2017 hunting guide

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A SPECIAL PUBLICATION OF THE SHAWNEE NEWS-STAR

PHOTO PROVIDED BY

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THE SHAWNEE NEWS-STAR • HUNTING 2017

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THE SHAWNEE NEWS-STAR • HUNTING 2017

Visit news-star.com/contests for details on how to

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OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE CONSERVATION: GENERAL HUNTING SEASONS

DEER

Deer Species Page: https://www.wildlifedepartment.com/hunting/species/deer

ELK

Elk Species Page: https://www.wildlifedepartment.com/hunting/species/elk

DEER ARCHERY: October 1, 2017 to January 15, 2018

ELK ARCHERY: October 1, 2017 to January 15, 2018

DEER PRIMITIVE ARMS (MUZZLELOADING): October 28, 2017 to November 5, 2017

ELK PRIMITIVE ARMS (MUZZLELOADING): October 28, 2017 to November 5, 2017

DEER GUN: November 18, 2017 to December 3, 2017

ELK GUN: November 18, 2017 to December 3, 2017

HOLIDAY ANTLERLESS: December 22, 2017 to December 31, 2017

SPECIAL SOUTHWEST ZONE ELK SEASONS

BEAR Deer Species Page:

https://www.wildlifedepartment.com/hunting/species/bear

BEAR (MUZZLELOADING): October 28, 2017 to November 5, 2017

ARCHERY: December 9, 2017 to December 15, 2017 GUN: December 14, 2017 to December 17, 2017 ANTLERLESS November 18, 2017 to December 3, 2017 January 1, 2018 to January 31, 2018

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OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE CONSERVATION: GENERAL HUNTING SEASONS

ANTELOPE Elk Species Page: https://www.wildlifedepartment.com/hunting/species/antelope

ANTELOPE GUN SEASONS LANDOWNER DRAWN DOE: December 2, 2017 to January 15, 2018

COUNTY AND TAGS: Cimarron County: 50 Texas County: 20

TURKEY Deer Species Page: https://www.wildlifedepartment.com/hunting/species/turkey

TURKEY FALL ARCHERY: October 1, 2017 to January 15, 2018 TURKEY FALL GUN: November 4, 2017 to November 17, 2017

READ THE OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE CONSERVATION'S FULL HUNTING GUIDE, OKLAHOMA HUNTING, ONLINE AT WWW.WILDLIFEDEPARTMENT.COM

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The full state of Oklahoma Game Warden Directory is available online at www.wildlifedepartment.com Law Enforcement Headquarters Chief - Bill Hale, OKC, (405) 521-3719 Assistant Chief - Nathan Erdman, OKC, (405) 521-3719

OKLAHOMA: 2017 DEER HARVEST REPORT The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation has numbers available as deer season progresses, including harvest reports by county.

Operations Manager Captain Bryan Wilkerson, OKC, (405) 521-3719

Local Game Wardens Pottawatomie County: Mike France Shawnee (405) 850-8546 Lincoln County: Gary Emmons Chandler (405) 240-1870 Seminole County: Garret Harley

(405) 380-8995

As of Monday, Oct. 23, deer archery season harvests so far this season are: Pottawatomie County: 262 Lincoln County: 301 Seminole County: 164 To read more harvest reports throughout the season, go to wildlifedepartment.com/harvestreport

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OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE CONSERVATION Fall archery seasons, information outlined

Opening day for many archery hunting opportunities was Oct. 1. Hunters are reminded to make sure they are up-to-date on licenses and hunter education requirements, and are familiar with all rules and regulations including field tagging, E-Check and legal equipment.

Deer Archery Season: Oct. 1 to Jan. 15, 2018 Last year, hunters set a harvest record for deer archery season, reporting 26,151 animals taken. And this year holds promise to be another banner year.

The state saw rainy conditions during spring and early summer, which benefited wildlife, food sources and vegetation. With the healthy vegetation this year, the deer could be more difficult to spot. Hunters as always are encouraged to scout before heading out to take advantage of deer movement patterns.

Oklahoma has one of the more liberal season bag limits nationwide for archery deer hunters, allowing six deer (only two of which may be bucks). All deer taken during archery season count toward a hunter’s combined season bag limit, and hunters must always field tag and report their harvest using the online E-Check system.

And since turkey archery season is open too, it is common for many deer hunters to buy and carry a turkey

license into the woods in case they get the chance to harvest a bird.

Elk Archery Season-Private Lands: Oct. 1 to Jan. 15, 2018* (Except Special SW Zone) Archers pursuing elk on private lands need to be aware of the seven elk-hunting zones in Oklahoma and the regulations for each of them.

Elk hunting is not permitted on any Department-managed public land except through the Controlled Hunts program.

archery or firearms. Hunter orange requirements apply for certain dates during the fall season, which are listed in the current Oklahoma Hunting and Fishing Guide. And all harvests must be reported online using the E-Check system. If hunting Jan. 1 or after, turkey hunters must possess the current year licenses, which will still be valid the next fall season if unfilled this season. ========

One change in big game regulations this year is the ability to use leashed tracking dogs to help find downed game. Trackers must notify a game warden beforehand, and no trackers may possess any means of take while tracking.

Also opening Oct. 1 is rabbit season, which will run through March 15, 2018.

Hunters must follow the hunter orange rules when afield during any big game firearms hunting season.

Seasons on public lands may vary from statewide season dates. Complete details and regulations for each season can be found in the current "Oklahoma Hunting and Fishing Guide," available in the Wildlife Department’s free phone application, online at wildlifedepartment.com, or in print anywhere hunting licenses are sold.

To learn more about archery hunting in Oklahoma, go online to wildlifedepartment.com.

Last year, archers took 51 elk from private lands in 12 counties. The combined season limit is two elk of either sex. *Each zone has a specified number of elk that can be taken, and when that number is met, the zone will close to all elk hunting. All elk hunters must check wildlifedepartment.com before hunting to ensure the zone is still open for hunting.

In the Special Southwest Zone (Caddo, Comanche and Kiowa counties), archery elk season runs from Oct. 7-11 and Dec. 9-13 and there is no zone quota for number of elk harvested. Elk hunters must have written landowner permission.

Turkey Archery Season: Oct. 1 to Jan. 15, 2018 Turkey hunters may hunt statewide and are limited to one bird whether taken with

Travis Ocker of Lawton took this impressive buck during archery season last year. With a score of 245 2/8, this whitetail became Oklahoma's highest-scoring nontypical buck ever taken by an archer. (Photo Provided)

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THE SHAWNEE NEWS-STAR • HUNTING 2017

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The Oklahoma Department ODWC Oklahoma deer harvest totals, information of Wildlife Conservation Note: Informaton from the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife. receives no general state Read more at www.wildlifedepartment.com Oklahoma continues to reproduction encountered cades. Using Game Harvest tax revenues and is enjoy some of the best deer during the drought. A total of Survey data combined with hunting in North America as 189 mule deer were checked license sales, an estimated funded by those who the habitat and herds continfrom the westernmost areas 75,766 hunters participated in ue to recover from the severe of the state. this nineday season, checking purchase hunting and drought a few years ago. The in 13,998 deer.

Gun hunting remains overall harvest increased by fishing licenses. the most common hunting In contrast to the decline nearly 12 percent from 2015How to purchase a license: 1. Online! There is a $3 convenience fee to use the online application at www. wildlifedepartment.com/ licensing. Residents and non-residents simply apply and print their license. You will not have to wait for your license in the mail.

2. License Dealer - There are over 700 license dealers spread across the state-- from sporting goods stores to bait shops, from convenience stores to large discount centers.

Hunters should consult the official Oklahoma hunting and fishing regulations for license requirements and exemptions.

Military Licenses: • All active duty military personnel, along with their dependents, have the same benefits and requirements for licensing in Oklahoma.

• All resident and nonresident active duty military personnel, along with their dependents, can purchase any annual resident license issued by the ODWC. • Nonresident active duty military personnel may buy a resident annual license even if they obtain a res-

ident hunting, fishing, or trapping license issued by another state.

• Oklahoma residents living out of state who are on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces are no longer exempt from the purchase of a resident annual hunting license.

Fiscal Year Licenses: Sportsmen and women now have the option of purchasing an annual combination hunting and fishing license, which covers the calendar year of Jan. 1 - Dec. 31, or a fiscal year combination license, which covers the period of July 1 to June 30 of the following year.

• A resident fiscal-year combination hunting and fishing license is valid from July 1 to June 30 of the following year. This license costs $53, and is available to residents 18 years-of-age and older.

• A resident youth fiscal-year combination hunting and fishing license is valid from July 1 to June 30 of the following year. This license costs $19, and is available to residents 16 or 17 years-of-age.

16, with a total of 99,023 deer taken in 2016-17.

Figure 1 depicts deer harvest from 1972 through this past season. A breakdown of the past 10 years by bucks (including button bucks) and does appears in Figure 2. Does account for 37 percent of the total deer harvest, below the 40 percent to 45 percent target rate but acceptable for a herd recovering from the lower

method with 192,783 participants and 61.5 percent of the total harvest being taken with a firearm. Combining all modern firearms seasons (youth, regular gun, and holiday antlerless) shows a total of 60,905 deer were checked this past season.

Muzzleloader hunting continues to decline both in participation and consequently in harvest levels. This past season had the lowest number of hunters and harvest in de-

in muzzleloader hunters, archery season participation and harvest continue to grow in Oklahoma. The 2016-17 season had a calculated 98,762 hunters in the woods, only 307 shy of the record participation in 201516. Archery hunters this past season took home 26,151 deer, a record archery harvest for Oklahoma.

The individual seasons and their respective harvest are depicted in Figure 3.

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Note: The following is from the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. Read more at www.wildlifedepartment.com

Deer hunting considered the most popular hunting season in Oklahoma Forget football, in Oklahoma deer are king.

Come fall there are 200,000 hunters headed out to the woods to participate in the most popular single sporting event in the state - deer gun season. That is more than all the fans at Boone Pickens, Gaylord Memorial and Chapman stadiums combined.

It’s no wonder so many Oklahomans have caught buck fever - our state is a sleeper destination when it comes to having a great chance to take home a trophy. We have known it for a long time,

that there are big deer in the woods, but the word is now getting out to the rest of the nation.

Oklahoma is now routinely featured on national hunting shows and is showing up on the bucket list of deer-crazy hunters everywhere.

It didn’t happen by accident, Oklahoma has a long tradition of forward-thinking big game biologists. From Cy Curtis who took the lead in trapping and transplanting deer, to Mike Shaw who oversaw phenomenal growth of the deer herd, to the current leader of

the big game program Erik Bartholomew, one of the brightest and well respected young biologists in the deer community.

All those deer and all those deer hunters add up to a big impact on the state’s economy. From the largest outdoor and sporting goods stores in the major metropolitan cities to the smallest of cafes in rural outposts all over the state, deer hunting is big business for Oklahoma with an estimated total economic impact of over $600 million a year.

Oklahoma's wild turkeys According to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, the wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) is represented in Oklahoma by three subspecies: Eastern, Rio Grande and Merriam's.

Hybridization is possible where their ranges overlap.

Wild turkeys are large birds, with adult toms often weighing more than 20 pounds.

Both sexes have long legs and broad wings, and are swift runners and powerful flyers. Both have long necks

which, when the birds are alter, extend upward to improve visibility. They also have excellent vision and hearing and both sexes may come to a hunter's call.

However, only toms are legal during spring hunting season (either sex may be taken in the fall in some counties) and hunters must learn to distinguish between hens and toms. Generally males are larger, darker and more brilliantly colored than females.

Turkey management in Oklahoma Managing wild turkeys in Oklahoma is a different proposition than it was only decades ago. Where once the sole objective was the restoration of wild turkey populations, today’s biologists are faced with new challenges, such as maintaining high carrying capac-

ities by fine tuning habitat and harvest regulations.

Modern distributions of the Eastern and Rio Grande subspecies are drastically different from pioneer days, with management philosophies, strategies and goals differing from one subspecies to the other.

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Offers very by model. Rebate offers valid on select 2014-2017 new and unregistered models purchased between 7/26/17-9/30/17. Finance offers valid on select 2014-2018 new and unregistered models purchased between 7.26/17-9/30/17. See your authorized dealer for complete details.

Rates as low as 2.99% APR for 36 months. Examples of monthly payments required over a 30-month term at a 2.99% APR rate: $29.08 per $1,000 financed; and at an 6.99% APR rate: $30.87 per $1,000 financed. An exfample of a monthly payment with $0 down, no rebate, an APR of 2.99% APR for 36 months at a MSRP of $9,999.00 is $290.74; total cost of borrowing of $467.60 with a total obligation of $10,466.60. Down payment may be required. Other financing offers may be available. See your local dealer for details. Minimum Amount Financed $1,500; Maximum Amount Financed $50,000. Other qualifications and restrictions may apply. Financing promotions void where prohibited. Tax, title, license, and registration are separate and may not be financed. Promotion may be modified or discontinued without notice at any time in Polaris’ sole discretion.

Warming: Polaris® off-road vehicles can be hazardous to operate and are not intended for on-road use. Driver must be at least 16 years old with a valid driver’s license tooperate. Passengers, if permitted, must be at least 12 years old. All riders should always wear helmets, eye protection, and protective clothing. Always use seat belts and cab nets or doors (as equipped). Never engage in stunt driving, and avoid excessive speeds and sharp turns. Riding and alcohol/drugs don’t mix. All riders should take a safety training course. Call 800-342-3764 for additional information.

Check local laws before riding on trails. © 2017 Polaris Industries Inc.

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