00:00:10 Speaker 1: From Meat Eaters World News headquarters in Bozeman, Montana. This is Cow's Week in Review with Ryan cow Calahan. Here's cal The birds are chirping, the days are getting longer, and the weather is warming up. If you don't live in Montana, that can only mean one thing. It's that time of year when your anglers get yelled at by adults who, as the kids say, these days have no chill. No chill whatsoever. 00:00:37 Speaker 2: What killed the dinosaurs, guys. 00:00:42 Speaker 1: The latest example comes from where else, Florida, where a railroad police officer was caught on camera snapping the fishing poles of two anglers near the town of Tease or Tice. The teenagers were casting their lines into a river from a railroad bridge that's part of an active rail line. Fishing from the bridge is ill eagle not to mention dangerous, though they weren't the only ones to do so. In the video, the officer can be seen handing a backpack to one of the boys as he grabs the fishing pole from the other, snaps the rodden half, throws it in the river, and pulls the boy off the bridge by his arm. The boys weren't handcuffed for about ten minutes, but ultimately just given a trespassing warning. You shouldn't trespass fish, and that officer had every right to get those boys off the bridge. I'm sure it's job depended on it, but breaking their fishing poles struck many, including myself, as a bridge too far. That's why a local nonprofit out of Tampa Bay is about to replace the boys fishing gear. So I guess that's something This week, We've got the FEDS legislation dogs in North Carolina ELK. But first I'm going to tell you about my week, and I am just going to make this short. Public lands and access to them are on my mind. Every walk I take every day is on public lands. Snort is tracking sent through the snow that's piling up here in Montana on public ground. It's a joy to watch every time. You don't have to use this stuff, but you do need to let your elected officials know you care about it. It's working for you all the time, even if you're not out living on it or recreating on it or making a living on it. Specifically, get a hold of Dan Sullivan of Alaska, who says the idea of selling public lands is great Bruce Westerman of Arkansas, who has actually been on this here podcast. He's a forester. I think he's got a good head on his shoulders, but he needs some support from all of us public land to advocates and people who just generally like good old American freedom. Writ in Old Bruce and tell him that every acre is important. Likewise, Senator Hoven in North Dakota, who recently said Montana people just think differently about public lands. If you feel slighted when you hear that in North dakotins, and I know a lot of you do, because you hunt on public lands, and you travel and camp on public lands, and even though you don't have a lot of federally managed public lands in your state, you go to states that do have them, and you enjoy that stuff being there, even if you don't use it. Every year, You folks and everybody else, please write in to John Hooven in North Dakota and let that fellow know that you think very highly of your public lands, just like the Montana kids do. This is very real right now. It's happening. It's not hyperbole, okay, gang, It's really happening right now. Your elected officials are trying to wade through this stuff. They need your support in letting them know how to do the right thing. Don't give up on our public lands. Moving on to the Washington d C desk, we're going to start with some good news. US Fish and Wildlife Service announced it would rehire fired probationary employees and pay their back pay. The announcement comes on the heels of a decision by a US District Court judge who found that the mass layoffs were illegal. The Trump administration appealed the case to the ninth US Circuit Court of Appeals, but that court refused to halt the order. I'm sure the Trump administration will appeal the ruling up to the Supreme Court, but for now, thousands of fired public lands employees have their jobs back, along with all the paychecks they missed. That's especially good news for a program that we've talked about here previously our interview with Doug Austin of the American Fisheries Society. He mentioned a sea lamprey control program on the Great Lakes staffed by US Fish and Wildlife Service employees. Many of these employees got fired in the mass layoffs and Great Lakes anglers worried that sea lampreys would be allowed to once again spread out of control. This recent announcement from the Fishing Wildlife Service means the program should be adequately staffed. Additionally, water fowlers, the refuge system administered by US Fish and Wildlife Service is exactly where your duck stamp dollars go. For longtime listeners, you may recall several instances of understaffed, underfunded refuges having to shut down or partially shut down hunter access prior to this. This reversal should be a win for migratory birds and migratory bird hunters. In less good news, the Department of Interior is releasing details about a plan we covered last week that aims to build so called affordable housing on public land. In an interview with Bloomberg Law, BLM Acting Director John Raby said the agency has identified four hundred thousand acres four potential housing projects. He said they're looking at all federal lands within a radius of ten miles of cities and towns with populations greater than five thousand people. The BLM manages about two hundred and forty five million acres, so that's a pretty small percentage of that total. Raby also clarified that the plan does not call for lands to be divested. Instead, he said, quote, it's an opportunity for us to do something meaningful that will address really big challenges we have. This is largely what public land advocates expected when Interior Secretary Doug Burgham announced the plan last month. No one wants to see residential neighborhoods in the middle of the national parks. At the same time, towns with populations of five thousand people aren't exactly major metropolitan areas. Hunters and anglers should keep both eyes open as specific parcels are proposed for housing sites. Burgham's announcement was about more than just identifying and building on public land using the normal process. He wants to see the process streamlined, which could mean less public input, and, as we covered the previous week, could also mean not going through the typical land evaluation process that lets the American people know what they're losing. That's why we really need to be tracking, and that's exactly what we'll be doing here on Cows. We can review. Every taxpayer should be invested and concerned over the use of any acre of public land. On the chopping block. The four hundred thousand acres in question have gone through both NIPA National Environment Policy Act and the Federal Land Policy Management Act, which the combination of the two are basically an assessment of the ground which determines its ecological value and value to the American people and FLIPMA. Federal Land Policy Management Act is the mechanism which provides the structure and outline for selecting ground to be sold. Broad terms, but basically it now, we the American people, know this is happening. It's going to happen. What we need to do. Our job is to demand to know how it's going to be used, how the land is going to be used to best serve the American people, minus fraud, abuse, and of course with efficiency. What is being done to maximize this round of disposal to prevent the next round from happening? And friends and neighbors, you better believe that the next round of land sales is being planned right now before this one's out of the game. All fingers pointing at our buddy Mike Lee for that. It's a good time to remind you that since the inception of National Forests, public lands, people and organized interests have wanted those lands, and since the very beginning they've used the exact same excuses that we're getting right now. Nothing's really changed, nothing will change in the future, which is why we need to demand proper guidelines, proper systems to say, Okay, if you get this right now, what are you going to do to maximize this and prevent this so called need from arising again? And we're not getting that, not from any one of these politicians. They haven't even defined affordable housing median income home here in the Greater bos Angelis metropolitan Area nine and forty nine thousand dollars, that is affordable housing for a certain group of individuals. Right. It is absolutely not affordable housing for me or anybody I know. That's just one example of why we have got to ask some questions or else the floodgates are going to open and we're just going to lose more than we should. Moving on to the legislation desk, and Michigan lawmaker is proposing a bill that would require a game warden to get a warrant before entering private property. HB four zero seven to three was proposed by State Rep. Dave Preston of the Central Upper Peninsula. He says his constituents have complained to him about game wardens entering their properties without permission, and he wants to see that end. Current law follows the open fields doctrine, which should sound familiar to regular listeners of this show. The open fields doctrine allows law enforcement to search someone's property outside that property owner's curtilage, which is the area immediately surrounding the home. The Supreme Court has ruled these searches do not violate the Fourth Amendment. Game Wardens also have a special need to enter private property, since wildlife is owned by the public, not the landowner. Michigan House Bill for zero seven three would change that. In the Minton State. It would require game wardens to obtain a warrant to enter private property in all but two cases, if the game wardens believe delaying a search would result in the destruction of evidence or an individual will be endangered, or if they are in hot pursuit of a criminal. This bill is currently before the Committee on Natural Resources and Tourism. Over in Illinois, House Bill eighteen seventy three would be an enormous win for access, specifically water access in the Land of Lincoln. This bill would make it so that 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 will be open to public access and use. These public uses include boating, tubing, fishing, swimming, and waiting. Many other states have similar laws on the books, but Illinois isn't one of them. If you live in Illinois or like to fish there, give your state legislators a call. Thanks to Colton Boomgarden for sending this one in a bill. In Oklahoma, it would allow the Department of Wildlife and Conservation to issue five mounta lion tags per year via raffle. Is currently illegal to hunt mounta lions in the state, though residents can kill them if they are damaging property or livestock. A hunting season might sound like a good idea, but it's unclear right now whether these five permit holders would have any cats to hunt. There have been only eighty one confirmed mountain lion sightings in the Sooner state since two thousand and two, which, for those counting, is only about three and a half sightings on average per year. The Department of Wildlife conservations say that these sightings are of loan individuals and there is no evidence of a viable breeding population. I'm not sure what's motivating this bill, but it's enjoyed plenty of support. Senate Bill one zero seven to three past the Senate by a wide margin and has not yet been assigned to a House committee. The Washington State Department of Fishing Wildlife just adopted a new set of rules that outlaw hunting over bait for elk, deer, and moose. Current rags allow hunters to use bait as long as the amount of bait accessible to wildlife does not exceed ten gallons and is more than two hundred yards from another known bait site. But these new rules outlaw baiting entirely, including the use of scent lures. In an announcement, the department said that the new rules are necessary to slow the spread of chronic wasting disease. CWD was first detected in eastern Washington eight months ago, but the baiting ban applies statewide, the department said quote even though CWD has only currently been detected in eastern Washington, the state wide bands prevent undetected diseased outbreaks from spreading between populations. Research has proven that CWD spreads more quickly when animals congregate together, which is what the baiting ban is designed to mitigate. Along with the baiting ban, the agency has also adopted new restrictions on moving carcasses, and hunters will be required to get their deer, elk, and moose tested for CWD if they're harvested in the eastern region of the state. Scanning through the public comments on this proposal, it looks like Washingtonians are split. There are plenty of non hunters who support the rule and criticize anyone who uses bait to hunt. There are also some hunters who voice support and said some versions of I don't need debate to kill an animal, but some also oppose the rule. I read a comment from someone who claimed to be a disabled VET saying that baiting allows him to hunt even though he isn't able to hike through the woods. Others wondered why the band needs to be statewide when CWD has only been detected in small areas. Still, others voice suspicion that this rule is just another way Washington State Wildlife officials are trying to limit hunting. But whatever you think about a baiting ban, it's too late to change it. The new restrictions will take effect April twenty fourth. Last one for you. A few weeks ago, I told you about a new bill passed by the Utah legislature that would increase non resident hunting license fees by as much as one hundred percent. It's true that the tables included in the budget bill did not call for those kinds of increases, but the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources is saying not so fast. In an email sent to members of the media, the agency claims that non resident fees are not actually being increased by that much. For example, non resident three hundred and sixty five day phishing licenses will increase from ninety four dollars to one hundred and twenty dollars for adults, and combination licenses will go from one to fifty to one ninety for adults. That's good news for non resident hunters, but some of the increases will be more significant. The agency admitted that non resident buck deer permits for general season hunts will increase from four hundred and eighteen dollars to five hundred ninety nine dollars and limited entry permits will increase from six hundred and seventy dollars to one thousand, seventy dollars. Non resident bowl elk permits for general season hunts will increase from six hundred and thirteen dollars to eight hundred and forty nine dollars, and limited entry permits will increase from one thousand fifty to one thousand, nine hundred and fifty the Department of Wildlife Resources. He's also highlighted another bill the legislature passed to put further restrictions on hunting guides. What stuck out to me is the creation of a new guide category called a spotter. A spotter will have to be licensed and pay a fee to the Department of Wildlife Resources, and includes anyone who is quote compensated by a guide or outfitter to locate or monitor the location of protected wildlife on public land. For those of you who don't know, for high dollar tags big old narley, mule, deer, el sheep, certainly, it has become quite common to have a moderate to large force of people who are not guiding the hunter out in the woods, mountains, fields, spotting for specific trophy class animals. Yeah, I have my own opinions. I would love it if folks who have more experience with this would write in askcl at the Meat Eater dot com. I'd love to get you on the show to talk this through. So this bill also limits how many spotters you can have in the field, and I think that's very telling of what the public thinks of this practice. Moving on to the Canine crime Desk, I recently received an email from listener Paul McCallister about a sad story of a couple of hound dogs here in Montana. A houndsman in the Paradise Valley recently lost two of his walker hounds, Boone and Boone was eleven years old and Bandit was nine. They were last seen on a trailhead all the way back in January. Their owner posted on social media asking for the public's help finding them, and tons of people got involved, including lost pet groups from across the country. Then two months later, the owners received a call about a walker hound's body that was found in a nearby river. The dog turned out to be Bandit, and his owner was shocked to discover that he had a gunshot wound. Looks like someone shot the dog and threw him in the river. He assumes that Boone met the same fate, but that dog has not yet been found. Now they're trying to find the person who did this. For you, local folks. The dogs went missing on Old Yellowstone Trail Road at the Sphinx Creek trailhead south of tom Minor. Anyone with information should call Park County Sheriff's Deputy Mark Taylor. Four six two two two four one seven two. Let's see if we can figure out who's responsible. Won't bring those dogs back, but at least the family can get a little closure. Moving on to the confirmation desk, the US Senate held confirmation hearings last week for President Trump's pick to lead the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Brian Nesvick. Took questions from senators and tried to convince them that he's the man to lead the Fish and Wildlife Service as its nineteenth director. Neswick has worked for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department for the last thirty years. He served as a Regional Wildlife Supervisor in chief Game Warden, and was elevated to lead the agency in twenty nineteen. In his statement to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public works. He characterized himself as an experienced leader who would fit right in among the eight thousand wildlife professionals who served US Fish and Wildlife Service. 00:18:02 Speaker 2: I know how to put tire chains on a four wheel drive pickup in a snowstorm, how to classify deer from a helicopter, and how to patrol some of America's most remote and wild country from a horse. 00:18:13 Speaker 1: And I know how to lead. 00:18:14 Speaker 2: Every day, I will lead the employees of the Fish and Wildlife Service. I know firsthand the dedication of these incredible people to their profession and their country. If confirmed, I will execute my charge decisively and work every day to provide the men and women of the Service with the leadership that they deserve and the American people expect. 00:18:32 Speaker 1: Nesbeck also highlighted some of his proudest accomplishments at the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, one of which was his work with endangered species. 00:18:40 Speaker 2: I'm proud of my work on big game migration corridors, protecting my state from the scourge of invasive species, and working with the public and talented wildlife managers to recover species listed under the ESSA. 00:18:52 Speaker 1: One of Nesvik's most headlined grabbing comments came in relation to Trump's America First agenda. Rather than characterizing that agenda as at odds with protecting wildlife and habitat, he sees those things as working hand in hand. 00:19:05 Speaker 2: President Trump's America First Agenda includes building a government that better serves the citizens of our country, and there are immediate and transformational opportunities to demonstrate that, improving the service's interactions with the public, simplifying regulations, accelerating permitting with technology, and relying more on education, voluntary compliance, and verification. 00:19:25 Speaker 1: Whether Nesvick can be an effective defender of wildlife and ecosystems in an administration bent on cutting costs seems to depend on who you ask. The Center for Biological Diversity says Nesvick has a quote extreme record on wildlife issues. They slam him for not coming down hard enough on a man who illegally captured a wolf in twenty twenty four and showed it off at a local bar. They see Nesvick's nomination as an attack on Wolve's, grizzlies and other endangered species, and they use his membership in the Wyoming stock Rowers' Association as evidence for this. The other hand, Nesvik is seeing support not just from groups aligned with the Trump agenda. The National autobund Society praised Neswick as an experienced leader who has shown his dedication to wildlife conservation. Mike Lahey of the National Wildlife Federation said his organization quote looks forward to working with Neswick to support and fund the professionals at the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Wildlife Refuge System as they continue to pursue a science based, collaborative approach to recovering imperiled species. Thanks in part to this broad basis support, Politico's E and E News reports that Neswick's nomination is a foregone conclusion. As you might already know depending on when you listen to this episode, he'll likely earn support from both Republicans and Democrats, and I hope he'll earn that trust as a defender of wildlife and public lands. We'd love to get him on the podcast, so if anyone out there can connect me, let's line it up. Moving on to the gear desk, we often think of complicated honey gear as a modern problem. If we could only get back to the way our ancestors did it, we'd go out in the field with nothing more than a spear and a loincloth man. Those were the days. Well, a new study from Texas has thrown some cold water on that romantic notion. They're in Big Ben National Park archaeologists have unearthed what they believe could be the oldest intact full weapon system in North America. Rather than just a few stone points, this site turned up an entire hunting kit, which they estimate is about six thousand years old. What kind of gear was this prehistoric prong horn hunter toting around the team of researchers found four dart knock ends that fit against an ancient spear throwing device known as an addleaddle. They found a straight flying boomerang, six stone tipped for shafts to connect napped stone points to the addleaddle, four hardwood four shafts possibly used to deliver poison, and a partial at laddle. They also found human feces and a folded, tanned prong horned hide with hair still intact. Whoever went into that cave folded that hide and put it on a rock and nobody touched it for six thousand years, which is insane. I don't know why the researchers think this represents a complete hunting kit. If hunters six millennia ago or anything like hunters today, they were never really satisfied with what they had. They were always looking for ways to get something a little better, whether that meant upgrading their tools or weapons, or getting rid of that stuff that wasn't really necessary. But whatever the case may be, it's cool to think of that prehistoric human sitting in that cave taking stock of his gear and dreaming about the next prong horn hide to add to his collection. Fun fact for you, you longtime listeners, know this fossilized feces is a copper light. I'm getting too over this shit to the news fat. Moving on to the North Carolina elk desk. For the first time in modern history, North Carolinians might get a chance to go out and legally harvest an elk. House Built three eighty two would allow the North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission to establish an elk hunting season and issue two permets by raffle and auction for the twenty twenty six hunting season. In March twenty five, House Bill three eighty two was reported favorably by the North Carolina Wildlife Resource Committee and is now headed to the House of Representatives for further consideration. They're only able to consider an elk season thanks to decades of hard work by wildlife officials and volunteers alike. After being totally extirpated from North Carolina, the state Wildlife Resource Commission estimates that they are around two hundred and fifty elk roaming in a few southern Appalachian counties. This is enough to sustain a small hunt, which would increase the visibility and funding for continued conservation efforts. This, by the way, is one of the reasons these small hunts are called Even for small populations of game animals, the hunts generate tons of attention, which in turn generates more money to keep growing these populations. Anyway, that work will continue reintroduction efforts that began over twenty years ago. That's when the National Park Service reintroduced elk from Canada to the Great Smoky Mountains, and the experiment was deemed a success in two thousand and eight. This bill passes, North Carolina will join Tennessee, which raffled nineteen elk hunting permits this year, in Virginia, which raffled five. That's all I got for you, this week, remember to write in to ask cl that's Ascal at the meteater dot com and let me know what's going on your neck of the woods. You know we appreciate it. More importantly, get familiar with your elected officials and their staff right in email, call say what's happening. You can always give them the old compliment sandwich. Love what you're doing here. You really need to work on this. And by the way, thanks for doing this. I owe a couple of phone calls to Steve Danes and Ryan Zinky here in Montana for being on the record not in support of public land sales. Gotta get that done, all right. That's all I got for you. Thank you so much and we'll talk to you next week.