Stewart was filming an episode called “Patagonia Pumas,” so the encounter was not a surprise. However, despite his calm composure and jokes about the puma eating his snacks, you can tell Stewart is a little uncomfortable with how close the animal is.  

Stewart says he and his team were filming this puma in Patagonia’s Torres del Paine National Park when it began to follow them.

“It’s vital the national park is protected, and it’s always a privilege to be able to shine a small spotlight on these wild places and hopefully add to the massive list of reasons why humans need to protect the natural world as best as possible,” wrote Stewart on his post on Instagram.

Many also refer to pumas as cougars and mountain lions in the U.S. The animal lives in both North and South America. In the U.S., the animal’s range includes many states west of the Mississippi River.

The post WATCH: Wildlife Photographer Keeps His Cool While Puma Stalks Him appeared first on Outdoors with Bear Grylls.

While the dates vary, and you’ll want to check with your local offices, most permits go on sale at the start of November and range from about $5 to $15. Both National Forests and BLM lands require permits beforehand. 

Obviously, Christmas tree permits aren’t available on every public land as not every landscape is covered in pine trees. The rules for each public land’s tree availability can change yearly as the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management prioritize protecting natural resources.

Rules for Cutting Down Your Own Christmas Tree

Here are some general guidelines for cutting down your own Christmas tree:

• Most holiday tree permits are issued in November. Know your location, the weather, and your ability to traverse through snow.
• Dress for the season. Always be prepared for the cold and snow, and start tree hunting early in the day to have plenty of daylight hours.
• Bring emergency supplies, including water and food and a first-aid kit.
• Remember to tell someone where you are going. Your cell phone may not work on many forests.
• The tree you choose must be at least 200 feet from main roads, recreation sites and campgrounds, and stay away from areas along the sides of streams, rivers, lakes, and wet areas. Check with the ranger district for the proper distance.
• Select a tree with a trunk six inches or less in diameter, and prepare to cut the tree no more than six inches above ground level.
• Never cut a tall tree just for the top.
• Select a tree from overstocked areas and thickets. Watch restricted areas. Cut only one tree per tag.
• Attach your tree tag to harvested tree before placing in vehicle.
• Bring a rope and tarp to move your tree from the harvest area to your vehicle.

Most National Forest permits are available on Recreation.gov. Most BLM permits can be purchased here.

Have you cut down your own Christmas tree before?

The post Want to Chop Down Your Christmas Tree From a National Forest This Year? Here’s What You Need to Know appeared first on Outdoors with Bear Grylls.

In the video, the animal grabs the deer’s neck and drags it to the ground. Although some find the video unsettling, it’s a prime example of nature.

The response to the video, which was posted on the @natureismetal Instagram account, was less about people being upset about the deer – but rather a debate erupted around whether the predator was a wolf or coyote.

What animal do you think it is? Check out the video below:

Wold of Coyote? An Expert Assessment from Voyageurs National Park

Those arguing that it’s a wolf suggest the animal looks too large for a coyote and mention the shape of its head. Others believe it could be a “coywolf,” which is a wolf and coyote hybrid. The video is from Alberta, Canada, where you can find both animals.

Outdoors.com skipped the pseudo-online experts and asked an actual wolf researcher for his opinion. 

Thomas Gable is the lead researcher who runs the Voyageurs Wolf Project. He and his team track wolves around Voyageurs National Park in northern Minnesota to better understand their habits. Gable knows a lot about wolves.

He says while the video is far enough away to be ambiguous enough for a debate, he’s quite sure it’s a coyote.

“My impression is that it is a coyote and not a wolf. Of course, the animal is a fair bit away from the camera, so it’s hard to tell with 100% certainty, but I would say I am 98% confident that is a coyote,” wrote Gable in an email this morning.

Check out this other viral video to see how large wolves are.

The post Is it a Wolf or a Coyote? Wildlife Expert Weighs in on Divisive Viral Video appeared first on Outdoors with Bear Grylls.

A 2022 study found a 16% increase in vehicle and deer collisions the week after daylight saving time. One of the leading arguments for a permanent DST is the decreased risk of crashes. 

However, for now, we’ll see another end to daylight saving. So, in the meantime, state agencies like Colorado Parks & Wildlife want to remind drivers to be extra vigilant.

“This is the time of year when we start seeing more animals on the move at our state parks and on our roads,” said CPW Fishers Peak State Park Manager Crystal Dreiling in their official press release. “Drivers across the state can expect to find wildlife on or near the roadways as winter approaches and they can do their part in helping to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions with bear, elk and deer by traveling at slower speeds and staying vigilant.”

Wildlife officials are partnering with the state’s Department of Transportation for their message and offered these tips to drivers:

• Slow Down. Driving more slowly increases reaction time and reduces the chance of a collision.​
• Stay Alert while driving at dusk and dawn. This is when many of Colorado’s wildlife are the most active and are likely to be crossing roadways.
• Scan Ahead and watch for movement along roadsides. When driving at night, watch for shining eyes in headlights. Always look and be prepared for more than one animal.
• Obey traffic signs and watch for wildlife warning signs.

Colorado Parks & Wildlife says the best action the state can take is creating more animal-safe infrastructure. These designs include wildlife overpasses, underpasses, and fences along busy roadways.

The post Daylight Saving Time Ends This Weekend – and That Means an Increased Risk for Collisions With Wildlife appeared first on Outdoors with Bear Grylls.

Wildlife officials say they had to tranquilize the animal to remove the net. However, with limited time until the buck woke up, officials had to act quickly. Officers decided to remove the antlers instead.

“In a perfect world, we could walk up and easily remove the netting, but wildlife rescue is rarely that straightforward,” said Colorado Parks and Wildlife in a social media post. “The decision to remove the antlers was made with the deer’s well-being as our top priority.”

Officials say the antlers will grow back by next year. In the meantime, the deer gets to live a life free of obstructions that could have hindered it from eating.

Earlier this fall, wildlife experts warned homeowners of items like hammocks and holiday decorations that can often get stuck in deer antlers. The warning is something to remember as we head towards the winter holiday season.

The post Colorado Deer Loses 8 Pounds After an Entire Hammock Is Removed From Its Antlers appeared first on Outdoors with Bear Grylls.

According to Blue Ridge Parkway officials, they have multiple reports of visitors feeding and attempting to pick up a young bear in the area at Lane Pinnacle Overlook. As a result, “we can’t have nice things.” The route is now closed from mile 367.6 near Craggy Gardens Picnic Area to mile 375.6 at Ox Creek Road. That section is northeast of Asheville, North Carolina, and includes the closure of a visitor center. 

“We are closing this section of the road temporarily for the safety of both the bear and park visitors,” said Superintendent Tracy Swartout in a social media post. “When people intentionally attract bears with trash and food, it can lead to very dangerous situations. In this instance, we want to give the bear a chance to lose interest in the area before the situation escalates and visitors or the bear are harmed.”

Officials say visitors trying to reach the Craggy Gardens recreation area can still take NC80 from the north. However, there is no timeline to reopen the roadway.

Visiting the Blue Ridge Parkway

The Blue Ridge Parkway is the most visited site in the National Park Service system. Fall is especially busy for the parkway as the mountains running through North Carolina and Virginia turn vibrant reds, oranges and yellows. Millions of visitors will make the drive to see the leaves change.

Besides photo opportunities of leaves, fall is also a critical time of year for bears who are working towards hibernation. The animals must eat as much as possible to fatten up for their long nap. However, feeding bears causes habitation, meaning bears lose their natural fear of people. In many of these situations, officials are forced to euthanize bears.

Want to get closer to wildlife? Try a pair of binoculars.

The post ‘Very Dangerous’: Popular Section of the Blue Ridge Parkway Closes After Tourists Repeatedly Feed and Attempt to Pick Up A Bear  appeared first on Outdoors with Bear Grylls.

The study comes from the Voyageurs Wolf Project, which focuses on wolves in northern Minnesota, including parts of Voyageurs National Park. 

“The premise is really quite simple: human activities change where deer are on the landscape, and wolves go where the deer are,” says Dr. Thomas Gable in the organization’s press release. “Plus, humans have done an excellent job of creating and maintaining a diverse, well-connected web of roads, trails, and other cleared linear features that are ideal corridors for wolves to hunt deer.”

Our Impact on Wolves

Just like humans, wolves would rather not bushwhack through the forest. The animal prefers to use well-maintained human-made trails to track deer and other animals. The paths and roads allow the animals to travel faster and farther.

The study also found that wolves will often target recently logged forests. Cut trees are a food source for fawns, and that is easy hunting for wolves.

Finally, the study found a lot of wolves hunting near cabins and other infrastructure. Researchers believe this has to do with the fact that deer can often find food near people. Additionally, wolves generally avoid humans, meaning it should be safer for deer looking to avoid predators. Notably, though, the study found that wolves will risk a human encounter to find something to eat.

Research officials say that doesn’t mean there’s an increased risk for humans.

“Although the high concentration of deer near human development attracts wolves to areas near people, wolves still definitely avoid encountering people when hunting fawns around human infrastructure,” said Austin Homkes, a researcher for the Voyageurs Wolf Project. “Wolves spend substantial time in close proximity to occupied cabins and residences, and yet almost no one sees them.”

You can find the full study here. 

The Voyageurs Wolf Project has worked for years in the area and often captures amazing videos of wolf packs roaming the area.

The post ‘Just Like Humans, Wolves Prefer to Travel on Roads and Trails’: A New Study Proves Humans Directly Impact Where Wolves Hunt appeared first on Outdoors with Bear Grylls.

Check these out:

Sand Tiger Shark

First up, the aquarium shared the inside look at this sand tiger shark. Sharks are made up of cartilage instead of the bones that we have. It allows the animals to be much lighter.

Goliath Grouper

This goliath grouper is one of the largest species of bony fish. The fish can grow to a massive eight feet. 

Southern Leopard Frog

On the opposite side, this tiny three-inch frog lives in most of the eastern United States, from New York to Florida. The southern leopard frog calls shallow parts of almost any fresh body of water home.

Eastern Spin Softshell Turtle

In similar ponds and lakes, you may find this eastern spiny softshell turtle. The animal likes to find muddy spots and may hibernate there for about half the year.

Wood Duck

Finally, here’s an inside look at a wood duck. Unlike humans, ducks and other birds have hollow bones to allow them to be lighter and take flight.

The post Awesome or Creepy? Check Out These X-Rays of Sharks, Turtles and Other Aquatic Creatures appeared first on Outdoors with Bear Grylls.

Megan W., who goes by @smoky.mountain.soul on Instagram, shared a recording of the incident on social media. She says the entire ordeal was about 45 minutes long. 

In reply to another comment, Megan said she eventually escaped after throwing a pack of trail mix at the bear, which gave her time to get away and call 911. She says the bear returned right when the help arrived.

Megan says she wanted to share the video as a reminder that black bears can be aggressive and that everyone should take proper safety measures while hiking. However, that didn’t stop some from being critical of her post.

“I admittedly had been lured into a false sense of security based on past experience with black bears, my lack of even seeing them throughout my hundreds of miles of hiking, and the overall narrative around here that black bears aren’t aggressive,” posted Megan in response to negative comments. “I am an avid hiker and ‘bear aware’ of proper protocol, so I am not ignorant or stupid, but I am the first to admit that I made a careless, foolish choice to go without protection when I changed plans last minute by myself.”

Black Bear Safety

The truth is black bear attacks are extremely rare. The North American Bear Center says there are only 61 recorded deadly black bear attacks in North America since 1900. Your chances of being killed by a pet dog, bee or lightning are higher. 

However, safety is still important, and incidents happen, including two separate issues in Colorado this year. One involved a camper bit by a bear while relaxing in a hammock. The other involved a security guard who came face to face with a bear that broke into a hotel kitchen. 

If you do come across a black bear while hiking:

• No matter what, do not run.
• Make loud noises like clapping your hands or yelling.
• Fight back if the bear attacks you.

Grizzly bears, the black bear cousin, are far more aggressive, with multiple incidents and deaths recorded this year. The grizzly territory is much smaller than that of the black bear, and is only found in Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Washington State and Alaska.

The post This Terrifying Video From Great Smoky Mountains National Park Reminds Us to Stay Aware Around Black Bears appeared first on Outdoors with Bear Grylls.

“I found this guy last Wednesday just casually walking by my fence, so I called the Maple Ridge SPCA. His back feet are HUGE,” Shelley commented on a Facebook post.

The tortoise currently weighs around 35 pounds (16 kilograms). Shelley described him as the size of a turkey platter, one that can be used to serve 24 people a Thanksgiving turkey. And he is only going to get bigger.

Frank was checked over by vets at Dewdney Animal Hospital in Maple Ridge, British Columbia. They estimated him to be at a juvenile age, somewhere between eight and 15 years old. This species of tortoise can live up to 150 years old and grow to the size of a wheelbarrow. Frank loves to eat grasses, shrubs, and plants.

Native to the dry deserts of sub-Saharan Africa, these tortoises are endangered but are often smuggled into North America, where they can reproduce in captivity and be sold at low prices. Tortoises of this size are not thought to make great pets by reptile experts and can often end up escaping or being abandoned. 

The species can be overwhelming for families to care for as they outgrow their spaces. Plus, since they typically live longer than humans, looking after a giant tortoise is a life-long commitment. 

This particular tortoise is currently living with a foster family, who nicknamed him “Frank the Tank,” and he is still looking for his forever home. 

The post An Adorable Tortoise Called ‘Frank the Tank’ Invaded a Spinach Patch (Want to Adopt Him?)  appeared first on Outdoors with Bear Grylls.