Fact Or Fiction: Killer Coyotes, Downed Power Lines, and Stoned Skiers

Last week was Halloween, after all, so it’s no surprise that the outdoor world was full of strange happenings. Bizarre incidents spilled into this week, and the ghosts of BACKPACKER.com helped me compile the weirdest below.

But what’s a treat without a little trick? See if you can divine which item is a damn dirty lie (Once more, no using Ghoul-gle! That’s cheating!)

Breckenridge legalizes weed, man

Tomorrow, residents of Breckenridge, Colo. will vote on whether to legalize possession of marijuana in amounts of up to one ounce and smoking paraphernalia for all adults. Analysts expect the measure to pass, which means addled boarders will no longer have to hide their shame in barely-secret tree stands. They’ll be able to light up downtown with their recovering-hippie parents.

Mother and father disagree over coyotes in death of folk-singer daughter

We reported last week on the tragic case of Taylor Mitchell, the Canadian folk singer apparently killed by coyotes. In a follow-up report in the NY Times, Mitchell’s mother, Emily, requested that the animals not be put down by wildlife officials. The girls’ father, however, believes the coyotes could pose a danger to others and advocates removing the problem animals from the local population.



Downed power lines fry Montana wildlife

A downed power line in far northwestern Montana electrocuted over a dozen animals in a period of a few months. State wildlife officers investigating a power outage discovered the carcasses of five whitetail deer, four black bears, two wolves, one coyote and a turkey vulture. The deer probably walked into the line, and their carcasses attracted predators who met the same fate when they tried to get an easy meal.

And the big lie is… (CLICK HERE TO READ)

Could you call out the counterfeit story? How did you know? Which one fooled you? Tell us in the comments section below.

—Ted Alvarez