: bill would have made it a misdemeanor to access public 398 00:23:33,640 --> 00:23:38,000 Speaker 1: waterways from public roadways, as many of us do. Tons 399 00:23:38,040 --> 00:23:39,880 Speaker 1: of you wrote in to tell me about this bill, 400 00:23:39,960 --> 00:23:42,320 Speaker 1: and I know the North Carolina Chapter of Backcountry Hunters 401 00:23:42,320 --> 00:23:45,280 Speaker 1: and Anglers joined with other hunting and fishing organizations to 402 00:23:45,320 --> 00:23:48,520 Speaker 1: oppose it. Well, I'm pleased to say that your advocacy 403 00:23:48,560 --> 00:23:50,840 Speaker 1: paid off. Kirk wrote in to tell me that one 404 00:23:50,880 --> 00:23:54,159 Speaker 1: of the bill's primary sponsors amended the legislation to remove 405 00:23:54,200 --> 00:23:57,800 Speaker 1: that provision, and it was approved unanimously by the Senate Ag, 406 00:23:58,000 --> 00:24:01,280 Speaker 1: Energy and Environment Committee. Kirk said, quote, there was a 407 00:24:01,320 --> 00:24:03,960 Speaker 1: public comment period, so I thanked the senator and the 408 00:24:04,040 --> 00:24:07,680 Speaker 1: other bill sponsors for listening to their constituents in the hallway. 409 00:24:07,720 --> 00:24:10,680 Speaker 1: After that meeting, another Senator from the committee came up 410 00:24:10,720 --> 00:24:14,600 Speaker 1: and told me, thank you for your advocacy. Great win 411 00:24:14,680 --> 00:24:18,520 Speaker 1: today in the old North State end to quote, A 412 00:24:18,560 --> 00:24:21,480 Speaker 1: great win just goes to show you what can happen 413 00:24:21,680 --> 00:24:24,919 Speaker 1: when hunters, anglers and public land advocates stand up and 414 00:24:24,960 --> 00:24:27,359 Speaker 1: speak with one voice. We'll need to be doing a 415 00:24:27,400 --> 00:24:31,680 Speaker 1: lot of that starting right now. Gang, email call, make 416 00:24:31,720 --> 00:24:35,280 Speaker 1: it happen. I appreciate you. That's all I got for 417 00:24:35,359 --> 00:24:37,480 Speaker 1: you this week. Thank you so much for listening, and 418 00:24:37,560 --> 00:24:41,040 Speaker 1: remember to write in to ask c Al that's Askcal 419 00:24:41,280 --> 00:24:43,760 Speaker 1: at the meeteater dot com and let me know what's 420 00:24:43,840 --> 00:24:45,639 Speaker 1: going on in your neck of the woods. You know, 421 00:24:45,680 --> 00:24:48,720 Speaker 1: I appreciate it. Thanks again. We'll talk to you next week.