Deer hunting opportunities expanded with new regulations
            The Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission passed several hunting and fishing regulation changes at its regular meeting Monday, particularly some deer hunting regulation changes aimed at improving Oklahoma’s deer herd while providing additional hunting opportunities for antlerless deer.
            Specific deer hunting regulation changes include the following:
 
* Archery hunters will be allowed to harvest a deer of either sex during the period of Jan. 1 to Jan. 15.
* The bag limit for archery season was increased from four to six deer.
* Legal firearms for muzzleloading season were redefined by allowing the current technology of electronic ignition and future technological changes for muzzleloading firearms to be legal for deer, provided the firearm is loaded from the muzzle and uses a powder and bullet set-up.
* Deer gun season on Honobia Creek, Three Rivers, Ouachita and Broken Bow Wildlife Management Areas were opened to same as statewide season dates.
 
The Commission voted 5-2 to reject one item in the list of hunting-related proposals, which would have allowed those persons certified to use crossbows to use a device that permits a regular bow to be held mechanically at full or partial draw.
            “These changes expand deer hunting opportunities in many ways, but they also serve to help manage the state’s deer herd,” said Alan Peoples, chief of wildlife for the Wildlife Department.
            Other changes that were approved affect fisherman and several popular fishing spots. The new rule amendments are as follows:
 
* Paddlefish anglers will be required to attach their paddlefish permit number to their fish, and it will be a requirement for paddlefish viscera to be removed before leaving the state. Additionally, paddlefish anglers will be required to have a free annual paddlefish permit. These paddlefish rules are currently in effect under emergency rules.
* The Illinois River was defined as the area from the confluence of Baron Fork Creek downstream to the Horseshoe Bend boat ramp.
* The boundaries on the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System were clarified.
* Spotted bass were exempted from length limits statewide except for certain streams.
* Spotted bass bag limits were removed statewide except for certain streams.
* Alligator gar rules were modified after public hearings to define the closed area, shorten the period of closure and restrict all angling methods.
* The use of non-metallic materials will be allowed where natural materials do not exist for attaching limblines.
 
            “I am confident these changes will benefit the fisheries in Oklahoma as well as our state’s anglers,” said Barry Bolton, fisheries chief for the Wildlife Department. “Anglers are getting more opportunities in areas like spotted bass fishing, and activities like paddlefish angling will now be more simplified. Additionally, these changes establish some other very important guidelines for managing our state’s fisheries.”
            The Commission approved several other items at the regular meeting regarding nuisance wildlife control and feral hog nuisance and depredation rules. Approved amendments are as follows:
* An existing emergency rule regarding the poisoning of prairie dogs on public land was made permanent.
* Prior to shooting beavers at night, it will be a requirement that the game warden for that county be notified.
* Rules were established for issuing permits to landowners, lessees or their designated agents and to any entity of local government to control nuisance wildlife or feral hogs as authorized in statute (29:4-135.). The issuance of the permit was streamlined by allowing the area game warden or wildlife employee to immediately respond to a complaint and, upon verification of the problem, issue a permit immediately for an appropriate time period up to one year. The change also allows for the person doing the authorized control work to sell coyotes and beaver with proper documentation.
* Restrictions were tightened on the possession, importation, culture, sale or use of invasive Asian carp and blueback herring.
* The Commission will be allowed to add or delete aquatic plants from the “Species to Watch” list.
 
            In addition to wildlife changes, oil and gas rules were updated to reflect industry technology and procedure changes.
            The new regulations must now pass through the legislative process and be signed by the governor. Look for complete details in the next Oklahoma Hunting and Fishing Guides.
            In other business, the Commission recognized Gene Pester, game warden supervisor, and Arthur Joe Young, also a game warden supervisor, for 35 years of service to the Wildlife Department. Additionally, Jimmy Foster, communications manager, and Steve Webber, information specialist, were both recognized for 20 years of service.
            The Wildlife Conservation Commission is the eight-member governing board of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. The Wildlife Commission establishes state hunting and fishing regulations, sets policy for the Wildlife Department, and indirectly oversees all state fish and wildlife conservation activities. Commission members are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate.
            The next scheduled Commission meeting is set for 9 a.m. April 1 at the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation headquarters (auditorium), at the southwest corner of 18th and North Lincoln, Oklahoma City.
 
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New Kaw lake record flathead hooked
            If Lesley B. Carson-McNeff of Mustang had caught her 78 lb. flathead catfish from Kaw Lake this time last year, she may have been the only one to cherish the sweet memory, but since she caught it March 8 of this year, the big cat will go down in the record books.
            The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation initiated its Lake Record Fish Program in February, 2008, to recognize the biggest fish from a number of lakes across the state, as well as the anglers who reel them in.
            McNeff’s catfish goes down as the first lake record flathead catfish and the third lake record caught since the inception of the program. It was caught on a trotline baited with whole shad, and McNeff, 25, and her father braved cold weather to bring home the fish.
            “It was really cold,” McNeff said. “It was 19 degrees when we got on the water.”
            The pair checked her father’s trotline first, coming up with three nice-sized flatheads, then switched to check Lesley’s trotline. There was only one fish on the trotline, but neither of them expected to find a Kaw lake record — weighing an even 78 lbs with a length of 51 inches and a girth of 34.25 inches.
            “I was not disappointed that it was the only fish on the line!” McNeff said.  
            McNeff enjoys running trotlines this time of year with her father, who learned the art of successful trotline fishing from his father.
            “My dad’s the best trotline fisherman I know,” McNeff said. “He knows how and where to set them, how to run them.”
            And McNeff’s father has been showing her the ropes since she was just a youngster. Her flathead catfish comes after two other lake records were set in late February. One was a 14 lb., 8 oz. largemouth bass caught by Allen Gifford, Davis, from Arbuckle Lake, and the other was a 40.1 lb. Grand Lake blue catfish caught by Illinois resident Denny Halgren.
            Besides Kaw Lake, there are currently 12 other major lakes included in the Lake Record Fish pilot program, including Arbuckle, Broken Bow, Canton, Eufaula, Ft. Cobb, Grand, Keystone, Sardis, Skiatook, Tenkiller, Texoma and Thunderbird.
            Species eligible for spots in the lake records book include flathead, blue and channel catfish and largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass in addition to crappie, paddlefish, striped bass, striped bass hybrids, sunfish (combined) walleye/saugeye and white bass. Minimum weights are set for each species and are detailed on the Wildlife Department’s Web site at wildlifedepartment.com.
            Anglers who catch a potential record fish from a participating lake should contact designated business locations around the lake that are enrolled as lake record keepers. A listing of official lake record keepers is available on wildlifedepartment.com.
            Once it has been determined that an angler has landed a record fish, the media is notified and the public will be able to view information about the catch on the Wildlife Department’s Web site at wildlifedepartment.com.
            An easily-operated search feature is available on the Web site that allows those interested to view a wealth of lake record fish information, ranging from the size of record fish caught to what kind of bait or rod and reel was used to catch them.
            All past and current state record fish are registered in the Lake Record Fish Program as records for their respective lakes.
            For more information about the new Lake Record Fish Program, or for more on bass fishing in Oklahoma, log on to wildlifedepartment.com.
 
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