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Giant salmon found in Sacramento River
Biologists discovered the carcass of a fall Chinook salmon on a tributary of the Sacramento River last week that if found alive could have been bigger than the current California state record.
Read complete story from the Siskiyou Daily News

'Coon dog, new owner win championship
Nathan Martin, 16, and Tide, a 2-year-old bluetick coonhound, defeated 92 other young hunters and their dogs from throughout the nation to win the youth division of the Professional Kennel Club's coon hunting world championship last weekend in Aurora, Ky. Martin won a $4,000 college scholarship.
Read complete story from Alabama's TimesDaily

Mich. deer baiting complaints rolling in
Not everyone has abided by the state's ban on baiting during this year's deer hunting season, a fact reflected in both local and statewide records. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources received 18 complaints in Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska and Leelanau counties to tip off officials to deer baiters, officials said.
Read complete story from the Traverse City Record-Eagle

Rainbow trout return to Blue River
After a long drought, Colorado anglers may once again soon be hooking feisty rainbow trout in the Blue River. Hoping to rebuild wild populations of the popular game fish, the Colorado Division of Wildlife this week planted about 20,000 trout at three different spots along the Lower Blue north of Silverthorne.
Read complete story from Colorado's SummitDaily.com

ND pantries to accept only archery-killed deer
A North Dakota program that distributes venison to the needy will accept only deer killed with arrows, fearing that firearm-shot meat may contain lead fragments.
Read complete story from The Associated Press

'Coon dogs rescued from cave
After 12 days trapped in a cold, damp Smyth County, Va., cave, 'coon dogs Chance and his sister, Dancer, are back home in Castlewood, dug free by a backhoe on tracks Saturday.
Read complete story from SWVAToday.com

Park County ranch owner takes plea, fined in bison slaughter
Texas businessman Jeffrey Scott Hawn, who engineered the slaughter of 32 bison belonging to South Park rancher Monte Downare, today pleaded guilty to one count of criminal mischief and one count of cruelty to animals in Park County District Court.
Read complete story from the Denver Post

Feds propose much fewer snowmobiles in Yellowstone
A cap on snowmobile use in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks would be lowered by 40 percent under a federal proposal released Monday in response to a judge's rejection of earlier plans.
Read complete story from NVDaily.com

Mexico City's 'water monster' nears extinction
Beneath the tourist gondolas in the remains of a great Aztec lake lives a creature that resembles a monster — and a Muppet — with its slimy tail, plumage-like gills and mouth that curls into an odd smile. The axolotl, also known as the "water monster" and the "Mexican walking fish," was a key part of Aztec legend and diet. Against all odds, it survived until now amid Mexico City's urban sprawl in the polluted canals of Lake Xochimilco, now a Venice-style destination for revelers poled along by Mexican gondoliers, or trajineros, in brightly painted party boats. But scientists are racing to save the foot-long salamander from extinction, a victim of the draining of its lake habitat and deteriorating water quality. In what may be the final blow, nonnative fish introduced into the canals are eating its lunch — and its babies.
Read complete story from NVDaily.com

10,000 endangered turtle eggs seized in Malaysia
Malaysian marine police say they have seized 10,000 endangered turtle eggs believed to be from the Philippines.
Read complete story from The Associated Press

Archer bags potential record 'Field & Stream' buck
Bob Decker of Eau Claire, Wis., shot this a buck believed to be made famous this fall in a video on Field and Stream's Web site. Experts believe the buck might challenge the typical world record.
Read complete story from Wisconsin Leader-Telegram

Rifle maker bounces boss who supports Obama
Montana gunsmith Dan Cooper has been ousted as chief executive of the rifle company that bears his name after pressure from gun owners who are angry that he is supporting Democrat Barack Obama.
Read complete story from USA Today

Boy fills buck tag from bus stop
Eli Wolfe was not half asleep at his school bus stop outside Camas Valley, Ore. With a blacktail deer tag in his pocket, the 14-year-old peered into the brightening morning light in hopes of seeing a buck in his outdoor surroundings.
Read complete story from Oregon's NRToday.com

Teen turkey hunter handcuffed
A turkey-stalking juvenile dressed in camouflaged clothing and carrying a hunting knife was handcuffed by police on Wednesday, Oct. 29.
Read complete story from New Hampshire's seacoastonline.com

Hunter shoots grizzly bear
A Coram, Mont., man shot a charging grizzly bear near Marias Pass on Monday, and state wardens have determined it was in legitimate self-defense.
Read complete story from DailyInterLake.com

Have gun, will travel: economy only grazes hunting
In the heart of South Dakota's pheasant-hunting country, license sales have been strong this fall despite gasoline prices near $3 a gallon and a looming recession. Ditto for hunting license sales in New York, Utah and Colorado. The leading retailers of outdoor gear, meanwhile, say sales of shotguns, ammunition and warm camouflage clothes aren't too bad considering the economy's headwinds.
Read complete story from The Associated Press

Cheetahs on plane: Animal gets loose in cargo hold
A Delta baggage worker got a bit of a fright before Halloween when she opened a jetliner's cargo door and found a cheetah running loose amid the luggage. Two cheetahs were being flown in the cargo area of a Boeing 757 passenger flight from Portland, Ore., to Atlanta on Thursday when one escaped from its cage, Delta spokeswoman Betsy Talton said Friday.
Read complete story from The Associated Press

New England town struggles to preserve fishing
When Arthur Sawyer was a teenager, fishing boats packed Gloucester harbor, and all you had to do to land a job on the waterfront was ask. On a late fall afternoon 40 years later, Sawyer's boat, Miss Carla, was one of the few working vessels around.
Read complete story from The Associated Press

Daughter to officers: Daddy lied
A man was cited after a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officer stopped his boat for a safety equipment inspection and asked if he'd been fishing. The man, who was with his 7-year-old daughter, said that he'd just bought the boat and was "trying it out."
Read complete story from nwfdailynews.com

Bear killed out of worry for trick-or-treaters
Wildlife officials in Alaska have killed a 200-pound black bear that was raiding garbage in a home driveway while children were trick-or-treating in the Anchorage neighborhood on Halloween.
Read complete story from The Associated Press