Musky Scandals and Governor's Tags | MeatEater Podcast Ep. 549 

Proud to be one of the 3 guys at the Sacramento show wearing that "fresh set of eyes" shirt!!

Clay Newcomb drinking a starbucks is like seeing Daniel Boone in spandex.

I'm with Steve on this. You cant understand America without watching certain canon movies. Full Metal Jacket and The Good, The Bad and The Ugly are included in this canon.

Regarding the officer using his work rig for hunting … our local law enforcement, when using their work vehicle for personal use, has a magnetic placard they apply to the doors and rear of the vehicle that says, “Off Duty” … this might be a helpful remedy to this situation.

Steve twiddling his toes while talking about Disney world was my favorite part.

Love these podcasts you guys do on the fly! Great work! Thanks for sharing!

How is it that the Musky fishing world will not accept a fish weighed while on the water but the majority of bass fishing tournaments across the nation base their tournaments off fish that are weighed while on the water? Example MLF.

The first 4 Rocky’s should be in the American cannon too

MeatEater crew: awesome live tour! Thanks for traveling through Tacoma. Clay Newcomb with an amazing bard owl call.

Absolutely get Larry on. He is the authority of musky knowledge. Way more than Joe Boucher.

I get the Governor's Tag raises a LOT of money. What I don't get is why it gets so many other special things to go with it. Simply the ability to just whimsically pick a guaranteed zone should literally be it. I understand that wouldn't raise anywhere near the amount of money, but I don't see the virtue in auctioning off resources owned by the public without the public's consent to people who just lol-cow at hunting as a dispassionate pasttime to have special privileges even the most staunch conservationist would never have because government wants to increase the value of the tag. What that signals to me is that not only does the rich elitist who can afford the tag to begin with not care about hunting enough to make seasonal sacrifices like the rest of us, but can't be bothered to compete on our level, and to ice the cake can't be bothered to abide by the same rules and regulations as the rest of us or it's not worth it to them? Not a good look. But, if it continues to raise ridiculous amounts of money that receipts can be shown for the good of? It's a moral push for me, and every record animal taken under the tag should have a big asterisk next to it in any record book or hall of fame.

If you wanna talk Sturgeon from a fishing perspective moreso than the biological standpoint, Darren Troseth of 3 Rivers Fishing Adventures in MN is your go to. The guy is a true expert of the fishery, and it ain't Wisconsin but Minnesota has a strong catfish & sturgeon crowd that was anxious over that conversation as well.

Listening to you talk about the tag system in Colorado. I’m with you on being spit. The part about the “governor tag” and then them opening a “new” area. My issue with this is about any true private land. Not people that are going to sell the tag. Just private land. Men and women with families who have had it for a year or years. And they have seen that animal(s) for years and NOT hunted it and now they open it up and the highest bidder gets to hunt it. I believe the first tags should go to the owners and then open it up to others.They have kept the land preservation going and have helped with the land management. I’m not from Colorado so I am sure I’m wrong about their setup. lol just 2 cents

The thing about the record jump is that it is possible like the 25lb Largemouth that was DQ'd for being foul hooked compared to the 22lb 5oz record

I would like to see metrics put on how many fewer tags would be available to the general public if the conservation funds generated by governor's tags were never available. I am guessing that those numbers would change the minds of would be hunter's that have failed to draw.

I use that phrase all the time... "the emphASSis on the wrong sylABBle"

Would love to see a podcast Larry ramsell. he will most definitely change some minds fast and why the rules are the way they are.

PS: If one governor tag is good for conservation because of big $$ amount then 10 governor tags for each species would obviously be better. Wait a minute...just auction of all the available tags through on line auction. I'd be willing to bet that most draw applicants would be willing to pay at least three times the amount if they were guaranteed to get a tag.

Great episode and sign off! Keep it up, y’all!

Pretty sure Clay’s point about the wave is correct

A musky podcast would be sooo awesome!!!! Coolest fish that swims

I am in a position where otc and limited entry draws are my hunting options and I can't currently donate heaps to conservation. I think a tag that sells for hundreds of thousands to fund ground work is very valuable, and we only we lose one animal. Its a no brainer. If they wanted to alot tens or hundreds of these tags I'd be pissed but one is a great trade off.

It sounds like, Larry Ramsel (sp.), is to Musky knowledge, as Kevin Murphy is to small game hunting.. Seems like a perfectly logical guest to have on the show.

Governors tags are akin to old Englands "only the rich or nobility entitled have the privilege to hunt" This is America the public resource belong to the people, not the highest bidder.

Don't you have to subtract the difference of water displacement before and after the fish was brought onboard from the fish scale to get an accurate weight? It's like a bullet before and after its fired. Before it's maybe 180 grain bullet but after it's fired, inertia overtakes the original grain / gravity.

A passed and now gone friend of mine held 50/50 residency in Minnesota and Wisconsin when his parents had split custody and he was hunting as a resident in both states. Lets just say that lasted maybe 2 seasons before it caught up with him and he lost all hunting rights in both states for 6 years.

I believe the warden service in all states would gain a enormous amount of respect in all aspects of their business if they known by their folks to be spending their free time hunting and fishing. The work truck issue is an easy fix as Steve suggested.

The transferrable landowner tags do really chap my behind. Granted most people do have to have a Days of Use minimum (although usually a self-certification). I am fine with landowner tags, just not ones you can sell. I could go on and on, but I won't :)

this person who represents Muskie community if he's anything like me ...well I'm Almost 80 years on the planet now and I would be greatly flattered and hugely grateful if you invited me to be on your show but I would have to decline because of health issues ...It's just not possible for me to travel further than across town and maybe a couple of hours ...so maybe he's in much better shape than me ..I certainly hope so and may he be sound as a dollar for many years to come but if not perhaps you might think about having him on virtual interview ... I would love to hear what he might have to say !

I have more of an issue with the states moving from the 80% / 20% tag allocation to a 90% / 10% tag allocation and then increasing the non-resident tag fees to offset the difference in revenue than I do the governor tags. It goes against the intent of giving the states ownership of the wildlife.

The Italian westerns are EPIC! lol

If you want musky drama, deep dive in to the State record Tn musky falsely claimed by Steven Paul but caught by Dylan Gano. The deep dive in to Steven Paul. Real name Steven Feaster. And his passing out drunk on the floor at the Canadian Musky Odyssey last month.

That song will be released on iTunes when? lol

When will season 7 be available on RU-vid or Amazon?

In our case it's the same guy, same tag. And he don't live in Utah

Big fan and an academic geologist here if you need a resident geologist.

It’s going to be big money people get the good hunting and it will be used as a tax deduction, also people buying auction or raffles should not be allowed to transfer their tags to another person

Never seen full metal jacket. Wtf, how is that possible?

I can build this vivarium for you guys clay.

In NC, a Timber Rattler, from what I've been told, is a protected species, seems like I also recall mention of them being federally protected. How is it that an individual could collect one from the wild and keep it as a pet? I am seeking to clarify the info I've been given.

If Clay's seen Macho Man Randy Savage getting bit by Jake the Snake's cobra - I'll give him a pass for not watching Full Metal Jacket and the Good the Bad and the Ugly

This podcast of bringing the family on should be on a boat to try weighing 72lbs! That way you can see if the scale reads different on the water than on dry land.

Raffles aren't really any more democratic than auctions. The people with the finances just buy a ton of tickets and skew the odd in their favor. Yes, you could say ...and people will.. that you still have a chance to draw with just one ticket, but when one or two people spend 50k on tickets it becomes super unlikely. It just shows that there is too much demand for the amount of available/huntable wildlife.

Steve needs to tell his wife they are not married unless... And until then anything is free game! lol

I wanted to go to meat eater live in Portland on Saturday. But instead I went out and shot a turkey!

I don't usually comment, especially on old videos like this one, but the whole thing about animals not having enough frontal lobe or mental capacity to like you or dislike you is just untrue. Have you ever had a dog before?

Only time people give a shit and worry about a game warden around is when you doing something you shouldn’t..

The comments about horses liking you or not talk is so wrong. All horses try to establish the boundaries with every person who rides them and if you pull on their face and be rough they will treat you differently then if you ate gentle on their mouths. My daughters Champion Morgan liked few people and would toss anyone who got rough to the dirt yet she could ride him bareback in a halter over jumps and won almost every ride-fiver they entered for years. Horses are a lot smarter than we think.

What's the outro song?

There has always been an advantage for hunters and fishermen that have more disposable income. For example, fly in fishing and hunting trips, guides, lodges etc. are out of reach for most. If someone is willing to pay a lot of money that goes toward conservation or charity good for them.

Not surprised in the least that Phil is a dishey adult

Make it so the gov tag cannot be entered into the books. Also make it once in life time. They can still pay for it just don't get the notoriety

Most guys sleep on the left side because they are right handed. I’ll let you figure out why.

Think about trying to weigh yourself in an elevator. Your vertical accelleration will dramatically affect the weight you experience. The same physics apply in a boat riding waves.

Is the hotel room door ajar?

Good lakes? All the lakes are good for Sturgeon Spearing. The upriver lakes are "easier" because of shallow water and less competition, but they are all good. Say it as it is, you want to spear in the easier lakes.

I don't like the person(s) involved in guiding the governor's tag. Glad it goes to the state.

I 100% except a fish larger than the current world record Because there are documented skulls found washed up on beaches larger than the current world record. These fish die presumably of old age and the jawbone washes up on shore. Documented jawbone in Hayward Wisconsin verified by the DNR would be the new world record and outclass the current road record by a considerable amount.

Dear meat eater Would you consider watching fishing with David Lucas. And consider donating a das-boat . Thank you

Clay is still on "you dont understand america..." comment...

I think governors tags are crap. Being from Idaho I’m sure you guys at meateater are aware of a certain Poaching/animal Harrasment/ illegal tag sale/super hunt situation going on. And as a blue collar guy it irks the hell out of me to put what to me is good money into the wild sheep foundation raffle and watch the draw and see some yahoo from another state that throws thousands and thousands of dollars and his name takes up at least half the drawing book. Now I understand that money goes into sheep conservation but the fact that it has become such a two tiered system and anyone who isn’t a millionaire has basically no chance is just wrong.

And I love how they are implying Utah. It's crap

Not the definition of floating

What if it was applied to organ transplant? Just a terrible precedent.

For the Arizona Governors tag that goes to “habitat”, how much of that money goes to people, and not habitat? If there’s some asshole driving around in a side x side for 800k a year, well that’s bullshit. Give me a high level breakdown of the $$, and it better not be BIDEN-NOMICS.

So dude knows what snakes think and feel. Alrighty then.

Buts its selling your soul .