Last weekend was awesome as I got to do a seminar on the Ladybird Lake deaths at Texas Frightmare Weekend. We appreciate their support of this media platform.
This is all about raising awareness and keeping people safe in the great outdoors. We featured a Missing in the Wild segment in every episode. This week is the case of Vincent Beradi from the Fort Worth area who went missing in the Davy Crockett National Forest.
Just when you thought things couldn’t get stranger in the Texas wild, it gets strange.
Madison County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the death and mutilation of cattle along TX-OSR.
“Ranchers advised a 6-year-old longhorn-cross cow had been found lying on her side, deceased, and mutilated on their ranch.
A straight, clean cut, with apparent precision, had been made to remove the hide around the cow’s mouth on one side, leaving the meat under the removed hide untouched. The tongue was also completely removed from the body with no blood spill.
It was noted there were no signs of struggle and the grass around the cow was undisturbed. No footprints or tire tracks were noted in the area.”
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Join Higher Calling Wildlife founder and Dark Outdoors host Chester Moore as he interviews veteran and outdoors lover Lucas Pelt who experienced a very serious cottonmouth bite. Learn how it happened and the experience Pelt had in the aftermath.
In our Dark Outdoors defense segment, we check in with renowned snake venom expert Dr. Spencer Greene and learn what to do if you do get bitten by a snake.
Oh, and we also cover what NOT to do.
The outdoors is a place of serenity and beauty but at times the outdoors experience goes dark. And it can go dark quickly for someone experiencing a venomous snake bite.
A few weeks ago, we put out the word for free-ranging elk photos in the Texas Hill Country.
This is the first shot we got. It’s from Kennth Johnson and he got this near Rock Springs, TX.
Reader Rpy Heiderman photographed this elk near Utopia, TX.
If you have photos of free-ranging elk anywhere in Texas, email me at chester@chestermoore.com. I’d love to share the photos with others.
SFA Student Wins 2022 Tony Houseman Conservation Legacy Award
Borel is studying forestry with a wildlife management concentration.
“It’s such an honor and privilege to receive this award,” Borel said.
“I want to make an impact for wildlife and also get young people involved in conservation, hunting and fishing. This award inspires me to push even harder toward those goals.”
Borel has contributed online articles to fishgame.com and has a feature entitled “Why This College Girl Huns” in the Sept/Oct. edition of Texas Fish & Game.
Emily Odom was inspired by her 2020 turkey release experience. She began doing conservation art for Higher Calling Wildlife and won the 2021 Tony Houseman Conservation Legacy Award.
The award is given annually by Higher Calling Wildlife®, founded by Chester Moore.
“Tony Houseman was a mentor of mine at a very young age. I met him when I was 20 and he made a tremendous impact on me and my career. This honor is for his long-standing legacy of conservation and helps give young people going above and beyond the call of duty a boost to carry on in what can be very hard work,” Moore said.
Borel is the third recipient of the award and was chosen because of her heart for serving and conservation.
“Grades are wonderful. Academics are important and she has those but then there is heart and commitment on top of that. We watched Amber not only serve relentlessly helping some projects we did with young children and wildlife but also write a book about shark conservation she wants to give to kids. She’s a special young lady and me and my wife Lisa are honored to know her,” Moore said.
Tony Houseman was a dedicated conservationist who at different times served as president of the @houstonsafariclubfoundation and Dallas Safari Club. He helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for conservation work across North America and Africa.
His last major hunt was a “green hunt” to extract DNA from a white rhino for conservation purposes, which is why the award itself is a bronze rhinoceros.
Higher Calling Wildlife® is proud that Amber Borel is the third recipient of the Tony Houseman Conservation Legacy Award.
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In a rare sighting, a majestic black tiger was spotted in Odisha’s Similipal National Park according to India Times.
The tiger was seen marking its territory, leaving scratch marks on a tree in the 15-second clip posted on Twitter on the occasion of International Tigers Day. The clip was posted by Indian Forest Service Officer Susanta Nanda. He wrote in the caption, “Sharing an interesting clip of a rare melanistic tiger marking its territory on international Tigers day.”
I was blown away at this news.
You can see an image from the photo in this screen shot from the man who captured the video footage’s Twitter account.
Tiger color phases have intrigued me for years since my friend renown wildlife artist Bill Rebsamen showed me prints he did of both a melanistic (black) tiger and a blue tiger. We’ll get to the blue in another story later this fall.
I had this image from Bill Rebsamen on my wall for years but lost it during a Hurricane.
This tiger isn’t fully melanistic but it’s the first image captured like this for years-at least that I am aware of.
It’s interesting this video comes as India’s tiger population is on the rise. Much work has been done with habitat connectivity with neighboring countries and overall protection from poaching.
Will increasing numbers mean we see more of these and other color phases?
It’s fascinating and as a big fan of this species I’m excited.
Dark Outdoors Podcast; Shark Numbers Rising! New Tech To Deter Shark Attacks
In episode four of Dark Outdoors, host Chester Moore digs deep into the rising shark numbers in the Gulf of Mexico, shark attacks and shark deterrent technology.
*Which shark species are on the rise and how sharks are a vital part of the ecosystem
*The truth about the bull shark’s attitude
*Which species never gets mentioned on top shark attacks list, but is really just below the bull shark.
*What caused a massive great white to turn away when encountering a surfer.
*How Shark Banz is giving many more confidence in shark infested waters.
Plus much, much more
Dark Outdoors is brought to you by the following:
*Texas Frightmare Weekend, The Southwest’s Premier Horror Convention and Film Festival.
*Hog Hunt USA-A Forthcoming App For Hog Hunting
*Texas Fish & Game magazine
Searching For TX Hill Country Elk
In an article at Texas Fish & Game last week, I discussed the history of elk in East Texas and put the word out for photos and accounts of elk in that region.
This week we’re looking at elk in the Hill Country.
A study by Richardson B. Gill, Christopher Gill, Reeda Peel, and Javier Vasquez gives a deep look at Texas elk history, including in the Panhandle and Hill Country.
The earliest recorded sighting of elk in Texas occurred in 1601 according to the authors. The Spanish governor of New Mexico, don Juan de Oñate, embarked on an exploration of lands to the northeast of Santa Fe.
“This river [the Canadian] is thickly covered on all sides with these cattle [bison] and with another not less wonderful, consisting of deer which are as large as large horses. They travel in droves of two and three hundred and their deformity causes one to wonder whether they are deer or some other animal.”
I’m looking for photographic evidence of free-ranging elk in the Texas Hill Country. If you have photos email chester@chestermoore.com.
Wild Sheep Foundation Providing $1.22 Million In Grants
The Wild Sheep Foundation (WSF) Board of Directors has approved funding for its FY2022-23 slate of Grant-in-Aid projects.
WSF will be contributing $1,222,637.00 toward 14 projects that in total will exceed $5 million to benefit wild sheep populations across North America. This Conservation Grant funding is one component of the expected $6 Million in mission program funding WSF will direct this fiscal year.
“As the trusted facilitator for raising and directing funds for wild sheep conservation, we receive a number of grant requests,” explained Gray N. Thornton, President, and CEO of the Wild Sheep Foundation.
“This means a lot of agencies, universities, individuals, and other conservation partners are focusing on wild sheep, which is a good thing. We’re excited about this level of commitment and the quality of projects these experts have identified and brought forth.”
The project submission period was July 2022. WSF’s Conservation Staff conducted the initial review of funding requests received, followed by an independent review by WSF’s Professional Resource Advisory Board.
Final funding recommendations were made to the WSF Board of Directors, giving special consideration to funding requests submitted by or through its network of 36 Chapters and Affiliates.
Funding was awarded to a diversity of projects spanning from British Columbia to Mexico, focusing on:
• Population Restoration – Trap & Transplants, GPS Radio Collaring • Habitat Enhancement – Water Development, Prescribed Burns • Disease Management – Test & Remove, Pathogen Surveillance “This level of funding would not be possible without the unwavering generosity of our membership, industry partners, Chapters and Affiliates, and other wild sheep enthusiasts,” Thornton concluded.
Over the past ten years WSF has invested over $50 million in wild sheep conservation funding.
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A woman claims she spotted a mysterious animal resembling the long-extinct Tasmanian Tiger while out on a bush walk with her son and sister according to a report in The Daily Mail.
Jessie Milde was on the hike in Belair National Park in the Adelaide Hills, South Australia, when her family noticed a strange animal ‘lolloping’ around.
Ms Milde first thought the creature was either a ‘weird looking kangaroo’ or a ‘really scraggy looking dog’ but her sister was convinced it was a Tasmanian Tiger.
The thylacine has been considered extinct since the 1930s although a fair amount of reports exist.
They are without question in my opinion the most intriguing of possibly still alive-considered extinct creatures. The video (linked above) is interesting, but what interests me more is there seems to be an uptick in sightings and possible videos in recent years.
My good friend Todd Jurasek has made several expeditions into Australia and New Guinea. He believes there is a high chance of thylacines still existing.
“I think there are definitely still some thylacine living in Australia and Tasmania,” he said.
Sept. 13 Higher Calling Wildlife the podcast and this blog will begin a three-part series on mysterious wildlife. The thylacine will be the subject of one of these episodes. We will also cover the ivory-billed woodpecker, blue and black tigers and some other obscure animals.
It’s going to be a fun fall with super cool topics.
Defending Against Guys Likes This In The Great Outdoors
In this epic, hour-long episode, Dark Outdoors host Chester Moore dives into the iconic unsolved Moonlight Murders and the Phantom Killer made famous in 1976’s classic “The Town That Dreaded Sundown”.
The Phantom Killer as portrayed by Bud Davis in The Town That Dreaded Sundown.
This show examines how the phantom operated and compares it to dangers lurking today in sububan forest areas from similar predators.
It begins with a personal brush with danger from me and then goes into an interview with John Tennison, a cousin once removed from one of the chief Phantom killer suspects.
Hear a super rare and historic revelation of an eyewitness to seeing a white-masked figure in the night of Texarkana during the Phantom’s reign of terror.
We also interview Pamula Pierce Barcelou, daughter of “The Town that Dreaded Sundown” director Charles B. Pierce. She shares fascinating insight into this cult classic and her Dad’s role creating it nearly 50 years ago.
And learn why we should be super cautious in urban and suburan parks, greenbelts and forests.
The San Francisco Mountains south of the Arizona border in Sonora, MX, barely receive 3” of annual precipitation according to officials with The Wild Sheep Foundation.
WSF Photo
WSF, along with $10,000 from the Dallas Safari Club Foundation, has contributed $82,500 to drill a well to supply water to local people and provide a close and reliable water source for transport to fill water tanks for desert bighorn sheep and other desert-dwelling wildlife.
Before this well, water had to be trucked daily 30 miles to supply the 78 families living in the area according to WSF reports.
For nearly 25 years, residents have worked to conserve and re-populate desert bighorn sheep in this ejido. As a result of their program’s success, desert bighorn hunting on the ejido has expanded, as six permits were offered in 2020. Four of these permits were sold to generate money to pay for additional transplants of free-ranging desert bighorn sheep.
The big increase in bear sightings across my native state of Texas inspired Higher Calling Wildlife to focus heavily on black bears throughout our launch year of 2019.
This year there have been many more sightings, especially in West Texas. In fact, there were closures in some areas of Big Bend due to high bear activity.
This South Texas black bear photo was submitted to us by a hunter that was surprised to see this on his game camera.
In the podcast we did with Stephen F. Austin University officials, we learned in the eastern third of Texas, the best migrational routes in terms of undisturbed habitat for bears to preoccupy Texas comes from Oklahoma.
My close friend and research partner Todd Jurasek got some incredible game camera videos of black bears in the Kiamichi Mountains in Southeastern Oklahoma, showing the Sooner State has a burgeoning bear population in some areas.
Check out the clips by clicking on the links below.
People in states that have had large bear populations for decades like Oregon, Montana, and Alaska understand these animals.
But all forest-loving Americans need to become bear aware and realize these apex animals are increasing in the southern and eastern portions of the country.
Enjoy the above clips. Bear coverage in Texas and non-traditional bear states will continue.
Rogue Waves!
The latest episode of my Dark Outdoors podcast is up and it talks about dangerous rogue waves in Texas bays. You don’t want to miss hearing these firsthand testimonies of fishermen that encountered waves up to 15 feet in Texas bays.
Ever seen a 10 foot wave that went across an entire bay?
How about a 15 footer with a sheer wall that hit a 15 foot boat?
We have these stories and more from eyewitnesses/survivors, plus some information from a boating group trying to raise awareness to this growing issue.
We explain what is causing these waves and show how they can make the outdoors experience go dark-very dark.
Permit in Texas
While we’re talking about bears in Texas, we might as well talk about something unusual on the aquatic side of things.
Permit are stunning sea flats-dwelling species that get big. They are said to be the moodiest of flats slam species (includes bonefish and tarpon) and will often ignore the most perfectly placed lure or fly.
Permit are indeed present in Texas in small numbers.
Rider Colvin caught this juvenile permit while fishing with Capt. Brian Barerra in the South Padre area. Catches like this are rare in Texas.
Jared Guinn caught the Texas state record in the Gulf of Mexico in 1993. It only weighed 1.50 pounds. I’ve heard anecdotal evidence of permit close to this size caught in the Galveston Bay complex in recent years, from very informed anglers.
One of Capt. Brian Barerra’s young clients (pictured above) caught a permit in the South Padre area. It wasn’t a monster but in a very real way, it was the catch of a lifetime.
Have you ever caught a permit in Texas? We’d love to see the photo. Email photos to chester@chestermoore.com.
Gulf temperatures have been gradually warming and species like permit and even bonefish have been showing up in small numbers on the Texas Coast.
Duck Counts Are In
There has not been a duck population/pond count since 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Delta Waterfowl has put out a graphic of the numbers in comparison to the 2019 numbers (when they were counted last time). There is some interesting data here that reflects interesting trends in habitat conditions.
We will address that on an upcoming episode if the Higher Calling Wildlife® podcast and post it here.
Paul Fuzinksi of Aptitude Outdoors captured a powerful, inspiring wildlife conservation message by Higher Calling Wildlife® founder Chester Moore.
It took place at the second annual Hunt-Fish Podcast Summit.
If you love wildlife and want to do something about it future, this is a must watch.
Don’t Miss This Intense, Informative Podcast!
My new podcast Dark Outdoors has officially made its debut.
The first episode is calledApex Predators: Ted Bundy And Serial Killers in America’s Forests. And it features an interview with the New York Times best-selling author who sat across from Bundy for six months interviewing him. You can click the image below to listen.
The mission is to save lives and make people of aware of what’s really going on. The outdoors media won’t touch this stuff and mainstream media doesn’t know how to report on it from an outdoors perspective.
You can help by sharing the episode on social media.
