00:00:09 Speaker 1: From met Eaters World News headquarters in Bozeman, Montana. This is Cal's wee can Review with Ryan cal Callahan. Now Here's Cal. The state that gave us Tennessee whiskey and Jack Daniels, has banned alcohol consumption in every wildlife management area in the state. The Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency made the announcement last week due to what they say are unacceptably high levels of alcohol induced ATV crashes. Folks were getting liquored up before tearing up the trails and four wheelers and side by sides, and officials decided enough was enough. Local media reports that there were fifty life flights in twenty twenty two alone in a single Tennessee county, all to rescue injured ATV drivers. A spokesperson for the TWRA said they're also concerned about families with kids riding the tree as well as hunters who use the areas. Folks will still be able to drink at campgrounds and a long waterways, However, officials warned that they'll no longer be tolerating drunk or disorderly conduct. This week, We've got the legislation moose and CWD, but first I'm going to tell you about my week, and well, we got a lot going on. I'm sure you know the hit list by now. First, thank you to everyone who came out to rendezvous, and thank you to everyone who has purchased tickets for the live show. And if you want to help more by funding conservation, the TRCP sweepstakes is going on right now. TRCP, the Teddy Roosevelt Conservation Partnership does a ton of great work up on the hill and on the ground. Cow's wee can review news that midweek drop that we're doing the extra drop. It's still happening as long as you want it, So please write in and let Jordan and I know who you want to hear from next or what we should be discussing such ass And you may recall this that we had an app access opportunity come up here in Montana and the proposed hunting regulation changes. That access opportunity was to lift a closure on the lower Yellowstone River they think about eighty seven miles. That closure is specific to migratory birds. So you can still run jet boats down there. You can hunt deer and upland birds from the river, but you just cannot hunt ducks and geeks. Biologically speaking, the reason for this closure was to provide a safe zone for the Canada goose population to rebound, which I know that's hard to imagine low Canada goose numbers, but yeah, there's a lot of Canada geese these days. However, due to what some people call overwhelming hunter opposition to this proposed regulation change, that temporary and biologically justified closure will remain in place, even though it's no longer biologically justified now. As I have said, I think it's really odd to want less access to hunting, especially when hunters always go through the roof when closures are suggested, restrictions of much any kind, solicit responses of hidden anti hunting agendas, and calls to tell it like it is, this is a permanent closure, and on and on and on. But in this case, the objective has been met and it seems like a lot of hunters have come to love the over abundance of Canada geese, and I can only assume have invested a ton of cash in big, expensive field hunting spreads and they don't want to see any less action or should we call it return on investment. That's just, for instance, something we could chat about if anyone would like to hear about such things, just right into ask c Al. That's Ascal at themeeater dot com. That's what that midweek special drops for. And I'll keep tapping all my conservation group contacts to hit on who they are, what they do, and how to get involved, because I know you like that. Also, we just launched Meat Eater Experiences where you can come on like a guided trip, come angle with the Meat Eater crew, for instance, or come smack some ducks. There's a lot more to it than just that. We're gonna throw in a bunch of gear, cooking instruction, filaying instruction, plucking knowledge, and a whole lot more. So if you're into that and check it out, we'd love to see you all right. Moving on to the legislative desk legislation just top to a bill has been reintroduced in the Illinois General Assembly that would dramatically expand stream access across the state. Unlike many other states, Illinois allows landowners to own both the stream bed and the water flowing through that area. This allows landowners to block access to tens of thousands of miles of rivers and streams that would be public in most other states. In fact, of the eighty seven thousand miles of streams and in the Land of Lincoln, only two thousand miles are open to the public. Illinois Bill HB four seven zero eight would change that by allowing the public to access any segment of a lake, river, or stream that is capable of supporting use by commercial or recreational watercraft for a substantial part of the year. This would represent a major change in Illinois, and I know landowners will have serious concerns, but many other states operate under this paradigm, including Montana and Texas. Why because it's freedom, people, freedom to navigate our rivers eighty seven thousand miles. Think of it. I'll tell you right now. In the state of Montana, we don't see mass vandalism or private property damage. People just float through, happily enjoying the opportunity to fish and recreate on public waterways, which happens to be like part of the US Constitution. While we got away from King George, like in that nice musical we have, you'll be better soon. You'll see you'd remenber you belong to me. Anyway, If you live in Illinois, send a note to your state legislators saying you support HB four seven zero eight. Wildlife officials in Virginia are looking at ways to mitigate conflict between landowners and hunters, specifically hound hunters. As we've covered on this podcast before, Virginia landowners have voiced frustration with hunting dogs being allowed on their property. We've seen several instances of dogs being shot and killed by those landowners, and hunters have been rightfully outraged by those incidents. To address this issue, the Department of Wildlife Resources put together an advisory committee to suggest changes to mitigate these conflicts. They've officially proposed two changes that the public will be asking to weigh in on. One would require use of GPS dog collars for any dog used in deer or bear hunting if the animal is not already restrained. The other proposal would require a hunter to exercise quote reasonable efforts to prevent dogs from entering a land owner's property if either the landowner or a conservation police officer has stated that the dogs are not welcomed. The comment period has not officially opened as of this recording, but Virginians will have forty five days to voice their opinions once it does. Down in Mississippi, the legislature is considering a bill that would add an additional month to the white tail deer season. Mississippi is divided into four management areas, three of which have an archery season that begins September thirty and a final primitive weapon season that ends January thirty. First House Bill one five five five that's fifteen fifty five, authored by Representative Joey Hood, would extend the primitive weapon and regular gun season through February twenty eighth for the entire state. The Southeast Management Area already has an archery and primitive weapons season that ends February fifteenth to accommodate that area's later than usual rut, but the rest of the state follows a more standard season structure for southern states. It's already four months long, and this bill would add an additional month of gun season. But as politicians sometimes forget, there's a biological reason the seasons are structured like they are. Bucks in the northern portion of the state can lose their antlers in February. If the season ran through the end of February, hunters could easily mistake a buck for a dough That kind of uncertainty makes hunter management much more difficult, which is probably why this proposal is coming from the legislature and not the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks. Hunters should almost always welcome new opportunities, but I don't think this one has good scientific justification. If you think I'm wrong, let me know by writing in to askcal that's Ascal at the meat eater dot com staying in the Magnolia state. Another bill before the Mississippi legislature would increase penalties for hunters who trespass on private property. Under current law, violators can face a two hundred and fifty dollars fine for a first offense and a five hundred dollars fine for a subsequent offense. Proponents of SB two sixty five to one call that a slap on the wrist. This new bill would increase that penalty to up to one thousand dollars and possible jail time for a first time offense. Repeat offenders would have their hunting and fishing license revoked for one year, and they'd have to pay five hundred dollars to get it back. In addition, if the poacher successfully bags an animal while trespassing. They will be charged a fee between one hundred and five hundred dollars for each animal possessed. If you trespass onto someone else's pond and catch yourself a mess of catfish, those penalties can add up quick The idea to increase penalties was first proposed to the Commission on Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks by former Lieutenant Governor Eddie Briggs. He says that poaching and trespassing have become, or maybe just still is a part of the culture in some areas of the state, and he wants to put a stop to that behavior over in the volunteer state. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee just signed a bill that heads off some of the anti hunting policies and appointments we've seen on other wildlife commissions. Specifically, HB two two sixty three requires that anyone appointed to the Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission actively participate in the activities regulated by the Commission. What a concept. These activities include hunting, angling, trapping, and voting. The bill also makes hunting, fishing, and trapping the preferred method of wildlife management and says the Wildlife Agency shall promote and support those activities. The bill was written and promoted by the Tennessee Wildlife Federation in response to what's happened in states like Washington and Colorado, and they hope other states will consider similar bills. If you live in Tennessee, send a note of thanks to your legislator if they voted for the bill, and to Governor Lee for everyone else. Get in touch with your state Conservation org to see if similar bills are in the works. It would be cool to see bills like this past in every state. Jumping from the state to the national level. The US House of Representatives just passed the Bipartisan Explore Act. The acronym stands for expanding public lands outdoor recreation experiences, and the text of the bill does exactly that. The bill is long and wide ranging, but its overall goal is to modernize outdoor recreation management and make public lands more accessible. It would expedite and simplify the permitting process for accessing public lands and waters, improve outdoor recreation data and infrastructure, create feeless public shooting ranges in each BLM District or National Forest, and establish a grant program for the inspection and decontamination watercraft to avoid the spread of aquatic invasive species, among many other provisions. It was led by Democrat Representative Raoul Grialva and Republican Representative Bruce Westerman, who we had on the podcast in episode two fifty three. The bill passed the House on a voice vote, meaning it was overwhelmingly supported. A similar bill is working its way through the Senate, where the Energy and Natural Resources Committee passed it unanimously in two thousand twenty three. You know, I should say here before somebody calls me out on it. And I'm pretty sure the Explore Act this also wrapped up in here is film crewis can get permits on public land easier and more expedited fashion, and that permitting process would be revamped so it's less expensive for smaller film cruise. So like the size of your footprint would dictate the fee, which has kind of been like a flat fee in a lot of a lot of these areas up until now. I think that's in here right in. Let me know if I'm messing that up. Moving on to the toxic waste desk. Last week we told you about a nitrogen fertilizer spill in Illinois that killed a bunch of fish and Rooks Creek. This week, I'm sorry to say we have an even worse story from the cornfields of Iowa. There another fertilizer spill killed nearly all the fish in a sixty mile stretch of the Oh boy, you're gonna kill me for this Nishnabotna River. Yeah, Nishnabotna And you think I can't speak Iowa anyway. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources estimates at least seven hundred and fifty thousand fish were killed in the accident, making this the largest fish kill in the state in the last decade and the fifth largest on record. Which is crazy to think about three quarters of a million fish from sixty miles of river, and this is only the fifth largest since we started tracking these things. Sixty miles a river, seven hundred and fifty thousand dead fish anyway. Much like the spill in Illinois, this one was caused by a leaking or malfunctioning valve that caused two hundred and sixty five thousand gallons of liquid nitrogen to spill into the East Nishnabotna River. The fertilizer company is called New Cooperative and they'll be paying some kind of restitution for allowing the spill. Officials told the Des Moines Register that a restitution total has not yet been set, but the estimated value of the fish will likely be greater than two hundred thousand. If that number holds, this would be the largest valuation for a documented Iowa fishkill, according to DNR data. Another little like sub thing here, somebody wrote down that liquid nitrogen would not in itself kill the fish, but it could possibly like sap the oxygen in the river and that's what killed the fish. But liquid nitrogen is in fact your instigator. In these incidents. Small fish such as minnows and chubs accounted for the vast majority of the dead fish, but there were also an estimated seventy seven hundred super delicious channel catfish that anglers will never have the chance to put in a hot three hundred and seventy five degree bath of liquid beef fat. If you ask me, I think the value of those shared dinners should be factored into the restitution cost. You might be able to put up a number on a catfish and a fish market, but the recreational value of those fish is much much higher. Along with the fish. Numerous frogs, snakes, muscles, and earthworms died in the spill. Big thanks to listener Jake Burge for sending us that story. Moving on to the moose desk, Nevada is planning the state's first moose hunt, as the population of North America's largest servid has grown to about one hundred in the northeast corner of the state. The first moose was spotted in Nevada in the nineteen fifties, and since then the population has grown slowly. However, recent years have seen a much faster expansion. Since twenty eighteen, the population has doubled from thirty to fifty individuals, and state biologists say it's set to expand even more in coming years. It's common for cows to give birth to twins, and their relatively temperate climate means the CAF's survival rate is high. Now, applicants are open for several bowl moose tags for the twenty twenty four to twenty twenty five season. Applications are open to residents only, but the tag allows for any legal weapon to be used. Biologists haven't actually confirmed the exact number of tags yet, but it sounds like it will between one and three. Of course, no hunt is without controversy. Anti hunting groups are opposed to any hunt for whatever reason, but there is also some question about whether moose will be in Nevada for much longer if left alone. Historically, moose have tended to avoid places where temperatures regularly exceed at sixty eight degrees fahrenheit. One study of moose and Nevada found that the animals spend nearly half of their time in areas where that thermal threshold was exceeded, about one hundred and fifty days a year. That's not ideal for what we think we know about moose, but the Silver State is set to get even hotter as climate change bumps up average temperatures. Those opposed to the hunt argue that given this tenuous future, we shouldn't kill any of the horse sized deer. We should be enjoying the moose while they're here, instead of hunting them as soon as we're able. What many of these critics don't take into consideration is that the hunt isn't being called because the population is too large. There is a surprising amount of decent moose habitat in northeastern Nevada. But right now some areas have too many bowls, which can be unhealthy for cows and calves, especially during the rut. The very small number of tags are meant to bring that male female ratio into better balance in those few areas is that need it. In other words, the hunt is being called for the good of the species as a whole. It'll help make sure that the moose population thrives for as long as it can. And who knows, maybe moose will be able to adapt to a warmer climate better than we think they will. It wouldn't be the first time nature has surprised us with her resiliency. Maybe that cow's deer that we love chasing in northern Mexico started out as a moose. Talked to old Heffelfinger about that one. Moving on to the wolf desk, Colorado Parks and Wildlife confirmed earlier this month that wolves have killed at least two calves that's the beef cow calves since the canines were released into the Centennial state. One calf was killed in Grand County on April second, and another was killed in Jackson County on April seventh. This is the same part of the state where Colorado Parks and Wildlife released ten wolves at the behest of Colorado voters. Agency officials say they are aware of four wolves in the area where the most recent calf was killed. Some of those wolves were released in December of last year, while one or two others have naturally migrated down from Wyoming. However, they have refused to release the specific location or the specific wolves involved in the depredation. They say doing so could allow someone to determine the location of the wolves, though I'm sure the ranchers in the area aren't being shy about letting folks know why their calves are coming up dead. Those ranchers are entitled the fair market value of the animals if claims are submitted. Parks and Wildlife is also working with the Colorado Department of Agriculture to bring in range riders to help guard livestock. Moving on to chronic wasting disease. For the first time ever, chronic wasting disease has been confirmed in a white tail deer in Indiana. The Indiana Department of Natural Resources sent out a press release on April five confirming that CWD was detected in a buck harvested in Lagrange County. The sample was collected by a licensed taxidermist through the DNR CWD Taxidermist Incentive Program. Since Lagrange County borders Michigan, biologists have been watching that area closely. This wasn't unexpected, but I was honestly surprised that Indiana had never had a positive case. This may be one of those things where yes they have, but they just haven't been testing for it. CWD has been detected in all four states bordering Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, and Kentuck. There are no known cures or treatments for the disease, so it was inevitable that CWD would one day be detected in Indiana. Now it's there. It's up to Indiana hunters and taxidermists to help the DNR monitor its progress. The agency isn't taking a hard line on this issue. There is no mandatory testing, though there are sampling stations throughout the state where deer can be tested. There is no fee for testing, and hunters can see the results in an online portal. Taxidermists in some areas of the state will also be asked to test their deer, though this isn't mandatory either. Taxidermists who participate in the incentive program will receive ten dollars for every sample they collect. Here is what the Indiana DNR says about their CWD management plan quote. Indiana DNR's response is based on the latest scientific information about the effectiveness and costs of CWD management options. Our plan focuses on monitoring the spread of the disease to inform hunters and enable hoosiers to live with the presence of this disease in deer. Living with CWD as opposed to eradicating it is possible only because the disease has never been shown to spread to humans. Although there isn't a new case that I think there's we got a lot of gray area that we got to talk about. But if that were to change officially, I have a feeling state agencies would be running around like their heads around fire and their asses are catching. As the old song says, Unfortunately, there's no guarantee that the status quo will always be the status quo. A short article published in the journal Neurology highlights the case of two men who both died of Crutsfield Jacob disease or CJD. Like CWD, CJD is a central nervous system disordered caused by misfolded pre on proteins. Both of these men lived in the same area, and one is confirmed to have eaten meat from CWD infected deer. The other eight venison from the same deer population, though the authors don't confirm whether he'd also eat in CWD positive venison. The authors conclude quote the patient's history, including a similar case in his social group, suggest a possible novel, which means new animal to human transmission of CWD. Based on non human primate and mouse models, cross species transmission of CJD is plausible. They stress that causation remains unproven. It could just be a coincidence. However, because it's tough to distinguish CJD from CWD, it's not possible to definitively rule out chronic wasting disease in these cases. If CWD ever spreads to humans, it would be the biggest thing to hit North American hunting in a generation. Maybe Ever, if there are any updates, you know where to find them. That's all I got for you this week. Thank you so much for listening, and remember to write in to ask at the meeteater dot com. And let me know what's going on in your neck of the woods. Thanks again and we'll talk to you next week.