Page 8 - Jan/Feb 2022 Outdoor Oklahoma Magazine
P. 8
Game Warden’s Journal
ACCOUNTS FROM THE FIELD BY THE PUBLIC
SERVANTS WHO ENFORCE THE FISH AND
WILDLIFE LAWS OF OKLAHOMA
Poaching is not only unethical but can also be very dangerous.
On Nov. 29, officers responded to a report of a gunshot fired
into a house. The bullet had gone through a window and missed
hitting a person by only a few feet.
Game Wardens Mike France, based in Pottawatomie County,
and Zach Paulk, based in Cleveland County, were called. An
investigation determined that a poacher twice fired a firearm
at a deer from a county roadway. One of the bullets hit the deer,
and the other went into the house. A suspect was charged in
Lincoln County with reckless discharge of a firearm, hunting
without landowner consent, illegal take of white-tailed deer,
and shooting from a public roadway.
Waterfowl carcasses were illegally dumped on or about Dec.
9, 2021, along Adobe Road southwest of Newkirk in Kay Coun-
ty. The breasted-out birds included a pintail drake, a mallard
drake, a ring-necked duck, two lesser Canada geese, eight green-
winged teal drakes, and 13 gadwalls. Game Warden Spencer
Grace, based in
Kay County, said
photos have pos-
sibly circulated on
social media that
might tie this crime The minimum fine for illegally disposing of wildlife is $500
to individuals. plus court costs. It also carries mandatory revocation of hunting
It is illegal to dis- rights for a year minimum. If you have any information on this
pose of wildlife in crime, please call Grace at (580) 761-6565.
this manner, but it
happens every year (Reports from the Oklahoma Game Wardens Facebook page.)
during waterfowl
seasons. Grace is EDITOR’S NOTE: Please help make a difference! When violators
asking for the pub- break the law, they steal fish and wildlife from you! Report violations
lic’s assistance to anonymously by calling Operation Game Thief at (800) 522-8039.
help put a stop to it. You could earn a cash reward.
FURBEARER EXEMPTION
Sometimes an exemption from the regular hunting or fishing regulations is provided. Such is
IT’S THE the case with the taking of furbearers, in specific circumstances. On page 76 of the Oklahoma
Fishing and Hunting Regulations, it states: “Nothing in this regulation prevents the killing of
furbearers actually found destroying livestock or poultry. In addition, nothing in this regula-
tion prevents the running or chasing of coyote, bobcat, fox or raccoon with dogs for sport only,
except on those public lands where such activity is prohibited. Bobcats and foxes taken with
this exemption cannot be removed from the property. Only furbearers taken within season
and with a fur license may be sold or removed from property.”
— Smokey Solis, Communication Specialist
6 Off the Beaten Path
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