By WLBT.com StaffPublished: Jun. 23, 2021 at 7:16 AM PDT|Updated: 7 hours ago
JEFFERSON CO., Miss. (WLBT) – Jefferson County deputies have arrested and charged two men with burglary.
Investigators say Johnny Jackson and Patrick Kelly stole major appliances, including a stove, refrigerator, hot water tank, televisions, and barbecue grill from Woodburn Hunting Camp.
The camp is a cabin-like home where hunters stay when they go to the area to hunt deer.
Deputies say the deer camp’s owner recently reported missing items to Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department.ADVERTISEMENT
Authorities say doughnuts from a local store were the key to a sweet plan to capture a large black bear that had been spotted wandering near downtown Natchez.By Associated Press|June 11, 2021, at 9:33 a.m.Share
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NATCHEZ, Miss. (AP) — Doughnuts from a local store were the key to capturing a large black bear that had been spotted wandering near downtown Natchez — he couldn’t resist them, authorities said.
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“He loved those doughnuts,” said Karren Holland Ewing of the Adams County Sheriff’s Office. “We gave him a few early on to make sure he stayed close.”
Officials with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife and Fisheries whisked the bear out of town quickly before people came out for their morning strolls Thursday and potentially agitated the trapped bear, she said.
He was being relocated to wooded area, authorities said.
Male Wild Turkey in display. (Source: National Park Service Photo / Rachel Ames)
By Jacob Gallant|August 27, 2020 at 4:11 PM CDT – Updated August 27 at 4:27 PM
BROOKHAVEN, Miss. (WLBT) – A federal grand jury charged four Mississippi men with illegally hunting turkeys.
The four men: Kenneth Britt of Wesson, Tony Smith of Wesson, Barney Bairfield of Brookhaven and Dustin Treadway of Brookhaven, face federal charges after investigators say they traveled across the country and illegally hunted turkeys.
The four are accused of traveling to Kansas and Nebraska–states where they were not licensed to hunt–and leaving trophy spurs and beards of over 25 wild turkeys.
The legal limit for killing turkeys in Kansas is two per person.
It is against federal laws to transport wildlife across state lines if killed against state law.
Britt also faces a felony of lying to a federal law enforcement officer, while Smith is accused of killing red-shouldered hawks, which is a violation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
if guilty, Britt faces a total of seven years in prison and a $450,000 fine. Smith faces two and a half years in prison and a $215,000 fine. Bairfield faces three years in prison and a $300,000 fine, and Treadway faces a year in prison and a $100,000 fine.
“The fine sportsmen and women of this state can rest assured that, nationwide, conservation enforcement agencies, along with Agents of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, will continue working together to stop the thievery and abuse of our valuable natural resources,” Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks Colonel Steve Adcock said.
Photo courtesy of the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, & Parks.
(WXXV) — The 2020 Public Waters Alligator Hunting Season opens at 12 p.m. noon on Friday, August 28. The season will be open for 10 days and will close at 12 p.m. noon on Monday, September 7.
A total of 986 permits in seven hunting zones across the state were offered in two random drawings. During the June application period, the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, & Parks (MDWFP) received 5,548 requests for alligator hunting permits.
This is the 16th year of public waterway alligator hunting in Mississippi and wildlife officials expect over 3,000 people will participate with permitted hunters. 922 alligators were harvested during the 2019 season.
“Mississippi is anticipating possible tropical weather impacts during the opening weekend, but forecasts are for more favorable weather to follow during the 10-day hunting season,” MDWFP Alligator Program Coordinator Ricky Flynt said. “Permitted hunters should always remain weather aware and not take unnecessary risks.” MDWFP encourages all participants to maintain proper boating safety and wear PFDs when boats are underway.
All persons 16 years of age or older who are in a vessel with, or assisting a permit holder, must possess a Lifetime Hunting License or an Alligator Hunting License and a valid prerequisite hunting license, which includes the following: a Mississippi Sportsman License, All-Game Hunting/Fishing License, Small Game Hunting/Fishing License, Apprentice Sportsman License, Apprentice All Game License, Apprentice Small Game License, Senior Exempt License, or Disabled Exempt License.
Applications for the 2020 Public Waters Alligator Season will be available from 10 a.m. June 1 through 10 a.m. June 8.
There are no changes to the application and drawing process from 2019. A total of 960 permits are available within seven hunting zones for the 10-day season. The 2020 season will open at noon Aug. 28 and continue through noon Sept. 7.
Permits are limited by a random drawing and an application is required. Applicants may only apply in one alligator hunting zone of their choice. Applications are accepted online at www.mdwfp.com or at any point of sale location where Mississippi hunting and fishing licenses are sold. There is a $2.34 electronic processing fee.
The first drawing will take place on June 15 at noon. Winners will be notified by email and will have until noon. June 17 to purchase their permit via an electronic link in their winning email notification. Any unpurchased permits from the first drawing will be entered in a second drawing of remaining available applicants.
The second drawing will take place on June 23 at noon. Winners will be notified by email and will have until noon June 25 to purchase their permit. A credit card or debit card and a valid email address is required to complete the online application and permit purchase.
Applicants for an alligator hunting permit must be residents of Mississippi, at least 16 years of age at the time of application or a nonresident with a Mississippi Lifetime License. Applicants must have one of the following licenses to be eligible to apply: a valid Mississippi Sportsman License, All-Game Hunting/Fishing License, Small Game Hunting/Fishing License, Apprentice Sportsman License, Apprentice All Game License, Apprentice Small Game License, Senior Exempt License, Disabled Exempt License or Lifetime License.
Hundreds of thousands of hunters go afield each year in Mississippi and most return safely home at the end of the day. However, no matter how safety-conscious hunters are, mistakes are made and things can go very wrong. Here are the stories of three hunters that are lucky to be alive.
A December 2017 deer hunt started out like most others, but within minutes became life-threatening.
“I’m 69 years old and hunted all my life,” Randy Seals of Columbia told Clarion Ledger in 2018. “I’m just a fanatic about gun safety. My dad was a Marine, so you can understand that.
“December 16, the weekend after the snow, I went out to a little green field before work. I think we had a little light snow about Wednesday of that week.”
The snow may have been light, but it provided enough weight to break branches off the pine tree that his ladder stand was leaning against.
“They had cluttered up the ground to the point I had to kick them out of the way to get to my ladder stand,” Seals said.
Seals’ .300 Winchester Short Magnum rifle was leaning against the base of the tree. Seals had attached it to a rope to safely pull the rifle up to him before he kicked the branches out of his way. Seals then climbed the 23-foot ladder and settled into the stand. When he began to pull his rifle up with the rope, something odd happened.
“When I started pulling it up, I don’t know what happened,” Seals said. “When I started pulling it up I heard a bell ring. I’m sure there was a bang and a boom, but I just remember that bell ringing.”
Seals couldn’t figure out what had happened until he looked down at his rifle. The bolt was half open and smoke was coming out of it. He saw a slit in his right boot and discovered his left leg would not work. It had been mauled by a bullet. The ringing sound he heard was the bullet striking the metal tree stand.
Seals managed to climb out of the stand and used the pull rope attached to the rifle as a tourniquet to slow the bleeding. He called 911 and then friends and family.
Once in the hospital doctors found that not only was Seal’s left leg almost severed at the calf, the bullet had first hit his right foot and blew his big toe off.
Seals recovered after several surgeries, procedures and physical therapy, but how the incident happened is somewhat a mystery.
Seals said evidence suggests that when he kicked the limbs out of the way, one found its way into the trigger guard. Tree bark found on the safety makes him think the tree or branches somehow moved it into the firing position when he lifted the rifle. However it happened, Seals knows that if the rifle had been unloaded and the muzzle was pointed down rather than up, it wouldn’t have happened.
“People said I’m alive for a reason,” Seals said. “I guess the reason is to tell people about it because everyone I talk to about it says they do the same thing. Maybe the calling from this accident is to tell people about it and prevent them from doing the same thing.”
Edward Runnels of Mize was setting up a ladder stand in 2010 with his two sons in preparation for deer season. He’d added an extension to it which proved to be a life-altering mistake.
“I was probably 15-foot or a little under 15-foot high,” Runnels said in 2015. “I remember the stand wiggling.
“I asked my sons if they were fooling around and they said, ‘No, the stand’s bending.’ The ladder itself broke. I didn’t have any time to react. When I added that extension to it, it made it weak.”
Runnels crashed to the ground landing face-down and tangled in the stand. He immediately realized life as he knew it had ended.
“I knew I was paralyzed when I hit the ground,” Runnels said.
One of his sons held up Runnel’s head so he could breathe and the other went for help.
Runnels had damaged six vertebrae in his neck and crushed two of them. He also suffered a broken cheek and collar bone.
“I went to hang that stand and I told my wife I’d be home in about an hour and a half,” Runnels said. “It was 63 days before I got home.”
A life-changing experience
And when he got home, he needed someone with him at all times because he couldn’t do anything for himself. The worst of it is he can’t hold his family.
“The one thing I miss is just being able to love my family,” Runnels said. “I can’t even hug them or anything. I can tell them, but I can’t physically show it.”
According to the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks, tree stand accidents account for 90% of all hunting-related accidents and issued these guidelines.
• Always wear a full body safety harness.
• Use a lifeline harness system when climbing to and from deer stands.
• Check the straps attaching your hunting stand to the tree for signs of wear.
• Check your hunting stand for signs of wear or broken parts.
This hunter was shot by a dog
Hunting accidents are almost always avoidable, but what happened to former Louisiana State University football player Matt Branch was almost unimaginable.
Branch’s story began on Dec. 28, 2018, while he was hunting ducks with friends near Eagle Lake in Mississippi. He’d placed his shotgun in the bed of a Polaris Ranger as he prepared to move to another location. A dog that was with the hunting party jumped in the bed as he normally did, but this time he stepped on the gun’s safety and pulled the trigger.
“I kind of looked around at the shock of everyone else,” Branch, of Monroe, Louisiana, told Clarion Ledger in 2019. “I looked down and saw the gaping hole in the Ranger bed next to me. That’s when I knew I was shot.”
Branch said he actually died twice while he was transported to a hospital in Jackson. He was unconscious for 12 days. When he woke, he found his left leg had been completely removed due to the shot to his hip. But Branch said he tried to stay positive, recover and hunt again.
“For several days they didn’t know if I would live or die, so I was happy to be alive rather than mad I lost my leg,” Branch said. “I kind of accepted it and tried to figure out what I needed to do to get out of the hospital.”
Branch has recovered and is hunting again with the aid of a prosthetic leg and special crutches. He is also using his story to hopefully save lives.
“If I can share my story and people remember me, I feel like it’s my duty to do that,” Branch said. “It all boils down to it was my fault.
“I didn’t unload the gun. I feel like I should share my story and keep this from happening to someone else down the road one day.”
Authorities confirmed a body has been found off of Buntin Gunn Road in Lauderdale County.
According to LEMA director Odie Barrett, a body was found off of Buntin Gunn Road in Lauderdale County. About 8:35 Saturday morning, law enforcement received a phone call in regards to a missing person. Rescue crews began a search that lasted about 45 minutes. The search then ended with a body being found after what has been ruled a hunting accident. Officials say the hunter died from falling out of his tree stand.
“At this point, it’s still under investigation through the sheriff’s department and Fish and Game. Fish and Game were called out because it was a hunting-related accident. They have their investigation to conduct as well,” says LEMA director Odie Barrett.
The name of the victim has not been released at this time.
A Mississippi hunter was taking the last of his dog pack back to a truck on Wednesday evening when he encountered a flooded ditch. He found a narrow spot where he could jump across. When he leaned forward to jump, he felt a severe pain on the left side of his head.
“As soon as I leaned forward it was, ‘Bam,'” said Tyler Hardy of Philadelphia. “As soon as it hit me I thought it was some sort of massive impact he struck me so hard.
“I thought somebody had shot me or hit me with an axe. It knocked the fire out of me. I just could not believe the force the snake had when it hit me.”
Hardy had no idea what had hit him at the moment, but when he shined his light on a branch near his head he saw something he never expected.
I backed up and shined my light to see what was in the tree and I saw the snake coiled up on a limb,” Hardy said. “It struck at me again and fell out of the tree that time.”
Snake bite immediately began to burn severely
Hardy and his hunting partner, Michael Kilpatrick, also of Philadelphia, both identified the snake as a copperhead, which is common in Mississippi and venomous. They grabbed the dog and loaded her and their gear in the truck. Even though that took only a couple of minutes, Hardy was already feeling the effects of the bite.
“It was about 4 inches above my ear,” Hardy said. “It started burning and swelling.
“It was a lot of severe burning. By the time I got in the truck the burning was spreading. It started spreading rapidly, the swelling.”
Amazingly, the two hunters didn’t panic. Hardy said he called his wife on the way to the hospital. He also called Neshoba General hospital so the emergency medical team would be prepared when he arrived.
Hunter receives five vials of antivenom
Hardy said Crofab, an antivenom, was administered while at the hospital. Then he was airlifted to University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson.
He received five vials of Crofab to help with the effects of the bite and soon began feeling better. After a day of hospital care doctors agreed to release him because his wife is a nurse practitioner and could monitor his condition.
“I was struggling before I got the antivenom, but I feel a lot better,” Hardy said. “As of now all I have is throbbing and a goose egg on my head. I feel like I’ve been on a five-day drunk, but I’m fine.”
What Hardy doesn’t understand is why a copperhead was in a tree about 6 feet above the ground. His only explanation is it was caught in flash-flooding that occurred the day before.
“I’ve never seen a copperhead in a tree,” Hardy said. “I’m assuming he came out in the warm weather and got caught in the flood and found a tree to get in.”
Herpetologist Terry Vandeventer of Hinds County said copperheads do climb trees, but don’t expect to witness it.
“I think this was a very rare and unusual circumstance,” Vandeventer said. “They are basically terrestrial snakes, but it’s been known for decades (that they will climb trees).”
Vandeventer said one of the more common times for copperheads to climb is during summers when cicadas emerge from the ground and cling to trees and bushes while they shed their shells. During that time, copperheads will climb to eat the insects, but that obviously wasn’t the case with Hardy’s encounter.
“Finding a copperhead in a tree in January is unheard of,” Vandeventer. “I don’t doubt it went down the way he said it did, but in doing so it made him the unluckiest guy in America.”
Vandeventer said unusual situations like this get a lot of attention, but said it needs to be kept in perspective because it’s not the norm, it’s rare.
“People need to understand this isn’t something to worry about,” Vandeventer said. “People don’t need to let this keep them out of the woods.”
However, he said don’t let your guard down either.
“Be aware of your surroundings,” Vandeventer said. “Stuff happens in life and he’ll have a story to tell, for sure.”
While he does have a story to tell, it’s not something Hardy wants to take a chance on happening again.
“I’ll be looking the rest of my life,” Hardy said. “I’ll get some snake boots and a snake hat, I reckon.”
NEW ORLEANS — The former owner of a historic New Orleans music club has died in an apparent Mississippi hunting accident.
Gulf Coast news outlets report that 68-year-old Roland Von Kurnatowski, the former owner of Tipitina’s, died Sunday.
Hancock County, Mississippi, Coroner Jim Faulk told WWL-TV in New Orleans he does not suspect foul play, but the cause of death remains under investigation.
Hancock County Sheriff Ricky Adam told WLOX-TV in Biloxi that Von Kurnatowski was hog hunting over the weekend. Adam said Kurnatowski’s weapon discharged as he climbed a ladder to a hunting stand.
Von Kurnatowski drew praise for his support of music education. But he also faced apparent financial troubles. And questions arose in 2018 about his business practices, including ties between the nonprofit Tipitina’s Foundation and his private companies.
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