◊ Wildlife Department Seeks Youth Who Want To Hunt Waterfowl
◊ See The “Decoy Deer” and Oklahoma Game Wardens In Action
Oct. 30 on Outdoor Oklahoma TV
◊ Stop Traffic With a New Wildlife Plate
◊ Outdoor Calendar
Wildlife Department Seeks Youth Who Want To Hunt Waterfowl
The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation is searching for young hunters who want to go on a guided duck hunt this fall at one of six lakes across Oklahoma.
The hunts are designed for youth ages 12-15 who have completed the Wildlife Department’s free hunter education course. Hunts are held at Altus-Lugert Lake, Ft. Gibson Waterfowl Refuge, Ft. Cobb State Lake, Hackberry Flat Waterfowl Refuge, Vann’s Lake (north of Muskogee), and Wister Lake Refuge.
The application deadline is Nov. 7, and all youth have to do to apply is write their first hunt choice preference and two alternate locations on a 3”x5” postcard along with their name, address, phone number and their hunter education number and mail them to OK Dept. of Wildlife Conservation, Youth Waterfowl Hunts PO Box 53465, Oklahoma City, OK 73152. Applications must be received by Nov. 7.
Other than meeting the age requirements, applicants must have proof of successfully completing a certified hunter education course and have an adult guardian who can accompany them on the hunt.
The scheduled date of the hunt will be coordinated with successful applicants after the drawing, and a Wildlife Department employee will accompany each youth and their adult guardian for the controlled waterfowl hunt. Only the youth hunter will be allowed to hunt.
The Wildlife Department will provide successful applicants the necessary nontoxic shotgun shells, and a 20 gauge single shot shotgun will be available for use if the youth does not have his or her own shotgun. For more information, contact Jeff Neal, wildlife technician for the Wildlife Department, at (405) 396-2503 or by e-mail at jneal@zoo.odwc.state.ok.us . Information also is available on page 6 of the “2011-12 Oklahoma Waterfowl Guide.”
See The “Decoy Deer” and Oklahoma Game Wardens In Action Oct. 30 On Outdoor Oklahoma TV
Game wardens are employees of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation who are responsible for enforcing the state’s fish and wildlife laws, and like with any profession, certain tools help them accomplish their mission.
On October 30, the Wildlife Department’s television series — Outdoor Oklahoma — will air real footage of game wardens using the state’s decoy deer, or “dummy deer,” designed to help them catch would-be law violators who shoot at the deer from a public road.
It is considered poaching, or taking wild game illegally, to shoot at any wildlife from a public road, so when game wardens get word of an area receiving pressure from road hunters, they may choose to set up the decoy deer so that it is visible from the road while they wait nearby. If a poacher drives by and shoots at the decoy while believing it to be a live animal, game wardens are able to witness the violation and issue the poacher a citation. Under some situations, some or all of the poacher’s equipment may be confiscated.
“In some cases, poachers can even lose their firearm or their vehicle,” said Robert Fleenor, law enforcement chief for the Wildlife Department.
Using the decoy deer is effective, according to Fleenor, who said many deer across the state have remained protected from poachers as a result of using the decoy deer over the last 25 years.
“Game wardens have been able to catch many poachers in the act using this method, and of course the good thing is that a real, live deer doesn’t get killed or wounded illegally in the process. The decoy helps us catch them in the act, hold them accountable and hopefully educate them in a way that prevents them from breaking our game laws in the future.”
According to Fleenor, most hunters are responsible, legal sportsmen who follow the state’s wildlife laws, which are designed to conserve wildlife and keep hunters safe while in the field.
To see the decoy deer and game wardens in action, tune into Outdoor Oklahoma TV Oct. 30 at 8 a.m. on OETA (channel 13 in Oklahoma City, 11 in Tulsa, 3 in Eufaula, and 12 in Cheyenne).
Outdoor Oklahoma also airs at 4 p.m. Saturdays on KSBI (UHF coverage includes channel 52 in Oklahoma City, channel 21 in Stillwater and channel 35 in Ada and KSBI cable channels in more than 30 communities in central Oklahoma). Additionally, the show airs on KWEM-UHF (Channel 31 out of Stillwater, Monday at 8:30 p.m. and Saturday at 11 a.m. Channel 31's approximate coverage area includes the southern half of Noble Co. including Perry and Morrison; the western portions of Payne Co. including Stillwater, Glencoe and Perkins; the northeastern half of Logan Co. including Orlando, Mulhall, Langston and Coyle; the northwest corner of Lincoln Co. (Tryon and Carney); on KXOK-UHF 32 in Enid and nearby communities (carried on Enid's local cable network on Channel 18); on KTEW (Channel 20 in Ponca City); and free online through podcasts found at wildlifedepartment.com.
Stop Traffic With A New Wildlife Plate
Oklahomans are enthusiastic about wildlife, even showcasing their love of the outdoors with a specialty license plate from the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. And now drivers will have even more wildlife specialty plates to choose from with the introduction of plates featuring the Texas horned lizard, mallard duck, and striped bass.
Even while recent reports from the Oklahoma Tax Commission show a decrease in the sale of the state’s 241 specialty tags, wildlife plates still lead the way as the most popular specialty tags sold during the 2011 fiscal year, excluding physically disabled or university tags. And the best part, according to Rachel Bradley with the Wildlife Department, is that funds from the plates are used by the Department to help fund much needed wildlife conservation projects.
“Few realize the Department does not receive tax appropriations, so we truly rely on wildlife enthusiasts to help us support Oklahoma’s wildlife and are grateful for all of their contributions,” said Bradley, who is the wildlife diversity information specialist for the Wildlife Department. “The funds generated by the Wildlife Department’s specialty plates are essential for keeping Oklahoma’s wildlife and wild places healthy.”
The three new plates join six other wildlife plates currently available at local tag agencies featuring the whitetail deer, scissor-tailed flycatcher, largemouth bass, bobwhite quail, wild turkey, and rainbow trout. Order a pre-numbered or personalized tag for $38.
The large portion of the proceeds that go to the Wildlife Department are designated for the agency’s Wildlife Diversity Fund, which supports conservation of Oklahoma’s wildlife that are not hunted or fished through promotion of education, research, habitat conservation and other various means to maintain healthy populations.
To order a new wildlife conservation license plate, visit a local tag agency or the Oklahoma Tax Commission’s website at tax.ok.gov for an application form.
OUTDOOR CALENDAR
OCTOBER
1- Jan. 15, 2012: Deer archery season and fall turkey archery season. Seasons on public lands may vary from statewide seasons. For full season details, consult the current “Oklahoma Hunting Guide.”
1-March 15, 2012: Rabbit Season. Seasons on public lands may vary from statewide seasons. For full season details, consult the current “Oklahoma Hunting Guide.”
22-30: Deer Muzzleloader (Antlerless days vary by zone). Seasons on public lands may vary from statewide seasons. For full season details, consult the current “Oklahoma Hunting Guide.”
24: School land lease auction for Woodward, Major, Harper, Woods and Ellis counties at High Plains Technology Center. For more information www.clo.ok.gov/REM/2011REMFallAuctionSchedule.pdf
25: School land lease auction for Comanche, Stephens, Cotton, Jackson and Tillman counties at the Western Technology Center. For more information www.clo.ok.gov/REM/2011REMFallAuctionSchedule.pdf
26: School land lease auction for Garfield, Grant, Blaine, Kay, Alfalfa and Kingfisher counties at the Garfield County fairgrounds. For more information www.clo.ok.gov/REM/2011REMFallAuctionSchedule.pdf
31: School land lease auction for Pawnee, Payne, Logan and Noble counties at Payne County Fairgrounds. For more information www.clo.ok.gov/REM/2011REMFallAuctionSchedule.pdf
This program operates free from discrimination on the basis of political or religious opinion or affiliation, race, creed, color, gender, age, ancestry, marital status or disability. A person who feels he or she may have been discriminated against or would like further information should write: Director, Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation,