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GAME WARDEN’S JOURNAL

ACCOUNTS FROM THE FIELD BY THE PUBLIC SERVANTS WHO ENFORCE THE FISH
AND WILDLIFE LAWS OF OKLAHOMA

On Dec. 9, 2023, District 8 Capt. Ben Bickerstaff and particular youth deer hunt was restricted to those who
Game Warden Blake Cottrill, based in Garfield County, hadn’t previously harvested more than one deer. Out of
investigated a hunting incident involving crane hunters the hopeful applicants, 24 youth hunters were drawn for
west of Cherokee. the antlerless deer hunt.
The crane hunters reported that a pickup stopped The weekend’s events were hosted on private lands
abruptly on the nearby road, lowered a window in south central Oklahoma, where youth hunters were
and began shooting into their decoy spread with a guided by Oklahoma Game Wardens, volunteers from
high-powered rifle. The driver drove away when the the OWMA, and landowners. Only two of the youth
“cranes” did not disperse. The hunters immediately hunters had harvested a deer before, highlighting the
reported the incident. opportunity this event provided for many to experience
Game Wardens were able to locate the men in the the thrill of the hunt for the first time.
pickup, and they were issued citations, and their firearms On Friday, each hunter had to prove their ability to
were seized as evidence. shoot accurately by taking turns at a 100-yard range.
The men said they were Saturday’s morning hunt was followed by pizza and a
just trying to “scare those presentation of valuable tips and techniques for deer
cranes off the wheat.” processing. Several other Game Wardens brought skeet
But it wasn’t their crop of shooting equipment.
wheat to worry about. The young hunters returned home a bit tired with
It is particularly danger- newfound knowledge, experiences, and some fresh deer
ous to shoot from a road- meat. The cooperation between OWMA and ODWC is
way into a decoy spread a testament to our commitment to wildlife conservation
or even live birds. In this and to the recruiting of responsible hunters in Oklahoma.
case, eight hunters were
within 20-30 yards of a
decoy that was shot using a Savage .204 rifle. Luckily, The image of two white-tailed deer with locked-up
the hunters were not harmed, but this story could have antlers and tangled in a wire fence was captured in Gar-
had a very different outcome. field County on Game Warden Capt. Ben Bickerstaff’s
Many methods exist to scare waterfowl off of a crop: body-worn video camera. Bickerstaff skillfully fired his
nuisance wildlife control operators are listed on the Wild- shotgun to remove one of the antlers, freeing the surviv-
life Department’s website; local conservation districts/ ing buck from its expired foe.
Farm Service agencies often rent out propane cannons;
ODWC LAW ENFORCEMENT DIV.
even USDA Wildlife Services can provide options for farm-
ers and landowners to deal with wildlife depredation.

The Oklahoma Wildlife
Management Association
(OWMA) and Wildlife
Department Game War-
dens collaborated to host
a youth deer hunt Dec. 8,
providing young hunters
a great opportunity to
engage in an educational (Reports from the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife
weekend filled with out- Conservation-Game Wardens Facebook page.)
door adventures.
In an effort to recruit EDITOR’S NOTE: Please help make a difference!
the next generation of When violators break the law, they steal fish and
hunters and encourage wildlife from you! Report violations anonymously by
responsible hunting practices, ODWC includes youth calling Operation Game Thief at (800) 522-8039. You
hunts in its controlled hunts drawings. Eligibility for this could earn a cash reward.

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