Outdoor Life has a protracted historical past of masking the weirdest, wildest, and most outrageous tales within the outdoor. There was loads to write down about in 2022 in information of the bizarre.
An Ohio Mayor stated that ice fishing might result in prostitution, a shed hunter captured gut-wrenching photographs of a dying deer that was half-eaten by coyotes, and a fisherman by chance pulled his buddy throughout the ice of their shanty. And that was simply within the first two months of the 12 months.
So, earlier than we cost into the brand new 12 months and all of the unusual tales it’ll certainly deliver, let’s take a minute to look again at a number of the crazier stuff that occurred in 2022.
Video: Fisherman Accidentally Drags His Buddy—and Their Shelter—Across the Ice
The guys on this video supposed to have a soothing and, certain, hopefully an thrilling day of fishing. But merely forgetting to un-hitch the tow-sled shelter resulted in one thing that they’ll (hopefully) have the ability to snigger about for years. Read the complete story right here.
Massachusetts Shed Hunter Discovers Buck That Was Half-Eaten by Coyotes, But Still Alive
The deer was nonetheless alive, and Guyette immediately acknowledged what he stated had been a whole lot of contemporary coyote tracks scattered among the many big puddles of blood. Both of the buck’s legs had been damaged, his hindquarters had been chewed on, and it was abundantly clear that the animal had been chased out onto the ice, attacked, and subsequently feasted upon by two or extra coyotes. Read the complete story right here.
Mayor in Ohio Says That Ice Fishing at a Public Park Could Lead to Prostitution
Hudson mayor thinks ice fishing results in prostitution! Put your poles away boys!*
*Same man who thinks inventive writing courses are little one pornography. pic.twitter.com/9N0R2tVri6
— Amanda Weinstein (@ProfWeinstein) February 9, 2022
Mayor Craig Shubert of Hudson, Ohio, didn’t need individuals ice fishing at Hudson Springs Park. During a metropolis council assembly earlier this 12 months, the mayor voiced his outlandish concern that permitting individuals to arrange ice fishing shanties on the public park might probably result in prostitution.
“If you open this up to ice fishing, which while on the surface, it sounds good, then what happens next year? Does somebody come back and say, ‘I want an ice shanty in Hudson Springs Park for X amount of time?’” Shubert requested town council. “And if you then allow ice fishing with shanties, then that leads to another problem: prostitution. And now you have the police chief of the police department involved. Just some data points to consider.”
Shubert ultimately resigned as mayor after this story went viral. Read the complete story right here.
Watch: Bobcat Fights a Python, Steals Its Eggs
In a research that was revealed in Ecology and Evolution, researchers with the U.S. Geological Survey captured pictures and movies of a bobcat tangling with a 120-pound feminine python that was defending her nest. The footage from the Everglades reveals that after the preliminary face-off between the bobcat and the snake, the cat returned to the nest to feast on its eggs. Read the complete story right here.
Elderly Florida Woman Charged in “Mercy Killing” of an Endangered Key Deer
Can you be convicted of against the law for killing a federally protected animal that’s clearly struggling on the time? Or higher but, ought to you be? These are questions that prosecutors should ask themselves as they confront the case involving Wendy Kilheffer, a 77-year-old resident of Big Pine Key who shot and killed an endangered Key deer in a residential space final month.
Kilheffer has since been charged with a misdemeanor for taking an endangered species. If convicted, she might resist a 12 months in jail and a $100,000 high quality. She was arraigned in U.S. District Court on Dec. 16 and was launched on a $10,000 bond, in line with court docket paperwork. Read the complete story right here.
Magnet Fishermen Ticketed After Uncovering 86 Rockets, Other Ordnance While Fishing on a Georgia Army Base
Three magnet fishermen confronted fines after they pulled up a wealth of navy weapons whereas fishing on an Army base in Georgia. The treasure hunters had been probing the waters of the Canoochee River, which runs by way of the bottom, after they made their discovery. They posted all the 25-minute episode—together with their run-in with legislation enforcement—to YouTube. Eventually these costs had been dropped. Read the complete story right here.
Two Iowa Men Find Nearly 200 Pounds of Morels
Jimmy Johnson and Rusty Gates went mushroom looking on May 7 in southeast Iowa and had little success at first. After roughly an hour, they discovered extra morels than ever anticipated.
“It was just nonstop as we were walking,” Johnson stated to The Hawk Eye, a neighborhood newspaper. “We’d just see four or five here and then take a few steps and see more. It was continuous.”
After six full hours of mushroom looking, the 2 males collected 130 kilos of morel mushrooms. They posted about their success in Morel Reports of Southeast Iowa’s Facebook Group. Read the complete story right here.
The Landowner and One Hunter From the Viral “I Own the F*cking Land” Video Are Charged with Misdemeanors
The newest chapter of the wild confrontation between a North Dakota landowner and a gaggle of duck hunters entails just a few misdemeanor costs, an ongoing investigation, and an accusation from the landowner’s son that the hunters edited out sure components of the video earlier than posting it to their YouTube channel.
Bismarck landowner Jeffrey Erman approached the group of duck hunters looking a property line on Oct. 21 and berated them for trespassing on his land and ruining his hunt. One member of the group filmed the interplay and the footage has since racked up 1.7 million. Erman was charged with interfering with the rights of hunters and trappers and disorderly conduct-obscenity, each of that are Class-B misdemeanors. He was additionally charged with buying and selling in particular affect for providing to name off the sport warden for half the value of the hunters’ high quality. Trading in particular affect is a Class-A misdemeanor. Read the complete story right here.
South African Crew Catches Second Biggest Atlantic Blue Marlin Ever
South African citrus farmer Ben Vorster, 50, was fishing aboard the 37-foot Bertram constitution boat Smoker with famend Capt. Ryan “Roo” Williamson the morning of May 19 when he hooked into one of many largest Atlantic blue marlin ever caught on a rod and reel. After solely a 30-minute combat Vorster introduced the fish to the boat. Back on the marina, the marlin was positioned on a digital scale, the place it formally weighed in at 1,370 kilos. It measured 12.6 ft in size with a 6.6-foot girth, and the fish’s tail fin alone was practically three ft throughout. It’s the second heaviest blue marlin ever caught from the Atlantic. Read the complete story right here.
Iguana Hunter Kills Giant Invasive Lizards in Florida
Florida lists iguanas as an invasive species that may be hunted year-round with no restrict. And that’s the place iguana hunter Mike Kimmel and his Drahthaar, Otto, come to the rescue. Kimmel has been looking iguanas for a few decade, and lately he’s been employed to remove lizards in municipalities, on golf programs, residential properties, and anyplace else they change into a nuisance.
“We’ve definitely had a positive impact on removing iguanas from cities, parks, and private properties,” says Kimmell, 33, who operates Martin County Trapping & Wildlife Rescue. “But the large and winding canal system in South Florida is loaded with iguanas, and that’s where I take paying hunters for a day of environmental cleanup.” Read the complete story right here.
Video: Colorado Man Wakes Up to Discover a Mountain Lion Eating an Elk on His Front Porch
Charles Zelenka has lived in his Colorado residence for 17 years, throughout which he’s watched deer, bears, elk, bighorn sheep, and even the occasional moose stroll by way of his half-acre yard. That’s why, when he wakened round 2 a.m. on Jan. 4 to a loud banging noise exterior his Glenwood Springs home, he figured it was the standard bears making an attempt to interrupt into his bear-proof dumpster.
“I was just about ready to turn and go out the door, and a mountain lion popped up from underneath this thing,” Zelenka says. “So I grabbed my phone—I’m in my skivvies, I’ve just gotten out of bed—and start recording.” Read the complete story right here.
Watch: Hooked Mako Shark Goes Airborne, Jumps into Fishing Boat
According to NECN News, Capt. Dave Sinclair of Sea Ventures Charters was working the boat when the crew hooked into the mako roughly 15 to twenty miles from Monhegan Island. His 15-year-old grandson Cameron was the one holding onto the rod.
When the quick video begins, Cameron is already doing battle with the mako shark. His rod is jammed right into a combating belt. As he cranks on the reel, the mako launches excessive into the air, does a backflip and lands with a splash.
“Oh, shit!” everybody on board says in unison. “Did you get that?” one of many anglers on deck asks the individual filming the video, who seems to be up within the tuna tower. Read the complete story right here.
Anglers in Texas Catch Rare Melanistic Alligator Gar
Two anglers managed to catch a uncommon melanistic alligator gar in a southeast Texas marsh on May 15. Terrell Maguire is the angler who hooked the fish, and fishing information Justin Jourdan was in a position to snag just a few footage and publish them to Lotus Guide Service’s Facebook web page.
The fish was an average-sized alligator gar at about 5-feet lengthy, but it surely’s the jet-black coloration that makes it really particular. Melanistic gar are particularly uncommon. Wildlife biologists aren’t fairly certain what number of exist, and lots of anglers will go a lifetime with out seeing one.
“Well… me and Terrell found out melanistic gar do exist yesterday,” wrote Jourdan within the Facebook publish, which acquired 1000’s of shares and a whole lot of feedback. Jordan and Meyer returned the fish to the marsh after catching it. Read the complete story right here.
Largest Python Ever Captured in Florida Is Nearly 18 Feet Long
Researchers with the Conservancy of Southwest Florida have captured the most important Burmese python ever recorded within the state. It took three individuals to hold the large snake, which weighed a jaw-dropping 215 kilos and measured 17 ft, 7 inches in size.
Ian Bartoszek, Ian Easterling, and Kyle Findley had been a part of the Conservancy’s python-tracking staff that discovered the snake in December. The large feminine simply breaks their earlier report for the largest python ever caught in Florida, which weighed 185 kilos. Read the complete story right here.
Professional Walleye Anglers Caught Stuffing Fish with Weights During a Tournament on Lake Erie
Serious Controversy in Pro fishing event as multiple-time winners caught stuffing lead weights and different fish filets of their fish to have the heaviest catch to win a whole lot of 1000’s in prizes. pic.twitter.com/Sxqeo2XC0K
— Billy (@Billyhottakes) October 1, 2022
An expert walleye fishing event on Lake Erie resulted in pandemonium on Sept. 30 when the main staff was caught dishonest through the weigh-in. Professional anglers Chase Cominksy, of Hermitage, Pennsylvania, and Jake Runyan, of Cleveland, Ohio, had been declared the winners of the Lake Erie Walleye Trail till event director Jason Fischer turned suspicious of their bulging walleye, which appeared unusually heavy for his or her dimension. Cutting open the fish in entrance of the gang, Fischer found that every of them had been filled with lead weights. The incident sparked an investigation by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and Cleveland Metroparks, and Fischer advised the New York Times over the weekend that each one proof had been turned over to the right authorities. The anglers had been ultimately charged with felonies. Read the complete story right here.