Wildlife Commission Learns of Efforts to Boost Hunting, Shooting Participation – Okemah News Leader

During their common November assembly Monday, Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commissioners discovered how an progressive staffing partnership involving the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation and the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) has been working to construct participation in searching and capturing sports activities through the previous 12 months.

 

Oklahoma R3 Hunting Coordinator Kasie Harriet offered a assessment of current actions targeted on recruitment, retention and reactivation for searching and capturing sports activities. They embrace outreach occasions, mentored hunts, and academic classes.

The R3 actions Harriet has facilitated this previous 12 months embrace the second Oklahoma Deer Hunting Conference and Expo, the second Squirrel Fest, Private Mentored Hunt with Lacie and Reagan of Griffin Broadcasting, turkey searching workshops, Women in the Outdoors occasions, NWTF banquets, ODWC Hunting Resources website, and digital searching academic workshops.

 

Harriet stated she’s planning to add a turkey searching expo subsequent spring to additional improve R3 efforts.

 

Commissioners authorized beneficiant donations from a number of non-governmental group companions. ODWC Chief of Wildlife Bill Dinkines accepted a donation of $42,700 from Annie Farrell, district biologist with NWTF, together with Oklahoma Regional Director Oscar Juanes, and state Board Member Rick Nolan. Using federal Pittman-Robertson wildlife restoration matching funds, half of the donation will lead to $124,000 to conduct habitat enhancement tasks on 4 wildlife administration areas (WMAs) in northwest Oklahoma. The relaxation of the donation went to help regulation enforcement, and the National Archery within the Schools and the Scholastic Shooting Sports Programs.

 

Other donations accepted throughout Monday’s assembly: $500 from Max Prichard, Denyce Prichard, and Mark Winters for youth waterfowl searching on behalf of Oklahoma Delta Waterfowl; and $2,500 for work on Sandhills Wildlife Management Area from Chris Lee and Eric Grohler on behalf of Quail Forever’s Plainsmen Chapterin Enid. Both of these donations are additionally eligible for 3-to-1 matching federal funds.

 

In different enterprise:

• Commissioners acknowledged Herman Jones of Adair County for his choice as ODWC’s 2022 Landowner of the Year. Nathaniel Kester, Wildlife Technician at Cookson WMA, offered an outline of the land and wildlife administration practices that Jones conducts on his property. Kester stated Jones was among the many first in his county to incorporate habitat enchancment methods resembling prescribed fireplace and cover thinning, and he has influenced different landowners to take curiosity in doing the identical. Jones has additionally opened his property to biologists learning deer, wild turkey, the endangered Ozark big-eared bat. State Representative David Hardin offered Jones a Certificate of Achievement from the Legislature, saying Jones’ administration actions will profit many generations to come. Jones stated his choice was an excellent honor, and he’s grateful he can assist ODWC in conserving wildlife
• Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Foundation Executive Director Rick Grundman reported on the primary Oklahoma Waterfowl Festival fundraiser hosted on Oct. 8 by G&H Decoys; stated a group capturing fundraiser is ready May 12 at The Cedar Gate; and introduced the 2023 Call of the Wild Gala and Oklahoma Conservation Hall of Fame Induction will likely be Sept. 29 in Oklahoma City.
• Upland Game Biologist Tell Judkins offered roadside survey resultsindicating quail numbers this 12 months are barely improved, and hunters ought to anticipate comparable situations this 12 months that they skilled in 2021-22.
• Commissioners acknowledged the 2022 graduating class of ODWC’s Wildlife Resource Professional program. The spent almost 4 years present process in-depth coaching throughout a wide selection of ODWC operations. Graduates are Kelly Adams, Jeremy Bersche, Emily Clark, Phillip Cottrill, Allen Couch, Cody Criswell, Carol Davidson, Jeremy Duck, Rebecca Fillmore, Ben Haff, Mark Hannah, Whitney Heskett, Darrin Hill, Nathaniel Kester, Donnie King, Joey McAllister, Becky Rouner, Jason Smith, Amanda Thomas, Jeff Tibbits, Billy Bob Walker, Mikki Wilmoth, Cody Youngblood, and Michael Zimmerman.
• Commissioners welcomed Tim Diehl of McAlester as interim Wildlife Commissioner from District 3.
• In his common report, ODWC Director J.D. Strong supplied updates from ODWC’s varied divisions for the reason that earlier assembly, together with the rollout of 365-day searching and fishing licenses on Nov. 1; the profitable processing of about 250 bass match exemptions since new bass harvest guidelines went into impact in September; and a report on this 12 months’s black bear seasons, throughout which hunters took 60 bears in all.
• Several ODWC staff obtained tenure awards: Game Warden Curtis Latham for 30 years of service, Northeast Region Wildlife Supervisor Jeff Pennington for 30 years of service, Game Warden Shane Fields for 25 years of service, and Game Warden Capt. Gary Emmons for 20 years of service.

 

The Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission is the eight-member governing board of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. The Commission establishes state searching and fishing rules, units coverage for the Wildlife Department and not directly oversees all state fish and wildlife conservation actions. Commission members are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Oklahoma Senate. The Dec. 5 assembly has been canceled; the subsequent scheduled Commission assembly is ready for Jan. 3, 2023, in Enid.

 

To view a video recording of the Nov. 7 assembly, go to the Outdoor Oklahoma YouTube Channel at https://youtu.be/S5lHVC5Kzeo.