HuntingSeason — The Friday Hunting Briefing

HUNTINGSEASON

Your Friday Hunting Briefing

Issue #19 • June 25, 2026 • View in browser

🎯 The Bargain Blind

38% off

Cabela's Commercial-Grade Butcher Kit

$79.99 $129.99 38% off

Thirty-eight percent off a butcher kit is the kind of deal that actually changes behavior — this is the price point where guys who've always meant to process their own deer finally pull the trigger. Commercial-grade knives, saw, and everything else you need to go from field to freezer without paying a processor $150 a deer. Stock is the same price it's been since the sale started, so no urgency theater here — just a genuinely good price on a useful kit.

Grab This Deal →

📰 Field Report

• Oregon's Hunt-Fish Ban Is Seven Days From the Ballot — And Getting Closer — Initiative Petition 28, which would effectively turn Oregon into a no-kill sanctuary state, is in its final push to gather enough signatures before a July 2 deadline. Every major state politician is now publicly distancing themselves from it, which tells you something about how this would poll — but that doesn't mean it goes away quietly.

• Michigan Bills Could Open Great Lakes Walleye and Lake Trout to Commercial Netters — House Bills 5801 and 5802 would loosen long-standing restrictions on commercial fishing in Michigan, potentially allowing netters to target walleye and lake trout in the Great Lakes. Anglers are understandably alarmed — these are the same species that took decades of conservation work to rebuild.

• Minnesota Legislature Diverts Conservation Lottery Funds — A Bad Precedent — Minnesota voters created the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund in 1988 specifically to keep conservation money insulated from legislative politics. The state legislature just undermined that, and the long-term implications for habitat and wildlife funding are worth paying attention to.

• Tick Activity Is at Peak Levels in Ohio Right Now — Public health officials are reporting a significant spike in tick-related ER visits and Lyme disease cases across Ohio, with blacklegged deer ticks now documented in 61 of the state's counties. If you're doing any summer scouting in the region, check yourself — and your dog.

• MeatEater Ep. 893: AI Misinformation Is Now a Wildlife News Problem — Rinella and the crew dig into how AI-generated fake wildlife stories are spreading online and muddying the information hunters rely on. They also cover the killing of a 'protected' Colorado wolf and a $6 million marlin out of the Big Rock tournament, which is exactly as insane as it sounds.

• American Prairie's Bison Restoration Effort Is Bigger Than Most People Realize — Scott Heidebrink, Director of Landscape Stewardship at American Prairie, walks through the organization's on-the-ground work to return bison and native wildlife to the Great Plains at scale. Whether or not you agree with the rewilding approach, the scope of what they're attempting is worth understanding.

• 18 Pistol Caliber Carbines Tested Head-to-Head — Outdoor Life put 18 PCCs through a thorough evaluation covering price range, configuration, and real-world performance — useful reading if you've been eyeing one for hunting camp defense or small game. The range from budget to premium is wide, and the results aren't always what you'd expect.

🔍 The Watch List

Cabela's

Hawk Big Denali 2-Man Ladder Stand

$279.98 20% off

Cabela's

Millennium Solo Buck Hut Shooting Blind with Tower

$649.98 13% off

Optics Planet

Vortex Venom Enclosed 1x Reflex Micro Red Dot Sight, 3 MOA

$155.30 Use code: HUMB

MidwayUSA

Last Chance Archery Archer's Workbench Mat

$34.49 11% off

🎧 Trail Tested

Ep. 892: Ryan Callaghan on Public Lands and Conservation — MeatEater Podcast

Callaghan, now President and CEO of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, is one of the more clear-eyed voices in conservation — he talks about coalition building without the usual political noise, and gets into real policy specifics like the Roadless Rule and corner crossing. Worth an hour if you care about keeping public land public, which, given what's happening in Oregon and Minnesota right now, feels timely.

Ep. 1047: Affordable Habitat Projects That Actually Work — Back 40 Podcast

This one cuts through the food plot fantasy content — no $10,000 equipment lists, just practical stuff like bedding cover, travel corridors, and screening your access routes on a real budget. If you have ground and want to do something useful with it this summer, this is a better use of 45 minutes than doom-scrolling gear reviews.

The Gutless Approach to Venison Processing — Deer & Deer Hunting

A clean, straightforward walkthrough of the gutless method — faster field dressing, less mess, and you don't need to drag a whole deer out of the woods. Pairs well with that butcher kit deal above.

🌱 Planting This Week

Late June is the closing bell for warm-season annuals in most of the country. If lablab is on your food plot list, this weekend isn't the time to hesitate — planting windows are shutting down fast, especially up north.

Lablab (North)

May 15 – June 30

You're at the wire — get seed in the ground this week or skip it; lablab needs at least 60–90 days to reach its full browse potential before early fall.

Lablab (Mid)

May 1 – June 30

Same urgency applies in the mid-South transition zone — inoculate seed before planting to maximize nitrogen fixation and early growth rate.

Lablab (South)

April 1 – June 30

Southern growers still have a few days of buffer, but soil temps and summer heat stress mean earlier is better; aim for 1-inch depth in well-drained soil.

Get personalized planting alerts for your property.

Map Your Property →

👋 The Sign-Off

"Go afield with a good attitude, with respect for the wildlife you hunt and for the forest and fields in which you walk. Immerse yourself in the outdoor experience. It will cleanse your soul and make you a better person." — Fred Bear

That's the week. Oregon bears watching, the butcher kit is worth grabbing, and if you've been putting off that lablab plot — this weekend is genuinely your last chance in most of the country. See you next Friday.

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