--Chad Love

Trout aren't the only things that grow huge in New Zealand. Researchers probing the depths off the coast of New Zealand have discovered a giant "super prawn" that tapes out at almost a foot long.

From this story in the (UK) Mirror:

An expedition to one of the deepest parts of the ocean has discovered a "supergiant" species. The huge crustacean was discovered more than four miles deep in waters north of New Zealand by scientists from the University of Aberdeen. The creature is a type of amphipod, commonly found in the deep sea, which are usually 2cm-3cm long. The new specimen measured 28cm.

--Chad Love

By now the "deer crashes through (insert building here) stories are fairly routine, but it's not often that you see it happen in...Washington, DC?

From this story on nbcwashington.com:

Mostly, wildlife in a library is found in two-dimensional form, safely contained in the pages of the collection. But a deer's visitation was more than words at the Washington Highlands Interim Library on Tuesday afternoon. One librarian was in the bathroom, and another checking emails when they heard the crash of glass. Both staff members walked toward the sound of the commotion and discovered a small deer had leapt through one of the windows at the interim library, located on 4037 S. Capitol St. SW.

Belly up to a bar in West Yellowstone or Ennis and you might find yourself talking to a creatively profane fishing guide, a down-on-his-luck artist who can't afford rent, the millionaire owner of a streamside log-cabin mansion who uses it only two weeks a year, or a pretty woman with a box of trout flies and a cryptic background.

That’s the kind of people you meet in Montana’s trout fishing country. And that’s why The Royal Wulff Murders ($27; us.penguingroup.com), field editor Keith McCafferty’s new novel, features such an eclectic bunch.

Why would McCafferty--a talented elk hunter, survival expert, and unabashed steelhead bum who has written nearly 500 articles for Field & Stream--enter the fiction business?

“I decided to write a book the night I slept on the ground on a mountain for a Field & Stream assignment,” says McCafferty, a 30-year Bozeman resident. “It was so cold in the middle of the night that rather than get up, I peed myself. [Editor’s note: Sorry, Keith!] That did it.”

The following is an exclusive online-only excerpt from McCafferty's novel. It is the fourth of five parts. Look for Part Five next week. --Mike Toth
WARNING: The following excerpt contains adult language. Reader discretion is advised.

In Sean Stranahan's philosophy of life, any man who had a fly rod, a quarter tank of gas and four decent tires was never too far from home. So while it may have been true that he wasn’t sure which way to turn when he left the Bridger Mountain Cultural Center, the fact remained that no matter which point of the compass he headed for, he’d be home in time for an evening caddis hatch. 

Click here to read the rest of this excerpt from THE ROYAL WULFF MURDERS by Keith McCafferty.

--Chad Love

The hunting trip of a lifetime ended up as every hunter's worst nightmare for four Mississippi hunters after all their gear was stolen on the way to the airport.

From this story on the clarionledger.com website:

Jacob Baldwin of Canton and three friends went to Texas earlier this month on the trophy deer hunt of a lifetime. Baldwin killed a 150-class buck and a wild hog, and one of his partners got a good buck.

"It was a great get-away trip - good friends, good hunting, great service at the lodge and everything - right up until we were getting ready to fly home," Baldwin said. "Then it went south in a hurry." Five miles from the San Antonio airport, the group stopped at a restaurant for a final taste of the area's local flavor before heading to the rental car return and a return flight to Jackson. By the time the last taco was eaten and the last swallow of cerveza taken, thieves had emptied their rental vehicle of everything.