1 00:00:09,400 --> 00:00:13,480 Speaker 1: From Mediator's World News headquarters in Bozeman, Montana. This is 2 00:00:13,680 --> 00:00:18,319 Speaker 1: Kel's we Can review with Ryan kel Kelly. Now here's Kel. 3 00:00:20,040 --> 00:00:23,840 Speaker 1: Recent news from the University of Bristol will leave both 4 00:00:24,040 --> 00:00:31,120 Speaker 1: spider lovers and arachnophobes shocked. That's shocking. Researchers recently tested 5 00:00:31,240 --> 00:00:35,279 Speaker 1: and observed spiders taking flight in a sealed box when 6 00:00:35,320 --> 00:00:39,960 Speaker 1: electrical fields were present. When the charged atmosphere was turned off, 7 00:00:40,159 --> 00:00:44,760 Speaker 1: the spiders fell. If levitating spiders make your tiny hair 8 00:00:44,920 --> 00:00:49,120 Speaker 1: stand on end, you aren't alone. Those tiny hairs on 9 00:00:49,200 --> 00:00:53,960 Speaker 1: spider's legs, called trichobothria, are how they sense the intensity 10 00:00:54,000 --> 00:00:57,920 Speaker 1: of the Earth's electric field. When conditions have enough pull, 11 00:00:58,320 --> 00:01:02,880 Speaker 1: they tiptoe their ab demands to the sky, release several 12 00:01:03,000 --> 00:01:08,560 Speaker 1: independent strands of negatively charged silk and lift off subtle 13 00:01:08,640 --> 00:01:11,240 Speaker 1: air currents. Were believed to be the only way spider 14 00:01:11,280 --> 00:01:15,240 Speaker 1: flight was accomplished until the magnetic field theory was introduced. 15 00:01:15,720 --> 00:01:18,679 Speaker 1: The Bristol experiment is the first to confirm the theory 16 00:01:18,880 --> 00:01:26,720 Speaker 1: that spiders can ride the lightning, so to speak, the 17 00:01:26,920 --> 00:01:30,800 Speaker 1: negatively charged strands of silk cling to the positively charged 18 00:01:30,840 --> 00:01:34,440 Speaker 1: currents in the atmosphere just as a balloon rubbed against 19 00:01:34,480 --> 00:01:39,680 Speaker 1: a kid's head does Isn't that amazing? I do know. 20 00:01:40,080 --> 00:01:44,360 Speaker 1: Not everyone is amazed by spiders. In fact, some people 21 00:01:44,400 --> 00:01:47,960 Speaker 1: take this knowledge as a negative. The idea that spiders 22 00:01:47,960 --> 00:01:51,920 Speaker 1: are ikey or dangerous supersedes the fact that spiders are 23 00:01:51,920 --> 00:01:55,800 Speaker 1: good neighbors. They eat pests, both those that pester our 24 00:01:55,800 --> 00:01:59,000 Speaker 1: food and those that pester us. Some have six eyes, 25 00:01:59,040 --> 00:02:03,000 Speaker 1: some have eight, Some eat gnats, and some eat birds. 26 00:02:03,040 --> 00:02:06,720 Speaker 1: But only thirty three species of spiders out of the 27 00:02:06,840 --> 00:02:12,040 Speaker 1: forty five thousand known species of spiders, are harmful to humans. 28 00:02:12,480 --> 00:02:17,080 Speaker 1: The majority of those thirty three are mainly harmful in theory. 29 00:02:17,160 --> 00:02:19,919 Speaker 1: And when I say harmful in theory, I mean it 30 00:02:20,080 --> 00:02:24,520 Speaker 1: like this, Like in theory, you have a brown widow 31 00:02:24,600 --> 00:02:28,000 Speaker 1: spider trapped between your skin and your clothes. And I 32 00:02:28,040 --> 00:02:31,399 Speaker 1: did say that correctly, the brown widow spider has twice 33 00:02:31,600 --> 00:02:35,640 Speaker 1: the deadly potential as the black widow spider. Didn't you 34 00:02:35,639 --> 00:02:39,800 Speaker 1: know that? Anyway, Let's say you get a brown widow 35 00:02:40,120 --> 00:02:43,840 Speaker 1: trapped in your clothes and it bites you. Then at 36 00:02:43,840 --> 00:02:47,520 Speaker 1: that exact moment, a buddy years comes along and smacks 37 00:02:47,560 --> 00:02:50,920 Speaker 1: you on the back and somehow forces more than the 38 00:02:51,000 --> 00:02:54,480 Speaker 1: average dose of venom out of that spider and into you. 39 00:02:55,160 --> 00:02:59,680 Speaker 1: Then that spider would move from harmful to deadly, which is, 40 00:02:59,800 --> 00:03:03,799 Speaker 1: you know, just another reason to social distance. Right. That's 41 00:03:03,840 --> 00:03:07,239 Speaker 1: a long winded way of saying, there are potentially harmful 42 00:03:07,440 --> 00:03:11,679 Speaker 1: and deadly spiders, but the actual risk is low. Leave 43 00:03:11,720 --> 00:03:15,800 Speaker 1: them alone and they will continue to eat pess anyway. 44 00:03:15,919 --> 00:03:19,080 Speaker 1: I do see the icky nous if you will, the legs, 45 00:03:19,160 --> 00:03:22,120 Speaker 1: the hairs, the eyes, the fangs, and the fact that 46 00:03:22,160 --> 00:03:27,320 Speaker 1: they can fly without wind, They can harness electrical fields 47 00:03:27,360 --> 00:03:30,519 Speaker 1: like a darned comic book character. I can see where 48 00:03:30,520 --> 00:03:35,400 Speaker 1: you're coming from. But relax, the spiders really can't fly far, 49 00:03:35,840 --> 00:03:38,840 Speaker 1: you know. When compared to let's say, an albatross that 50 00:03:38,920 --> 00:03:43,240 Speaker 1: moves itself through space not bound by electro static propulsion, 51 00:03:43,960 --> 00:03:46,760 Speaker 1: spiders have only been recorded at heights of one and 52 00:03:46,840 --> 00:03:50,720 Speaker 1: a half miles above the earth and covering measily distances 53 00:03:50,800 --> 00:03:54,400 Speaker 1: of like a thousand miles. So you're safe. Don't even 54 00:03:54,440 --> 00:03:58,080 Speaker 1: worry about it. Oh, did you know that Charles Darwin 55 00:03:58,320 --> 00:04:02,720 Speaker 1: recorded spider flight or ballooning on board the famous research 56 00:04:02,800 --> 00:04:06,920 Speaker 1: ship the Beagle. He estimated that he was sixty miles 57 00:04:06,960 --> 00:04:12,960 Speaker 1: from land on a boat in the Ocean. This week 58 00:04:13,160 --> 00:04:16,080 Speaker 1: we've got the Snort Report, Citizens Science, the Return of 59 00:04:16,120 --> 00:04:19,599 Speaker 1: the Toilet Weasel, and Boxing Day. But first I'm gonna 60 00:04:19,640 --> 00:04:24,159 Speaker 1: tell you about my week and my week as well 61 00:04:24,200 --> 00:04:27,680 Speaker 1: as this podcast, as you know, is sponsored by Steel 62 00:04:27,720 --> 00:04:31,520 Speaker 1: Power Equipment. Here in Montana, is just about time to 63 00:04:31,560 --> 00:04:34,560 Speaker 1: start cutting wood for next winter. Make sure you have 64 00:04:34,880 --> 00:04:37,560 Speaker 1: a steel on the job to make your cutting and 65 00:04:37,600 --> 00:04:41,960 Speaker 1: bucking faster, safer, and more efficient. I sure do. Here's 66 00:04:41,960 --> 00:04:46,640 Speaker 1: a little personal problem I've been having losing birds late season. 67 00:04:46,760 --> 00:04:50,719 Speaker 1: Roosters are tough to get shots at, and you have 68 00:04:50,800 --> 00:04:53,680 Speaker 1: to work your ass off for them. These birds have 69 00:04:53,720 --> 00:04:56,599 Speaker 1: been hunted by people with dogs for almost two months. 70 00:04:56,920 --> 00:04:59,880 Speaker 1: They know the game, they know their homes. The cover 71 00:05:00,320 --> 00:05:02,599 Speaker 1: a heck of a lot better than I do. I'll 72 00:05:02,600 --> 00:05:06,599 Speaker 1: tell you that physical fitness stamina comes into play much 73 00:05:06,640 --> 00:05:09,800 Speaker 1: more than what the average picture of an upland hunter 74 00:05:09,839 --> 00:05:14,480 Speaker 1: and a magazine displays at minimum. I've been intermittently sprinting 75 00:05:14,760 --> 00:05:17,760 Speaker 1: during miles of hiking more than I ever do pursuing 76 00:05:17,800 --> 00:05:21,280 Speaker 1: big game. The dogs work twice as hard as I do. 77 00:05:21,680 --> 00:05:25,840 Speaker 1: Frozen ground, thin ice, old barbed wire, wild rose, sagebrush. 78 00:05:25,920 --> 00:05:29,160 Speaker 1: Dog would cat tails, rush, and olive, and those whispy 79 00:05:29,240 --> 00:05:32,680 Speaker 1: willows that typically are an annoyance, but when a hunter's 80 00:05:32,680 --> 00:05:37,920 Speaker 1: ears are frozen, those same somewhat soft willow sticks crack 81 00:05:38,040 --> 00:05:40,960 Speaker 1: like bull whips and sting like hornets on your ear tips. 82 00:05:41,600 --> 00:05:45,279 Speaker 1: Getting in tune with the seasonal offerings of the various 83 00:05:45,320 --> 00:05:48,880 Speaker 1: covers takes practice. Where do the birds want to be 84 00:05:48,920 --> 00:05:52,280 Speaker 1: at what times a year. That practice comes at a 85 00:05:52,360 --> 00:05:58,400 Speaker 1: high cost time, lots of time, some fuel, money no 86 00:05:58,600 --> 00:06:02,800 Speaker 1: substitute for time and the woods. Learning how these birds 87 00:06:02,800 --> 00:06:05,880 Speaker 1: will escape that cover. You're gonna work how you can 88 00:06:05,880 --> 00:06:08,920 Speaker 1: work the thickest of the cover that will likely offer 89 00:06:09,080 --> 00:06:13,320 Speaker 1: no shots in just a way to push those birds 90 00:06:13,440 --> 00:06:17,360 Speaker 1: to an adjacent cover that will provide a shot. If 91 00:06:17,400 --> 00:06:20,880 Speaker 1: the birds don't just fly for the next county, then 92 00:06:21,400 --> 00:06:25,320 Speaker 1: there is the puppy factor. Wanting to yell at the 93 00:06:25,360 --> 00:06:29,800 Speaker 1: top of my lungs snort when that puppy strikes out 94 00:06:29,839 --> 00:06:33,640 Speaker 1: after a hot pheasant scent well beyond effective shooting distance, 95 00:06:34,040 --> 00:06:38,560 Speaker 1: but knowing that if I yell, all these cag wild 96 00:06:38,680 --> 00:06:41,320 Speaker 1: cocks will either hunker into the thickest of the thick 97 00:06:41,400 --> 00:06:46,200 Speaker 1: cover under a layer of snow, or fly again for 98 00:06:46,240 --> 00:06:50,359 Speaker 1: the next County. The former is more preferable than the ladder. 99 00:06:51,080 --> 00:06:55,320 Speaker 1: Getting a shot is rewarding, Missing a shot is horrible. 100 00:06:55,920 --> 00:06:59,320 Speaker 1: Making that shot when it finally presents itself is great, 101 00:07:00,160 --> 00:07:05,039 Speaker 1: magical intersection of bird launch and flight path that meets 102 00:07:05,040 --> 00:07:08,400 Speaker 1: the hunter shooting lanes, provided the hunter is in a 103 00:07:08,440 --> 00:07:11,120 Speaker 1: position that is both near enough to the bird and 104 00:07:11,200 --> 00:07:13,560 Speaker 1: a clear enough for a shot. And of course that 105 00:07:13,600 --> 00:07:17,440 Speaker 1: shot cannot take place when the bird is clear. If 106 00:07:17,520 --> 00:07:20,840 Speaker 1: you know you're hunting, partner buildings are a hen are 107 00:07:21,040 --> 00:07:24,600 Speaker 1: on the back side of that bird. When all of 108 00:07:24,640 --> 00:07:27,000 Speaker 1: that comes together in the right way and the bird 109 00:07:27,040 --> 00:07:31,320 Speaker 1: goes down and you cannot find that bird, it is heartbreaking. 110 00:07:31,960 --> 00:07:35,720 Speaker 1: My buddy Kyler left his old seasoned dog at home, 111 00:07:36,280 --> 00:07:40,360 Speaker 1: Phil so he could get the younger dogs his scout 112 00:07:40,480 --> 00:07:45,000 Speaker 1: mind snort some firsthand experience. He made a great long 113 00:07:45,200 --> 00:07:48,440 Speaker 1: crossing shot to start out the day, dropped a rooster 114 00:07:48,800 --> 00:07:51,960 Speaker 1: noticeably dead, as you do with late season birds. We 115 00:07:52,040 --> 00:07:55,400 Speaker 1: sprinted to the location and encouraged the dogs to search 116 00:07:55,800 --> 00:07:58,560 Speaker 1: while we took advantage of the fresh snow and searched 117 00:07:58,640 --> 00:08:02,760 Speaker 1: the outskirts of the cover for tracks showing the rooster's escape. 118 00:08:03,320 --> 00:08:07,200 Speaker 1: Over and over again. We sent the dogs into the cover. 119 00:08:07,560 --> 00:08:10,960 Speaker 1: They worked hard and came up with nothing. Forty five 120 00:08:11,040 --> 00:08:16,320 Speaker 1: minutes later, Snort gets really excited about undercut bank below 121 00:08:16,760 --> 00:08:20,679 Speaker 1: where we thought the bird had landed. I slide onto 122 00:08:20,720 --> 00:08:23,600 Speaker 1: the thin ice, which immediately breaks, filling a boot and 123 00:08:23,680 --> 00:08:27,480 Speaker 1: search under the bank to come up with nothing, but 124 00:08:27,680 --> 00:08:30,920 Speaker 1: my new eye level to the bank position finds a 125 00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:34,679 Speaker 1: tail feather sticking out of the snow, a spot surrounded 126 00:08:34,720 --> 00:08:38,320 Speaker 1: by dog tracks and people tracks. The shot was a 127 00:08:38,360 --> 00:08:41,679 Speaker 1: great one. The bird was dead on impact, and I 128 00:08:41,840 --> 00:08:45,520 Speaker 1: theorized that because of this, the dogs were distracted by 129 00:08:45,600 --> 00:08:49,600 Speaker 1: wandering overlapping bird sense that did not lead to the 130 00:08:49,679 --> 00:08:53,120 Speaker 1: dead bird that had dropped like a meteor and buried 131 00:08:53,160 --> 00:08:56,920 Speaker 1: itself like a feathery lawn dart under the snow. Either 132 00:08:57,000 --> 00:09:00,160 Speaker 1: that or the dogs just darn't worth a darn. But 133 00:09:00,400 --> 00:09:04,480 Speaker 1: they did some amazing stuff too, I swear. Not seventy 134 00:09:04,480 --> 00:09:07,439 Speaker 1: five yards from the commotion made of a near hour 135 00:09:07,559 --> 00:09:12,600 Speaker 1: long search, we flushed another rooster, this one crippled by me. 136 00:09:13,000 --> 00:09:16,040 Speaker 1: Hit the ground at a run which would not stop 137 00:09:16,120 --> 00:09:20,120 Speaker 1: for over a mile. Snort right on his tail, sniffing 138 00:09:20,160 --> 00:09:23,679 Speaker 1: his every step, so I know her nose works and 139 00:09:23,800 --> 00:09:28,520 Speaker 1: scout Tyler's GSP running along the outside, cutting him off, 140 00:09:28,840 --> 00:09:33,199 Speaker 1: preventing another near loss. We got lucky twice that day. 141 00:09:33,320 --> 00:09:36,120 Speaker 1: We did lose a bird as usual. It seems like 142 00:09:36,120 --> 00:09:39,200 Speaker 1: it shouldn't have happened. Two people, you know, with our 143 00:09:39,440 --> 00:09:43,720 Speaker 1: huge smart brains and forward facing eyes and two dogs 144 00:09:44,000 --> 00:09:49,040 Speaker 1: equipped with olfactory equipment capable of detecting drugs, cancers, explosives, 145 00:09:49,200 --> 00:09:53,160 Speaker 1: and birds. In theory, one of those hunting things we 146 00:09:53,200 --> 00:10:00,640 Speaker 1: can dance into two words, it happens. I, my friends, 147 00:10:00,640 --> 00:10:04,200 Speaker 1: am just more interested in the why than I am 148 00:10:04,200 --> 00:10:07,720 Speaker 1: in the excuse. If you have any sure fire methods 149 00:10:07,720 --> 00:10:11,199 Speaker 1: for finding lost game birds, let me know a s 150 00:10:11,280 --> 00:10:15,400 Speaker 1: k c L let's ask how at the meteor dot Com. 151 00:10:15,440 --> 00:10:18,160 Speaker 1: Moving on to the updates and p s a desk. 152 00:10:19,960 --> 00:10:23,320 Speaker 1: The lap hand man suspected to have been killed by 153 00:10:23,320 --> 00:10:28,240 Speaker 1: a mountain lion in Hood County, Texas, is still deceased, unfortunately, 154 00:10:28,480 --> 00:10:30,520 Speaker 1: but not from a run in with a mountain lion. 155 00:10:31,000 --> 00:10:34,280 Speaker 1: According to the Star Telegram, The Texas Parks and Wildlife 156 00:10:34,320 --> 00:10:38,840 Speaker 1: Department said Texas Game Wardens, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department biologists, 157 00:10:38,880 --> 00:10:42,640 Speaker 1: and a United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services trapper 158 00:10:42,920 --> 00:10:46,200 Speaker 1: investigated the scene and evidence and came to the same 159 00:10:46,240 --> 00:10:50,400 Speaker 1: conclusion as the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department staff. Texas 160 00:10:50,480 --> 00:10:53,440 Speaker 1: Parks and Wildlife Department has no record of a mountain 161 00:10:53,440 --> 00:10:57,120 Speaker 1: lion attack in Texas or confirmed records of a mountain 162 00:10:57,160 --> 00:11:01,000 Speaker 1: lion living in Hood County. Better correct at ipan Texas 163 00:11:01,080 --> 00:11:05,480 Speaker 1: Wikipedia page. Onto the p s A. And this is 164 00:11:05,520 --> 00:11:08,440 Speaker 1: one we've covered before, but it's just too good to 165 00:11:08,520 --> 00:11:13,520 Speaker 1: pass up. According to National Geographic Participation in citizens, science 166 00:11:13,760 --> 00:11:17,240 Speaker 1: is on the rise due to the disruptive routine caused 167 00:11:17,240 --> 00:11:22,240 Speaker 1: by COVID nineteen. Technology is at our fingertips, so many 168 00:11:22,280 --> 00:11:25,840 Speaker 1: more people have access to a combination camera and geo 169 00:11:25,960 --> 00:11:30,319 Speaker 1: tagging device, be it an iPhone or Samsung or Google. 170 00:11:30,400 --> 00:11:34,400 Speaker 1: Whatever the thing you text and occasionally talking to that 171 00:11:34,480 --> 00:11:39,240 Speaker 1: device can verify sightings of bugs, birds, plants, weather and 172 00:11:39,360 --> 00:11:43,640 Speaker 1: astronomical events. Adding these findings to that great data set 173 00:11:43,640 --> 00:11:46,560 Speaker 1: in the sky can help the scientists who mind that 174 00:11:46,640 --> 00:11:51,680 Speaker 1: data come to conclusions that expand our knowledge of these animals, plants, 175 00:11:51,679 --> 00:11:54,120 Speaker 1: and natural patterns. Don't you want to be a part 176 00:11:54,160 --> 00:11:59,400 Speaker 1: of that? I sure do. Go to s c I 177 00:12:00,080 --> 00:12:05,440 Speaker 1: as in Science Starter. That's sci Starter dot org to 178 00:12:05,520 --> 00:12:08,360 Speaker 1: see where you can jump into the citizen science game. 179 00:12:08,960 --> 00:12:13,960 Speaker 1: I followed the link entered into the subject search bar fish, 180 00:12:14,040 --> 00:12:17,240 Speaker 1: which is very generic and I guess I should clarify it. 181 00:12:17,360 --> 00:12:20,760 Speaker 1: I'm talking about the thing you catch, not the jam band, 182 00:12:26,600 --> 00:12:30,200 Speaker 1: and found that there is a request asking for folks 183 00:12:30,200 --> 00:12:34,319 Speaker 1: to go through historic fishing photos to count and identify 184 00:12:34,480 --> 00:12:39,480 Speaker 1: people's catch. Now, how many grumpy old fishing folks do 185 00:12:39,600 --> 00:12:42,240 Speaker 1: you know that would love to have the hobby of 186 00:12:42,280 --> 00:12:44,840 Speaker 1: going through old photos and telling people what they caught. 187 00:12:45,559 --> 00:12:49,280 Speaker 1: The data they provide could do some good. I'm sure 188 00:12:49,559 --> 00:12:52,680 Speaker 1: many of you are thinking, my gosh, I could be 189 00:12:52,679 --> 00:12:55,960 Speaker 1: showing off my fishing knowledge and helping on a historical 190 00:12:56,080 --> 00:12:59,440 Speaker 1: fish take survey instead of playing whatever game you waste 191 00:12:59,440 --> 00:13:04,480 Speaker 1: your brain with your pocket computer. Well, if that particular 192 00:13:04,559 --> 00:13:08,400 Speaker 1: one isn't filling your net, help out that amazing wealth 193 00:13:08,440 --> 00:13:12,400 Speaker 1: of knowledge. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology a resource I 194 00:13:12,440 --> 00:13:16,960 Speaker 1: am always mining for tidbits. According to nat GEO, participation 195 00:13:17,000 --> 00:13:21,480 Speaker 1: in their interactive programs E bird and Nestquatch have risen 196 00:13:21,520 --> 00:13:26,000 Speaker 1: twenty nine and respectively over the last year. Don't be 197 00:13:26,360 --> 00:13:28,760 Speaker 1: the last cool kid to get in on the birding game. 198 00:13:29,400 --> 00:13:33,560 Speaker 1: This can all be done online yet socially, which is responsible. 199 00:13:34,080 --> 00:13:37,240 Speaker 1: If that doesn't fill your nest and you just want 200 00:13:37,240 --> 00:13:40,600 Speaker 1: to identify the things you take pictures of, check out 201 00:13:40,960 --> 00:13:44,640 Speaker 1: I Naturalist, an app we covered here many episodes ago 202 00:13:45,000 --> 00:13:48,439 Speaker 1: as a man used it to identify a toilet weasel, which, 203 00:13:48,559 --> 00:13:51,600 Speaker 1: as it turns out, was not its proper name. That's 204 00:13:51,600 --> 00:13:53,760 Speaker 1: a great episode, by the way. To find out more, 205 00:13:54,200 --> 00:13:57,160 Speaker 1: you'll have to go way way back to episode six. 206 00:13:57,600 --> 00:14:02,000 Speaker 1: Toilet weasels, wooly mammoths and poachers And like I probably 207 00:14:02,040 --> 00:14:05,120 Speaker 1: said in episode six, if you don't have a toilet 208 00:14:05,120 --> 00:14:09,280 Speaker 1: weasel that needs to be identified, don't worry. I Naturalist 209 00:14:09,440 --> 00:14:12,440 Speaker 1: in the community they have curated can help you identify 210 00:14:12,559 --> 00:14:16,240 Speaker 1: just about anything outside of your toilet and weasels. So 211 00:14:16,320 --> 00:14:19,080 Speaker 1: one more time, do yourself a favor. Pick up a 212 00:14:19,120 --> 00:14:23,560 Speaker 1: new hobby. Go to size starter, s C I, S 213 00:14:23,600 --> 00:14:27,160 Speaker 1: T A R T E er dot org. If you 214 00:14:27,200 --> 00:14:31,200 Speaker 1: don't believe me, type in fish, start identifying fish and 215 00:14:31,240 --> 00:14:34,360 Speaker 1: how many there are and old photographs. Sounds like a blastomy. 216 00:14:39,200 --> 00:14:43,280 Speaker 1: Moving on, the first wild animal in the US has 217 00:14:43,320 --> 00:14:48,440 Speaker 1: been confirmed as infected with stars COVID nineteen and it 218 00:14:48,560 --> 00:14:51,120 Speaker 1: is a weasel. A weasel that has nothing to do 219 00:14:51,160 --> 00:14:56,360 Speaker 1: with toilets. It's time to move on. Okay, and yes, 220 00:14:56,480 --> 00:14:59,280 Speaker 1: for those of you who have been tested for COVID nineteen, 221 00:14:59,600 --> 00:15:03,200 Speaker 1: they it, in fact use a nasal swab on the weasel. 222 00:15:04,000 --> 00:15:07,520 Speaker 1: No species will be spared the feeling of a large 223 00:15:07,640 --> 00:15:11,040 Speaker 1: Q tip being spun inside the upper reaches of its 224 00:15:11,120 --> 00:15:15,760 Speaker 1: nasal cavity until it's eyes water and gag reflex is triggered. Okay, 225 00:15:16,200 --> 00:15:19,680 Speaker 1: if you think that's animal cruelty, if you consider what 226 00:15:19,720 --> 00:15:22,520 Speaker 1: will happen to the captive mank inside the Utah farm, 227 00:15:22,560 --> 00:15:27,280 Speaker 1: this free ranger is probably being treated better, although it 228 00:15:27,400 --> 00:15:31,080 Speaker 1: did know what freedom was like. And I assume most 229 00:15:31,080 --> 00:15:45,800 Speaker 1: of you remember Braveheart. Anyway, as you recall mink farms 230 00:15:46,120 --> 00:15:49,000 Speaker 1: and quick aside here, please note that a mink is 231 00:15:49,040 --> 00:15:52,320 Speaker 1: a weasel, part of that amazing mustle lid family, which 232 00:15:52,320 --> 00:15:57,280 Speaker 1: includes badgers and otters. Anyway, in Denmark and Europe, millions 233 00:15:57,280 --> 00:16:00,000 Speaker 1: of mink have been destroyed where the COVID nineteen virus 234 00:16:00,080 --> 00:16:03,280 Speaker 1: has been detected. No word yet as to the fate 235 00:16:03,360 --> 00:16:07,320 Speaker 1: of the mink farmed or otherwise in Utah. Their fate 236 00:16:07,520 --> 00:16:11,240 Speaker 1: was probably skeptical with the Sundance Film Festival. Being a 237 00:16:11,360 --> 00:16:14,920 Speaker 1: remote event anyway, this will be an interesting story to 238 00:16:15,040 --> 00:16:18,640 Speaker 1: keep track of. After all, this is a parallel story 239 00:16:18,680 --> 00:16:22,640 Speaker 1: to the captive servit industry and chronic wasting disease. The 240 00:16:22,680 --> 00:16:26,320 Speaker 1: difference here is we know COVID nineteen is capable of 241 00:16:26,320 --> 00:16:30,160 Speaker 1: moving from animal to human and causing just a bit 242 00:16:30,200 --> 00:16:33,240 Speaker 1: of a hiccup on the normal routine around the world. 243 00:16:34,480 --> 00:16:39,960 Speaker 1: Moving on, many Christmas traditions looked different this year, but 244 00:16:40,280 --> 00:16:42,200 Speaker 1: I hope you were able to do a few things 245 00:16:42,200 --> 00:16:45,840 Speaker 1: the old fashioned way. Although the day after Christmas in 246 00:16:45,880 --> 00:16:48,960 Speaker 1: the US is traditionally used for wondering how we'll be 247 00:16:49,000 --> 00:16:51,560 Speaker 1: able to re gift the whiskey stones that an uncle 248 00:16:51,640 --> 00:16:54,960 Speaker 1: gave us, in the UK and British colonies, that's known 249 00:16:55,040 --> 00:16:58,880 Speaker 1: as Boxing Day, and very traditionally among the British upper 250 00:16:58,880 --> 00:17:02,280 Speaker 1: classes it is the day of the boxing day fox hunt. 251 00:17:02,880 --> 00:17:05,800 Speaker 1: Fox Hunting in England dates back to the fift hundreds 252 00:17:05,800 --> 00:17:09,680 Speaker 1: and it follows very specific rules. The clothes you're supposed 253 00:17:09,680 --> 00:17:12,160 Speaker 1: to wear known as the kit, the kind of two 254 00:17:12,200 --> 00:17:15,120 Speaker 1: note horn used, the things you're supposed to say at 255 00:17:15,119 --> 00:17:18,639 Speaker 1: particular times. For instance, you're supposed to yell tally ho 256 00:17:19,320 --> 00:17:24,080 Speaker 1: At the beginning of the hunt, Traditionally, an extremely skilled servant, 257 00:17:24,520 --> 00:17:26,639 Speaker 1: maybe in this day and age, she'd be called the 258 00:17:26,880 --> 00:17:30,960 Speaker 1: facilitator or a guide called the huntsman, oversees a pack 259 00:17:31,040 --> 00:17:34,240 Speaker 1: of thirty or so hounds tracking the fox, and two 260 00:17:34,320 --> 00:17:37,320 Speaker 1: or three whippers in keep the dogs together on the scent. 261 00:17:38,000 --> 00:17:40,919 Speaker 1: Fun fact, these whippers in are where the name of 262 00:17:40,920 --> 00:17:44,520 Speaker 1: the position in British Parliament and later our legislature came 263 00:17:44,560 --> 00:17:48,560 Speaker 1: from the minority and majority whips, who are responsible for 264 00:17:48,680 --> 00:17:53,040 Speaker 1: keeping their members in line and organizing them for a vote. 265 00:17:53,880 --> 00:17:57,800 Speaker 1: I would one take the job of organizing dogs over 266 00:17:57,800 --> 00:18:01,760 Speaker 1: the job of organizing politicians. But maybe that's just me. 267 00:18:02,560 --> 00:18:05,600 Speaker 1: Am I chickening out by saying, if you're working with dogs, 268 00:18:05,680 --> 00:18:10,600 Speaker 1: you're probably not gonna get so much boop on your boots. Anyway, 269 00:18:10,760 --> 00:18:13,080 Speaker 1: I hate to ruin the whip origin for you, in 270 00:18:13,160 --> 00:18:16,199 Speaker 1: case you were under the impression it was American as 271 00:18:16,240 --> 00:18:20,680 Speaker 1: apple pie. Writers then follow the hounds, and traditionally, when 272 00:18:20,720 --> 00:18:23,760 Speaker 1: the hunt ends with the hounds catching and killing the fox, 273 00:18:24,119 --> 00:18:27,760 Speaker 1: it's tail known as the brush, is given as a trophy, 274 00:18:28,080 --> 00:18:30,840 Speaker 1: and the body of the fox is thrown to the dogs. 275 00:18:31,720 --> 00:18:35,119 Speaker 1: I'm not here to judge anyone else's hunting tradition, but 276 00:18:35,160 --> 00:18:38,560 Speaker 1: I sure prefer ending a hunt with some food. No 277 00:18:38,600 --> 00:18:41,679 Speaker 1: matter what your opinion is about the practice of fox hunting, 278 00:18:41,960 --> 00:18:44,359 Speaker 1: there are several things about it that might make you 279 00:18:44,400 --> 00:18:47,640 Speaker 1: grateful this holiday season for the way hunting works here 280 00:18:47,680 --> 00:18:51,840 Speaker 1: in North America. First off, fox hunting's popularity in the 281 00:18:51,920 --> 00:18:55,840 Speaker 1: UK took off after laws were passed dividing most larger 282 00:18:55,880 --> 00:18:59,800 Speaker 1: tracts of land into smaller agricultural plots, which meant the 283 00:19:00,080 --> 00:19:04,040 Speaker 1: end of habitats suitable for deer populations, which meant a 284 00:19:04,160 --> 00:19:06,480 Speaker 1: nose dive in the number of deer, which in turn 285 00:19:06,520 --> 00:19:10,440 Speaker 1: meant the end of widespread deer hunting in England. Now, 286 00:19:10,640 --> 00:19:13,680 Speaker 1: of course, urban deer back on the rise and the roar, 287 00:19:14,119 --> 00:19:18,119 Speaker 1: but that's a different story. Even though wisdom and restraint 288 00:19:18,280 --> 00:19:22,200 Speaker 1: is not always apparent in the actions of US Americans, 289 00:19:22,640 --> 00:19:25,800 Speaker 1: we've done a pretty good job of protecting habitat and 290 00:19:25,880 --> 00:19:29,600 Speaker 1: having hunters pay into the system that maintain that habitat. 291 00:19:30,200 --> 00:19:33,639 Speaker 1: That means animals that were extirpated across much of their 292 00:19:33,720 --> 00:19:37,600 Speaker 1: native range, including deer, turkey, and all the other wildlife 293 00:19:37,640 --> 00:19:41,320 Speaker 1: that thrive and habitats suitable for those game species have 294 00:19:41,440 --> 00:19:46,080 Speaker 1: made enormous comebacks. Fox hunting in England is also almost 295 00:19:46,160 --> 00:19:51,879 Speaker 1: exclusively an upper class pursuit. Those horses, trained dogs, paid staff, 296 00:19:51,960 --> 00:19:56,120 Speaker 1: fancy duds are not for everyone. That means that hunting, 297 00:19:56,240 --> 00:19:59,760 Speaker 1: particularly fox hunting, isn't part of the daily experience of 298 00:19:59,800 --> 00:20:03,520 Speaker 1: man any regular citizens, nor is it of anyone in 299 00:20:03,560 --> 00:20:07,919 Speaker 1: their circles. And so along with the animal cruelty objections 300 00:20:07,960 --> 00:20:12,000 Speaker 1: to the hunt, class resentments of all kinds crystallize around 301 00:20:12,040 --> 00:20:17,560 Speaker 1: this very conspicuous and symbolically posh activity. In fact, fox 302 00:20:17,640 --> 00:20:21,000 Speaker 1: hunting has become so controversial in the UK that it 303 00:20:21,080 --> 00:20:23,360 Speaker 1: has threatened the careers of more than one of their 304 00:20:23,359 --> 00:20:27,439 Speaker 1: prime ministers. Lastly, and forgive me if I'm burying the 305 00:20:27,560 --> 00:20:31,399 Speaker 1: lead here, but fox hunting is actually now illegal in 306 00:20:31,480 --> 00:20:34,719 Speaker 1: England and Scotland, and has been since two thousand four. 307 00:20:35,080 --> 00:20:38,040 Speaker 1: There are loopholes in that law that allow for essentially 308 00:20:38,200 --> 00:20:41,439 Speaker 1: mitigation hunts, which would make a hunt for foxes that 309 00:20:41,480 --> 00:20:44,520 Speaker 1: have been identified as livestock killers are soon to be 310 00:20:44,680 --> 00:20:49,120 Speaker 1: livestock killers legal. It is also legal to kill foxes 311 00:20:49,160 --> 00:20:51,760 Speaker 1: with falcons, to the point that a person can use 312 00:20:51,880 --> 00:20:55,159 Speaker 1: dogs to flush a fox into a better position to 313 00:20:55,200 --> 00:20:58,360 Speaker 1: be killed by a falcon while on a horse, so 314 00:20:58,400 --> 00:21:01,000 Speaker 1: long as the dogs are A person on horseback with 315 00:21:01,160 --> 00:21:05,159 Speaker 1: dogs does not intentionally kill the fox. To all my 316 00:21:05,240 --> 00:21:07,439 Speaker 1: listeners in the UK, please write in and sent me 317 00:21:07,520 --> 00:21:11,159 Speaker 1: straight at ask cal that's a s k C. A 318 00:21:11,359 --> 00:21:14,199 Speaker 1: l at the Meat eater dot com. But from the 319 00:21:14,240 --> 00:21:17,760 Speaker 1: outside looking in, the ability to hunt has been systemically 320 00:21:17,800 --> 00:21:21,120 Speaker 1: removed from the bulk of the population, and so has 321 00:21:21,160 --> 00:21:24,120 Speaker 1: the support of hunting that would go with it. Much 322 00:21:24,119 --> 00:21:27,040 Speaker 1: to my surprise, and I am just being honest here, 323 00:21:27,440 --> 00:21:31,080 Speaker 1: the UK is in pretty fantastic shape as far as 324 00:21:31,200 --> 00:21:34,760 Speaker 1: open space and habitat. Only somewhere in the neighborhood of 325 00:21:34,760 --> 00:21:37,840 Speaker 1: four percent of the UK is considered developed. So in 326 00:21:37,840 --> 00:21:41,000 Speaker 1: my opinion, you've really only screwed up beyond repair four 327 00:21:41,080 --> 00:21:44,760 Speaker 1: percent of your country, and you've been thoroughly peopled for 328 00:21:44,800 --> 00:21:47,800 Speaker 1: a long time, so that's pretty good. You've been so 329 00:21:47,920 --> 00:21:50,679 Speaker 1: thoroughly peopled, in fact, that you've moved a bunch of 330 00:21:50,680 --> 00:21:53,280 Speaker 1: them over here. We don't need to talk about how 331 00:21:53,320 --> 00:21:56,040 Speaker 1: that came to be. We're focusing on the now, not 332 00:21:56,160 --> 00:22:00,440 Speaker 1: the imperialism and feudal system and religious persecution at cetera. 333 00:22:00,920 --> 00:22:07,200 Speaker 1: I mean the USA is an inside glass house after all. Anyway, 334 00:22:07,240 --> 00:22:10,480 Speaker 1: here in the US, our game management system has been 335 00:22:10,520 --> 00:22:14,720 Speaker 1: through many trials and tribulations. One of the principles that 336 00:22:14,800 --> 00:22:17,600 Speaker 1: this country was founded on was the fact that animals 337 00:22:17,640 --> 00:22:20,880 Speaker 1: belong to the people. We screwed that up and hunted 338 00:22:20,920 --> 00:22:25,760 Speaker 1: things like the passenger pigeon, a seemingly unlimited resource, to extinction, 339 00:22:26,080 --> 00:22:29,320 Speaker 1: and we darned near got there on ducks, elk deer, 340 00:22:29,440 --> 00:22:33,840 Speaker 1: grizzly bison, black bear, turkeys, and wolves. We introduced largely 341 00:22:34,080 --> 00:22:39,160 Speaker 1: by self imposition, state management of game species save migratory birds, 342 00:22:39,160 --> 00:22:43,439 Speaker 1: which are federally regulated tag systems, and limited harvest based 343 00:22:43,480 --> 00:22:48,119 Speaker 1: off of population estimates performed by wildlife professionals. All of 344 00:22:48,160 --> 00:22:52,320 Speaker 1: this in order to keep the public hunting. But we 345 00:22:52,400 --> 00:22:55,359 Speaker 1: too can find ourselves in a position of the bulk 346 00:22:55,680 --> 00:22:59,399 Speaker 1: of the US population being so detached from hunters and 347 00:22:59,560 --> 00:23:04,639 Speaker 1: hunting that we could find ourselves carefully wording legislation to 348 00:23:04,880 --> 00:23:08,840 Speaker 1: ensure that there are enough loopholes to allow those interested 349 00:23:08,880 --> 00:23:12,520 Speaker 1: in hunting to do so in a quasi legal fashion. 350 00:23:12,920 --> 00:23:15,600 Speaker 1: And when you have to do your thing in kind 351 00:23:15,640 --> 00:23:19,240 Speaker 1: of a shadowy, sneaky sort of way, how long will 352 00:23:19,280 --> 00:23:21,639 Speaker 1: you keep it up? How hard will you try to 353 00:23:21,640 --> 00:23:26,359 Speaker 1: get someone new involved? Now this ain't exactly legal, but 354 00:23:26,440 --> 00:23:30,040 Speaker 1: it sure is fun. Isn't the appropriate sales pitch for 355 00:23:30,080 --> 00:23:33,720 Speaker 1: a lot of folks. Thanks for listening. That's all I've 356 00:23:33,720 --> 00:23:36,280 Speaker 1: got for you this week. As per usual, let me 357 00:23:36,320 --> 00:23:39,359 Speaker 1: know how I'm doing and most importantly, what's going on 358 00:23:39,400 --> 00:23:41,800 Speaker 1: in your neck of the woods by writing in to 359 00:23:42,080 --> 00:23:45,640 Speaker 1: a s K C a L. That's asked Cal at 360 00:23:45,680 --> 00:23:49,159 Speaker 1: the meat eater dot com. Thanks again, I'll talk to 361 00:23:49,200 --> 00:23:57,119 Speaker 1: you next week.