Conservation News

On August 28, a Texas man pleaded guilty to violating the Lacey Act after federal investigators busted an illegal duck hunting operation over a baited pond in Walker County. Richard Lee Bowers, 55, of Conroe, Texas, admitted to running paid duck hunts at Pull Two Ranch, where hunters were taking...

The Sunshine State just opened its application period for its recently revived black bear season. Last year, after a decade’s long hiatus, Florida reopened its black bear season after the state’ Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) felt the population (approximately 4,000) supported limited hunting...

We’re excited to announce the upcoming launch of our latest addition to the MeatEater Podcast Network: Gunfighters with Bryan Burrough. It’s the first collaboration between MeatEater and Bryan Burrough, an award-winning journalist at The Wall Street Journal, Vanity Fair, and Texas Monthly. Bryan is...

If you need proof that the competition for duck hunting honey holes can lead to toxic—and potentially lethal—behavior, here it is. On August 28, 2026, 23-year-old Carson McKoin of Monroe, Louisiana, was convicted in federal court for assaulting U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agents. But what’s...

A 35-year-old Wisconsin sheriff’s deputy faces four felony charges after letting his 3-year-old daughter trigger the 12-gauge shotgun blast that wounded a 40-year-old turkey-hunting mentor and the man’s 7-year-old son during April’s two-day youth-only turkey season. James D. Lehman of Union Grove...

You’ve likely seen the big news already. But if not, the USDA has officially announced its proposed rule and intention to rollback the 2001 Roadless Rule in its entirety. This means that the 44+ million acres of relatively unfragmented and still-wild national forest protected by that rule from new...

One Tennessee man recently lost his hunting privileges for life. A tip to a wildlife hotline led game wardens to Austin Hale’s home, where they found 18 deer mounts, 52 turkey beards, 84 turkey spurs, and one fan mount. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) says the vast majority of the...

Sitting on the border of Quebec and Vermont, Lake Memphremagog is one of the largest lakes in the Green Mountain State and a true angler’s paradise. With over 20 species of gamefish found in Memphremagog’s glacial waters, anglers flock to its shorelines to catch everything and anything from perch to...

The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) just announced that they’ll be moving forward to revise the existing Travel Management Rule (36 CFR 212). According to the press release, the revision “simplifies the regulatory requirements to enhance quicker local decision-making and increase access, including for...

Louisiana waterfowl hunters will have a new opportunity in the marsh this fall after the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission approved the state's first-ever experimental black-bellied whistling duck season. Announced by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, the new nine-day...

On August 18, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) has filed a proposed rule to rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule. The announcement claims the rescission is due to the fact that the rule “exacerbates rising wildfire risk.” The Wildfire...

There’s good news for the conservation of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness—but will it last? Earlier this week, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz issued an executive order to enhance the protection of the Boundary Waters. The order is particularly concerned with mining leases and permitting in...