Fresh Tracks Weekly

For the full length episode go to YouTube.

For the deeper dive we hear the story of how Randy messed up his arm in Portland this week. Was it a bear!? Wild dog?! Mugged in an alley? Find out by listening to his story!

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A little fishing update to start off the episode as Michael is still out there swinging bugs.

For news we start off with talking about environmental groups suing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service trying to get them to place Arctic Grayling on the endangered species list. It's a never ending saga that has been going on for 30 years, but a lot of effort has been done to try and save them.

Idaho released their results of CWD testing in the state and a little glimpse into their plan and hope to stop the spread.

In Montana 149 elk were recently tested for Brucellosis to see if the Montana Department of Livestock's Designated Surveillance area needs to be expanded.

Bird flu continues to impact more and more mammals with a surprising amount of species being added to the list of detections.

For the Deeper Dive we have Randy to talk about the recent discussion around grizzly bear de-listing and what that means for hunters.

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This week we're starting out with a quick recipe for slow cooked pronghorn shoulder made from a Nevada antelope and chukar stock.

Michael recaps his recent steelhead fishing trip to Idaho which ended up being substantially more successful than last year.

We revisit the discussion of renewable energy development on public lands with some new insight into what's going into the decision making.

Wyoming has seen severe weather conditions across the state along with a rare disease outbreak that is making life tough for wildlife.

We hear about a bill in Utah that had a last minute amendment to essentially make mountain lions a nuisance species.

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is being sued by the Sportsman's Alliance in an attempt to remove her from the Fish and Wildlife commission for anti-hunting stances.

For the Deeper Dive we discuss hunter harvest surveys, why they matter, and how various states conduct their surveys to have an understanding of wildlife populations and the impacts hunter's are having.

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Multiple bills are attempting to redistribute funds that are supposed to go to Habitat Montana. Significant tax revenue from the legalization of marijuana was supposed to be directed to a fund in that is used to purchase high quality wildlife habitat and conservation easements but instead lawmakers are trying to redirect it to other projects.

A few bills related to easements have been stopped but it sounds like there will likely be continued attacks on conservation easements in the state so we've been cautioned to stay alert. 

The Montana Wild Sheep Foundation held their annual fundraising event where they gave an update on the "State of the Sheep" where we heard updates on various sheep projects along with the current status of many herds. 

Some encouraging new research is on the horizon as a significant amount of funding has been secured specifically for bighorn sheep research in Montana.

A presentation from Working Dogs for Conservation was extremely exciting and sheep advocates are optimistic that dogs will be able to smell diseased bighorn sheep which would expedite the sampling process and allow managers to make quick decisions. 

For the Deeper Dive we are talking about shed antler hunting and how timing of antler hunting coincides with one of the most crucial times of the year for wintering wildlife and added stress can be significant to wildlife populations.

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We have a new in the field Fishing Corner from Michael, where he runs through his process of winter nymphing for trout.

A few news articles this week include the announcement of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to launch a 12-month status review on whether or not they should delist grizzly bears from the Endangered Species List in select populations.

Two wolves were recently captured and fitted with GPS collars in Colorado, reminding us that they are naturally migrating into the state before the mandated reintroduction from Proposition 114 has taken place. 

U.S. Senator Steve Daines was suspended from Twitter for having a hunting photo in his profile picture. The suspension was short-lived after Elon Musk reached out and amended the policy.

Utah Division of Wildlife Resources has implemented a statewide emergency closure for shed antler hunting. Influencers are furious.

The Western Hunting and Conservation Expo hosted events where two Mule deer auction tags sold for $725,000 and $500,000, respectively. For our Deeper Dive, we talk about auction tags: whether we think they're a good idea and if the money is going towards a good cause.

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This week we catch up with Michael on some sub-zero temp fishing reports.

Oregon is trying to amend its constitution to include the right to hunt and fish, making them the 24th state to do so if successful. The boundary waters recently received protections from hard rock mine leasing for the next two years in a watershed that is a favorite amongst outdoorsmen. Idaho Game and Fish plans to continue to reduce their wolf population and is about to release their new draft management plan. The final steps in stopping the Pebble mine in Bristol bay were finalized this week to the rejoicing of many advocates.

For the deeper dive, we discuss the push for more green energy developments on public land and question why our lands are so readily made available in the name of renewable energy. 

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Short episode this week with Michael and Randy out of the office. Just a few news segments to recap.

Legislation in Kansas to provide free deer tags and defund the game and fish.

The roadless rule has been restored on the Tongass National forest in Alaska, what does this mean for wildlife and habitat?

Fence removals and cows with gps collars using a virtual fence could revolutionize cattle grazing and help mitigate wildlife barriers.

Wild pigs could soon enter the U.S. from the Northern Border as Canadian populations explode.

Montana Elk camp at the capitol summary where Montana hunters listened to speakers on the capitol lawn to talk about elk management in the state. Many are worried that bills that aim to privatize wildlife could be on the horizon, but so far the legislative session has been relatively civil without too much debate.

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We start with a recap from the weekend's chukar hunt where some tasty, cheat grass filled, non-native upland birds were chased down by a bird dog in the cliffs.

We hear from Michael's fishing corner where we hear about his new rod he just broke.

News segments include three grizzly bears that came down with the bird flu, a poaching case in Nebraska where some celebrities were convicted, an update on some new media coming out of western Wyoming on mule deer migration, challenging Oregon's Ballot measure 114 which is about to make buying a firearm challenging.

For the deeper dive, we're talking corner crossing and how Randy has seen a draft bill in Colorado that would legalize corner crossing in the state, we also discuss some general thoughts about the issue and get a sneak peek into Randy's upcoming podcast with legal experts discussing what could come of the case in Wyoming where four corner crossing hunters are being charged with criminal trespass.

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A Legislative storm of fish and wildlife-related bills is being drafted in Montana and likely in your state as well. Randy gives us a preview of what's to come in Montana in one of the segments of Fresh Tracks Weekly. Hopefully, we can get a weekly update as both good and bad bills are brought forth.

We also have some general updates, MP's fishing corner, and news segments. This year we're including more of the crew as we sit around the conference room to discuss the deeper dive. 

We get to meet the crew a little, learn about their roles at Fresh Tracks, and discover what everyone has been up to lately.

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Public Land Transfer Series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list...

This week we talk about a recently published study looking at the Greater Yellowstone Elk Herd and how much they rely on private land in the winter. Much of the land they utilize in the winter is still unprotected. 

Conservation easements have recently seen pushback over concerns about land being used for various reasons, including as loopholes for large tax breaks.

Elk management in Montana continues to get people fired up, with a couple of events scheduled to discuss future management in the state. 

A change in the US House of Representatives has new rules that allow for easier transfer of federal lands to the states.

For a deeper dive, Randy, Michael, Jace, and Marcus talk about the changes they've seen in hunting media over the years, the good and the bad. The crew discusses how they strive to produce content that has more positive outcomes for the public land hunter.

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