By Gerry Augustin Outdoor Writer

When it comes to discussing changes in our hunting and fishing regulations, a crowd is sure to gather. So it was last Tuesday night at the Enid Central Fire Station with more than 50 in attendance. The topic that drew the most discussion was managing our deer herds.

It took years, but hunters finally are realizing that doe harvest is what is needed to manage our deer population. Twenty to 30 years ago, hunters were told to bypass the does and take a buck. That was well and good when we needed to increase our deer population, but in this day and age we need to harvest our doe population to maintain a healthy deer herd and reduce the growing population. Several good ideas were brought up in the meeting.

One of these ideas was to require a doe be harvested and checked in before a buck tag could be issued. Another idea is to increase doe harvest during muzzle loading and rifle season to allow hunters to kill two does and a buck. This idea stems from the fact during these seasons 85 percent of deer harvested in the fall are taken at this time.

Another idea brought up was to set an antler limit for bucks, i.e. hunters must count the tines on a buck and only shoot those having more than a set amount (six or eight points). This won’t work because some healthy six point bucks may be younger than two years old.

A proposal brought to the meeting by the Department of Wildlife Conservaton was to change the number of antlered deer that a hunter may harvest annually from three to two. This proposal would put archers at a disadvantage because it would be easier to take a buck with a gun than a bow. To counteract this, a proposal was made to allow one buck taken during archery season and one taken in either muzzle loading or rifle season but not both.

Another deer hunting proposal that drew some discussion was allowing youth during the special youth season to take one antlered and one antlerless deer. This question had a mixed reaction. Some thought this would encourage young hunters but may provoke the youth’s mentor to shoot a large buck and let the youth claim it on their tag. This proposal also defeats the overall objective to reduce the doe population.

Other proposals of interest to northwest Oklahoma hunters and anglers also were discussed. One of those was to change the way applications are filled out for controlled hunts. To cut costs, the department would stop printing controlled hunt pamphlets and all hunts would be viewed and applied for on the Internet.

A proposal would restrict low point beer consumed on department lands to camping and parking areas only. Presently, low-point beer can be consumed anywhere on the property.

A rule was proposed to add and establish guidelines for people who care for sick, injured or young wildlife. In the past there were no specific rules.

A fisheries proposal is to reduce the 22-inch limit on bass on Arcadia Lake to 14 inches and to increase the creel limit from 3 to 6 inches. This change is to allow more anglers to take home bass. The original limit was meant to allow bass to become established in the lake.

Another proposal would allow the use of gaff hooks to land paddlefish while bow fishing. This would make it easier for archers to land their fish, which sometimes may weigh 100 pounds or more.

Two additions were made to furbearer harvest — the first dealing with the river otter in southeast Oklahoma. In this area the river otter population has increased to the point of a nuisance. The season would be set from Dec. 1 to Jan. 31 with a bag limit of two per licensed individual. No county in northwest Oklahoma is included in this proposal.

The second item would add the mountain lion to the list of species that can be taken year-round when committing or about to commit depredation or when the presence of which may constitute a health hazard or nuisance. If a mountain lion would be shot and killed, a mandatory check would be required. Several comments were made about the lion loosing fear of man and moving in closer to their homes. Also some landowners refuse to go into heavily wooded areas on their property during the day and much less at night for fear of being attacked.

Since the mountain lion has a large home range of 100-300 square miles, it is hard to determine how many are residing in Oklahoma. The white-tailed deer is its primary food source, and since we have an abundance here its natural for them to move into the state.

Hunting proposals for the new Drummond Flats wildlife management area would be set to match statewide regulations. The area would be closed to deer gun and muzzle loading hunting. The area also would be closed to trapping.

A proposal would allow quail and pheasant hunting on Optima and Washita WMAs during the deer gun season since no deer hunting is allowed on these two WMAs.

The wildlife department also asked the meeting’s participants if they were interested in a limited black bear season. There was a positive consensus.

A proposal also is being considered to change the dove season. The first option provides for a season length of 60 days and a bag limit of 15 doves. The second option provides for a season length of 70 days and a bag limit of 12 doves. One question brought up on this proposal was whether to start the season earlier. This season is set by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service only allowing dove season to start Sept. 1 or later.

Outdoor Trivia

From last week: The skipping goby fish is unique because of its ability to climb trees in search of insects. The usual twist for a .30-06 rifle is one twist in 10 inches.

This week’s questions are one for the anglers and one for our youth. What does IGFA stand for? What is Woodsy the Owl’s famous saying?