SPRINGVILLE—Family members on Thursday were remembering a Utah man killed in an avalanche in Wyoming as an adventurer who loved life and others around him.

According to his family, 31-year-old Nicholas Bringhurst was snowmobiling with one of his good friends Sunday in the backcountry near Star Valley when the avalanche came down.

Mother Cindy Bringhurst and other family and friends gathered Thursday afternoon and were reflecting on Nicholas’ life, including “his smile, his laugh, the joy he brought everybody.”

“One thing you’ll notice about Nicholas in his pictures is his smile,” the mother said during an interview with KSL 5. “He was just always there, loving others.”

Bringhurst described her son as an outdoorsman from the start, learning to snowmobile and waterski at the age of 4 and snowboard at the age of 5.

She said Nick met his wife when they were both working as river guides in Moab, and their outdoor adventures together were an ongoing part of their marriage.

“They love rafting, he loves kayaking,” she said.

Bringhurst said her son was an extremely experienced snowmobiler and was well-equipped when he went out Sunday with his friend, Caden Spencer.

The mother called Spencer “our hero,” after he did what he could to save Nicholas’ life.

Spencer told KSL they had gone snowmobiling “hundreds of times” and it was a beautiful day before the avalanche struck.

“He was a dang good snowmobiler,” Spencer said, still visibly emotional over the unexpected loss.

 Cindy Bringhurst said the family had a home at the south end of Star Valley and it was a regular occasion for her son to go with his wife and friends into the outdoors there.

“We have loved our time up there with Nicholas and Lauren,” the mother said. “Because of this house the last four-and-a-half years we got a lot of really quality time with Nicholas and Lauren when they would come up and we were all together.”

Relatives set up a GoFundMe account to help Bringhurst’s widow in the near term with expenses.

The family shared many pictures of the couple appearing happy together in the outdoors.

“As we’re going through all these pictures, the thing that I love seeing is that he was with Lauren,” Cindy Bringhurst said.

She said she hoped others would reflect on how her son lived his life.

“That’s what I want people to take away from it,” Cindy Bringhurst said. “Live your life, live big and love other people.”

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For many outdoors enthusiasts in the West, rabbit hunting is more than a pastime—it’s a rite of winter, a way to connect with the land, and a chance to sharpen skills in one of America’s most iconic ecosystems: the sagebrush sea. Stretching across 13 states, this sprawling habitat is home to a variety of rabbit species, from the elusive pygmy rabbit to the more abundant cottontail and jackrabbit. In Wyoming, hunters find themselves at the heart of prime rabbit country, where wide-open valleys, rolling sage flats, and rocky outcrops create both challenge and opportunity.

If you’re new to it, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department lays out the rules to keep it all fair and sustainable.

Wyoming’s organized rabbit-hunting history dates back nearly a century. On December 27, 1926, community leaders in Rawlins embarked on the state’s first formal rabbit hunt in the mountains near Medicine Bow. The event was a resounding success, returning nearly 1,000 rabbits to town to be distributed to families in need.

The tradition continued in 1934 when Casper held its own community hunt. According to the Casper Star-Tribune, the hunt “provided enough rabbits to feed hundreds of families… No one tried to take more than a reasonable share; the most taken by one family was 11 rabbits for a family of 10. The result was that rabbit sizzled and fried in hundreds of Casper homes last night.” These early hunts highlight Wyoming’s unique connection to rabbit hunting—not only as recreation but also as a vital support for local communities.

Fast forward to last weekend, and the spirit of Wyoming’s rabbit-hunting community is alive and thriving. Riverton hosted the 47th Annual 5-Shot Rabbit Hunt, a beloved event that brings together the local women’s hunting community. Organized by Jessica Smith for the past eight years, the hunt challenges teams of two to harvest the most rabbits, with each participant limited to five shots—creating a goal of 10 rabbits per team.

This year’s warmer temperatures and rabbit disease shifted the focus from cottontails to the notoriously skittish jackrabbits, adding a layer of difficulty. For all their cuteness, rabbits are not easy to hunt. They bolt suddenly, cover ground incredibly fast, and are experts at dodging, backtracking, and vanishing into cover. Their coloring blends perfectly with natural environments, and they often freeze, lying flat to the ground, making them nearly invisible. And those large ears detect threats from afar, giving them ample warning to escape before a hunter gets close.

Wyoming’s vast landscapes reward patience and observation. Cottontails favor brushy creek bottoms, rocky outcrops, and dense patches of sage and rabbitbrush. Jackrabbits thrive in open sage flats, using their speed and alertness to evade predators. Pygmy rabbits, the state’s smallest and rarest, dig intricate burrows in big sagebrush with deep soils. Early morning and late afternoon are prime times to spot rabbits moving between feeding and resting areas.

Rabbit hunting in Wyoming offers a mix of history, skill, and time outdoors. From the early community hunts in Rawlins and Casper to modern events like the 5-Shot Rabbit Hunt, the tradition continues to bring people together and connect them with the land. Whether you’re glassing the sagebrush flats or carefully stalking rabbits along rocky draws, the hunt provides an enjoyable and accessible way to experience Wyoming’s wide-open spaces while practicing responsible and sustainable hunting.

LANDER, Wyoming (ABC4) — Three men have been arrested in connection with a deadly fight at a Wyoming bar last weekend.

According to a press release from the Lander Police Department, officers responded to the Maverick Bar at 11:15 p.m. on Jan. 9 after a report of a disturbance. When officers arrived, they learned that a physical fight had occurred.

Emergency medical services were requested, and one individual involved in the altercation was pronounced deceased at the scene, having succumbed to his injuries. After an investigation, the Lander Police Department was able to locate three men connected to the death.

One of the men has been charged with murder in the second degree, and the two other men have been charged with accessory before the fact to murder in the second degree. The Lander Police Department notes that these charges include the consideration of lesser offenses of manslaughter and accessory to manslaughter.

According to Wyoming news outlet Cowboy State Daily, the three involved are Richard “Deak” Dollard, 59; his brother Justin Dollard, 54; and his nephew Jesse Dollard, 21. Richard Dollard is facing murder in the second degree, while the other two are facing the accessory charges.

Cowboy State Daily says that Richard Dollard is listed as a U.S. Bureau of Land Management field staff law enforcement ranger. They obtained court documents that say witnesses saw Richard Dollard strangling the victim after a fight started between them.

Through the police department’s investigation, they reviewed critical case facts, examined video surveillance, and completed interviews with involved parties and witnesses. Police say they worked closely with the Wyoming Department of Criminal Investigation and the Fremont County Attorney’s Office to investigate the case and determine appropriate charges.

Although three individuals have been arrested, the Lander Police Department says this is still an open investigation, and asks that anyone who witnessed the event or believes they have “crucial evidence” contact them at (307) 332-3401 and ask for Sgt. Lutterman or Detective Mattocks.