{"id":611,"date":"2022-12-30T17:00:28","date_gmt":"2022-12-30T17:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/americangunpeople.com\/?p=611"},"modified":"2022-12-30T17:00:28","modified_gmt":"2022-12-30T17:00:28","slug":"the-15-craziest-outdoor-stories-and-videos-of-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/americangunpeople.com\/?p=611","title":{"rendered":"The 15 Craziest Outdoor Stories and Videos of 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\"><em>Outdoor Life<\/em> has a long history of covering the weirdest, wildest, and most outrageous stories in the outdoors. There was plenty to write about in 2022 in news of the weird.<\/p>\n<p>An Ohio Mayor said that ice fishing could lead to prostitution, a shed hunter captured gut-wrenching photos of a dying deer that was half-eaten by coyotes, and a fisherman accidentally pulled his buddy across the ice in their shanty. And that was just in the first two months of the year.<\/p>\n<p>So, before we charge into the new year and all the strange stories it will surely bring, let\u2019s take a minute to look back at some of the crazier stuff that happened in 2022.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"h-video-fisherman-accidentally-drags-his-buddy-and-their-shelter-across-the-ice\">Video: Fisherman Accidentally Drags His Buddy\u2014and Their Shelter\u2014Across the Ice<\/h3>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<p><div class=\"youtube-embed\" data-video_id=\"wTd_RI9SlVg\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Lake Trout Fishing Gone Wrong\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/wTd_RI9SlVg?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>The guys in this video intended to have a relaxing and, sure, hopefully an exciting day of fishing. But simply forgetting to un-hitch the tow-sled shelter resulted in something that they\u2019ll (hopefully) be able to laugh about for years. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.outdoorlife.com\/fishing\/video-fishermans-buddy-drags-him-across-ice\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Read the full story here.<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Massachusetts Shed Hunter Discovers Buck That Was Half-Eaten by Coyotes, But Still Alive<\/h3>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-facebook wp-block-embed-facebook\"><figcaption>Guyette posted photos of the encounter to his Hunt Suburbia Facebook Page later that day.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The deer was still alive, and Guyette instantly recognized what he said were hundreds of fresh coyote tracks scattered among the huge puddles of blood. Both of the buck\u2019s legs were broken, 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 more coyotes. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.outdoorlife.com\/hunting\/deer-hunter-walks-up-on-wounded-whitetail-buck\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Read the full story here.<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Mayor in Ohio Says That Ice Fishing at a Public Park Could Lead to Prostitution<\/h3>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Hudson mayor thinks ice fishing leads to prostitution! Put your poles away boys!*<\/p>\n<p>*Same guy who thinks creative writing classes are child pornography. <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/9N0R2tVri6\" rel=\"noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/9N0R2tVri6<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Amanda Weinstein (@ProfWeinstein) <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ProfWeinstein\/status\/1491403199227768835?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"noopener\">February 9, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Mayor Craig Shubert of Hudson, Ohio, did not want people ice fishing at Hudson Springs Park. During a city council meeting earlier this year, the mayor\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/fox8.com\/news\/i-team\/hudson-mayor-suggests-ice-fishing-leads-to-prostitution\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">voiced his outlandish concern<\/a>\u00a0that allowing people to set up ice fishing shanties at the public park could potentially lead to prostitution.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf 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, \u2018I want an ice shanty in Hudson Springs Park for X amount of time?\u2019\u201d Shubert asked the city council. \u201cAnd 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Shubert eventually resigned as mayor after this story went viral. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.outdoorlife.com\/fishing\/ohio-mayor-says-ice-fishing-could-lead-to-prostitution\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Read the full story here.<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Watch: Bobcat Fights a Python, Steals Its Eggs<\/h3>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<p><div class=\"youtube-embed\" data-video_id=\"4ZUYHXiUrs8\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Novel interactions of intraguild predators in south Florida: native bobcat &amp; invasive Burmese python\" width=\"696\" height=\"522\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/4ZUYHXiUrs8?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>In a study that was published in\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1002\/ece3.8639\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ecology and Evolution<\/a>, researchers with the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.usgs.gov\/faqs\/how-have-invasive-pythons-impacted-florida-ecosystems\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">U.S. Geological Survey<\/a>\u00a0captured photographs and videos of a bobcat tangling with a 120-pound female python that was defending her nest. The footage from the Everglades shows that after the initial face-off between the bobcat and the snake, the cat returned to the nest to feast on its eggs. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.outdoorlife.com\/conservation\/bobcat-fights-python-everglades\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Read the full story here.<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Elderly Florida Woman Charged in \u201cMercy Killing\u201d of an Endangered Key Deer<\/h3>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\" data-dimension=\"landscape\"><figcaption>A group of residents tried calling the authorities after they found the buck lying in distress in a neighborhood on Nov. 16. <i>Save Our Key Deer \/ Facebook<\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Can you be convicted of a crime for killing a federally protected animal that is clearly suffering at the time? Or better yet,\u00a0<em>should\u00a0<\/em>you be? These are questions that prosecutors will have to 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 area last month.<\/p>\n<p>Kilheffer has since been charged with a misdemeanor for\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.fws.gov\/laws\/endangered-species-act\/section-11#:~:text=Any%20person%20who%20knowingly%20violates%20any%20provision%20of%20any%20other,than%20six%20months%2C%20or%20both.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">taking an endangered species<\/a>. If convicted, she could face up to a year in prison and a $100,000 fine. She was arraigned in U.S. District Court on Dec. 16 and was released on a $10,000 bond, according to court documents. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.outdoorlife.com\/conservation\/florida-woman-shoots-endangered-key-deer\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Read the full story here.<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Magnet Fishermen Ticketed After Uncovering 86 Rockets, Other Ordnance While Fishing on a Georgia Army Base<\/h3>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<p><div class=\"youtube-embed\" data-video_id=\"l0uMGoW1KPM\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Magnet Fishing On A Military Base - US Army Equipment Recovered (86 Rockets, Mortar and More)\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/l0uMGoW1KPM?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Three <a href=\"https:\/\/www.outdoorlife.com\/conservation\/magnet-fishing-keeping-guns\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">magnet fishermen<\/a> faced fines after they pulled up a wealth of military weapons while fishing on an Army base in Georgia. The treasure hunters were probing the waters of the Canoochee River, which runs through the base, when they made their discovery. They posted the entire 25-minute episode\u2014including their run-in with law enforcement\u2014to YouTube. Eventually those charges were dropped. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.outdoorlife.com\/fishing\/georgia-magnet-fishermen-find-weapons-army-base\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Read the full story here.<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Two Iowa Men Find Nearly 200 Pounds of Morels<\/h3>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\" data-dimension=\"landscape\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1943\" height=\"1174\" src=\"https:\/\/www.outdoorlife.com\/uploads\/2022\/05\/12\/morel-mushrooms.jpg\" alt=\"Morel mushroom hunters from Iowa\" class=\"wp-image-191349\"\/><figcaption>The men found 131 pounds one day and 44 pounds on another day.  <i>Jimmy Johnson \/ Facebook<\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Jimmy Johnson and Rusty Gates went mushroom hunting on May 7 in southeast Iowa and had little success at first. After roughly an hour, they found more morels than ever expected.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was just nonstop as we were walking,\u201d Johnson said to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehawkeye.com\/story\/news\/2022\/05\/11\/mushroom-hunters-find-200-pounds-morels-lee-county-iowa\/9704360002\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Hawk Eye<\/a>, a local newspaper. \u201cWe\u2019d just see four or five here and then take a few steps and see more. It was continuous.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>After six full hours of mushroom hunting, the two men collected 130 pounds of morel mushrooms. They posted about their success in\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/173958756639595\/permalink\/988461031856026\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Morel Reports of Southeast Iowa\u2019s Facebook Group<\/a>.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.outdoorlife.com\/survival\/iowa-morel-hunters\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Read the full story here.<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>The Landowner and One Hunter From the Viral \u201cI Own the F*cking Land\u201d Video Are Charged with Misdemeanors<\/h3>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<p><div class=\"youtube-embed\" data-video_id=\"rLR9YqcVpNs\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Crazy Hunter Harassment Duck Hunting In North Dakota (Game Warden Involved!)\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/rLR9YqcVpNs?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>The latest chapter of the wild confrontation between a North Dakota landowner and a group of duck hunters involves a few misdemeanor charges, an ongoing investigation, and an accusation from the landowner\u2019s son that the hunters edited out certain parts of the\u00a0<a target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.outdoorlife.com\/hunting\/i-own-land-duck-hunting-video\/\" rel=\"noopener\">video<\/a>\u00a0before posting it to their YouTube channel.<\/p>\n<p>Bismarck landowner Jeffrey Erman approached the group of duck hunters hunting 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 interaction 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, both of which are Class-B misdemeanors. He was also charged with trading in special influence for offering to call off the game warden for half the price of the hunters\u2019 fine. Trading in special influence is a Class-A misdemeanor. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.outdoorlife.com\/hunting\/landowner-and-duck-hunter-charged\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Read the full story here.<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>South African Crew Catches Second Biggest Atlantic Blue Marlin Ever<\/h3>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\" data-dimension=\"portrait\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.outdoorlife.com\/uploads\/2022\/05\/20\/752dd001-04d8-4de7-bbc8-f35397e3e372.jpg\" alt=\"The 15 Craziest Outdoor Stories and Videos of 2022\" class=\"wp-image-192540\"\/><figcaption>One of the biggest blue marlin caught in decades. <i>Ryan Williamson photo<\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>South African citrus farmer Ben Vorster, 50, was fishing aboard the 37-foot Bertram charter boat Smoker with renowned Capt. Ryan \u201cRoo\u201d Williamson the morning of May 19 when he hooked into one of the biggest Atlantic blue marlin ever caught on a rod and reel. After only a 30-minute fight Vorster brought the fish to the boat. Back at the marina, the marlin was placed on a digital scale, where it officially weighed in at 1,370 pounds. It measured 12.6 feet in length with a 6.6-foot girth, and the fish\u2019s tail fin alone was nearly three feet across. It\u2019s the second heaviest blue marlin ever caught from the Atlantic. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.outdoorlife.com\/fishing\/giant-blue-marlin-caught-african-coast\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Read the full story here.<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Iguana Hunter Kills Giant Invasive Lizards in Florida<\/h3>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" data-dimension=\"square\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.outdoorlife.com\/uploads\/2022\/02\/24\/274257439_1412768145842889_1581703753368073539_n-1-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"The 15 Craziest Outdoor Stories and Videos of 2022\" class=\"wp-image-179838\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.outdoorlife.com\/uploads\/2022\/02\/24\/274257439_1412768145842889_1581703753368073539_n-1-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.outdoorlife.com\/uploads\/2022\/02\/24\/274257439_1412768145842889_1581703753368073539_n-1-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.outdoorlife.com\/uploads\/2022\/02\/24\/274257439_1412768145842889_1581703753368073539_n-1-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.outdoorlife.com\/uploads\/2022\/02\/24\/274257439_1412768145842889_1581703753368073539_n-1-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.outdoorlife.com\/uploads\/2022\/02\/24\/274257439_1412768145842889_1581703753368073539_n-1.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>A happy Kimmel crew of iguana hunters. <i>Mike Kimmel<\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Florida lists iguanas as an invasive species that can be hunted year-round with no limit. And that\u2019s where iguana hunter Mike Kimmel and his Drahthaar, Otto, come to the rescue. Kimmel has been hunting iguanas for about a decade, and in recent years he\u2019s been hired to eliminate lizards in municipalities, on golf courses, residential properties, and anywhere else they become a nuisance.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve definitely had a positive impact on removing iguanas from cities, parks, and private properties,\u201d says Kimmell, 33, who operates Martin County Trapping &amp; Wildlife Rescue. \u201cBut the large and winding canal system in South Florida is loaded with iguanas, and that\u2019s where I take paying hunters for a day of environmental cleanup.\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.outdoorlife.com\/conservation\/florida-iguana-invasion\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Read the full story here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>Video: Colorado Man Wakes Up to Discover a Mountain Lion Eating an Elk on His Front Porch<\/h3>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<p><div class=\"youtube-embed\" data-video_id=\"D-E3h8kqHUk\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Colorado Man Wakes Up to Discover a Mountain Lion Eating an Elk on His Front Porch\" width=\"696\" height=\"522\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/D-E3h8kqHUk?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Charles Zelenka has lived in his Colorado home for 17 years, during which he\u2019s watched deer, bears, elk, bighorn sheep, and even the occasional moose stroll through his half-acre yard. That\u2019s why, when he woke up around 2 a.m. on Jan. 4 to a loud banging noise outside his Glenwood Springs house, he figured it was the usual bears trying to break into his bear-proof dumpster.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was just about ready to turn and go out the door, and a mountain lion popped up from underneath this thing,\u201d Zelenka says. \u201cSo I grabbed my phone\u2014I\u2019m in my skivvies, I\u2019ve just gotten out of bed\u2014and start recording.\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.outdoorlife.com\/adventure\/video-colorado-man-discovers-mountain-lion-eating-elk-porch\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Read the full story here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>Watch: Hooked Mako Shark Goes Airborne, Jumps into Fishing Boat<\/h3>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-captioned=\"\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/ChzrSMiNL99\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\" style=\" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);\"\/>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.necn.com\/news\/local\/maine-shark-video\/2824410\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">NECN News<\/a>, Capt. Dave Sinclair of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.divefishmaine.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Sea Ventures Charters<\/a> was running the boat when the crew hooked into the mako roughly 15 to 20 miles from Monhegan Island. His 15-year-old grandson Cameron was the one holding onto the rod. <\/p>\n<p>When the short video begins, Cameron is already doing battle with the mako shark. His rod is jammed into a fighting belt. As he cranks on the reel, the mako launches high into the air, does a backflip and lands with a splash.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOh, shit!\u201d everyone on board says in unison. \u201cDid you get that?\u201d one of the anglers on deck asks the person filming the video, who appears to be up in the tuna tower. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.outdoorlife.com\/fishing\/mako-shark-jumps-into-boat\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Read the full story here.<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Anglers in Texas Catch Rare Melanistic Alligator Gar<\/h3>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-facebook wp-block-embed-facebook\"\/>\n<p>Two anglers managed to catch a rare melanistic alligator gar in a southeast Texas marsh on May 15.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/teeeeerell\/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Terrell Maguire<\/a>\u00a0is the angler who hooked the fish, and fishing guide\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/crustinjordan\/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Justin Jourdan<\/a>\u00a0was able to snag a few pictures and post them to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/permalink.php?story_fbid=134815785794537&amp;id=104837052125744\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Lotus Guide Service\u2019s Facebook page<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The fish was an average-sized alligator gar at about 5-feet long, but it\u2019s the jet-black coloration that makes it truly special. Melanistic gar are especially rare. Wildlife biologists aren\u2019t quite sure how many exist, and many anglers will go a lifetime without seeing one.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWell\u2026 me and Terrell found out melanistic gar do exist yesterday,\u201d wrote Jourdan in the Facebook post, which received thousands of shares and hundreds of comments. Jordan and Meyer returned the fish to the marsh after catching it.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.outdoorlife.com\/fishing\/anglers-in-texas-catch-rare-melanistic-alligator-gar\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Read the full story here.<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Largest Python Ever Captured in Florida Is Nearly 18 Feet Long<\/h3>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\" data-dimension=\"landscape\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1744\" src=\"https:\/\/www.outdoorlife.com\/uploads\/2022\/06\/21\/Conservancy-of-Southwest-Florida-willdife-biologists-with-a-female-Burmese-python-weighing-215-pounds-97.5-kg-located-by-tracking-a-male-scout-snake-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"The biggest python ever captured in Florida.\" class=\"wp-image-197922\"\/><figcaption>Conservancy of Southwest Florida researchers with the record-breaking female Burmese python captured in December. From right: Ian Bartoszek, Ian Easterling, and intern Kyle Findley. <i>Courtesy of the Conservancy of Southwest Florida<\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Researchers with the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/conservancy.org\/our-work\/science\/invasive-species\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Conservancy of Southwest Florida<\/a>\u00a0have captured the largest Burmese python ever recorded in the state. It took three people to carry the massive snake, which weighed a jaw-dropping 215 pounds and measured 17 feet, 7 inches in length.<\/p>\n<p>Ian Bartoszek, Ian Easterling, and Kyle Findley were part of the Conservancy\u2019s python-tracking team that found the snake in December. The giant female easily breaks their previous record for the biggest python ever caught in Florida, which weighed 185 pounds. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.outdoorlife.com\/conservation\/biggest-python-florida\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Read the full story here.<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Professional Walleye Anglers Caught Stuffing Fish with Weights During a Tournament on Lake Erie<\/h3>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Serious Controversy in Pro fishing tournament as multiple-time winners caught stuffing lead weights and other fish filets in their fish to have the heaviest catch to win hundreds of thousands in prizes. <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Sxqeo2XC0K\" rel=\"noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/Sxqeo2XC0K<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Billy (@Billyhottakes) <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Billyhottakes\/status\/1576246821139070976?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"noopener\">October 1, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>A professional walleye fishing tournament on Lake Erie ended in pandemonium on Sept. 30 when the leading team was caught cheating during the weigh-in. Professional anglers Chase Cominksy, of Hermitage, Pennsylvania, and Jake Runyan, of Cleveland, Ohio, were declared the winners of the Lake Erie Walleye Trail until tournament director Jason Fischer became suspicious of their bulging walleye, which seemed unusually heavy for their size. Cutting open the fish in front of the crowd, Fischer discovered that each of them had been stuffed with lead weights. The incident sparked an investigation by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and Cleveland Metroparks, and Fischer told the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/10\/02\/us\/fishing-tournament-cheating-scandal-lake-erie.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">New York Times<\/a> over the weekend that all evidence had been turned over to the proper authorities. The anglers were eventually charged with felonies. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.outdoorlife.com\/fishing\/anglers-charged-for-cheating\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Read the full story here.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js#xfbml=1&amp;version=v3.2\" id=\"facebook-js-js\"><\/script><script async=\"1\" defer crossorigin=\"anonymous\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js#xfbml=1&amp;version=v15.0\" nonce=\"d5h5Q5oC\"><\/script><script async=\"1\" defer crossorigin=\"anonymous\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js#xfbml=1&amp;version=v15.0\" nonce=\"nC0XlqOm\"><\/script><script async defer src=\"https:\/\/platform.instagram.com\/en_US\/embeds.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.outdoorlife.com\/survival\/craziest-outdoor-stories-2022\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Outdoor Life has a long history of covering the weirdest, wildest, and most outrageous stories in the outdoors. There was plenty to write about in 2022 in news of the weird. An Ohio Mayor said that ice fishing could lead to prostitution, a shed hunter captured gut-wrenching photos of a dying deer that was half-eaten [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":612,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-611","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-gun-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/americangunpeople.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/611","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/americangunpeople.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/americangunpeople.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americangunpeople.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americangunpeople.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=611"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/americangunpeople.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/611\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americangunpeople.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/612"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/americangunpeople.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=611"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americangunpeople.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=611"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americangunpeople.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=611"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}