From the Oklahoman here.

State wildlife officials said the first year of making caviar from Oklahoma paddlefish eggs was a big success. Now they plan to build a permanent processing center on Grand Lake.

In the spring, the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation set up a temporary fish cleaning and processing station for paddlefish at Twin Bridges State Park on Grand Lake.

Anglers who snagged paddlefish during the spring spawning runs could have their fish cleaned for free by state wildlife officials. In return, officials removed the eggs from female paddlefish and processed the eggs into caviar.

The state Wildlife Department made 8,000 pounds of caviar this spring. which was sold to three wholesalers for slightly more than $1.5 million, said Melinda Sturgess-Streich, assistant director of administration.

State wildlife officials initially predicted it would take two to three years to make a profit on the sales. But the money earned this year was more than enough to cover the initial $602,000 start-up costs of the program.

"We hit a home run,” said Jeff Boxrucker, assistant chief of fisheries for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.

"We were anticipating a middle of the road price and a middle of the road paddlefish run. We got top dollar and an excellent run.”

The state Wildlife Department used part of the profits to hire two additional paddlefish biologists. A new processing center will be built in two years, Boxrucker said.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - More than 10,000 birds making an annual migration north have found a place they like to rest and spend some time -- in a small grove of trees in northwest Oklahoma City.

The birds from as many as a half-dozen species migrate from Central and South America, through Mexico and into the central U.S. on their way to the Dakotas or Canada. For a few weeks, they make their nests in Oklahoma City, although scientists aren't sure why.

Great egrets typically arrive in Oklahoma in the third or fourth week of March. Little blue herons show up in early April, and cattle egrets join them during the next couple of weeks.

Black-crowned night herons and snowy egrets also use the nesting area.

Read the rest of the story here.

Five-year hunting and fishing license to benefit sportsmen in 2009

            Ask any Oklahoman how much money they spend on their favorite pastime — whether it is golf, shopping, video games or another activity — and you will quickly learn that hobbies can cost big bucks. Sportsmen are no different, spending money on the latest gear, hunting leases, outdoor apparel and gasoline and food for their outings. But starting in January 2009, Oklahoma sportsmen will have the option of getting a great bargain by purchasing a five-year hunting, fishing or combination license at a fraction of the cost of buying an annual hunting and fishing license each year.
            State Rep. Randy McDaniel (R) recently authored House Bill 2667, which was recently signed into law by the governor, creating five-year hunting, fishing or combination licenses that will be available to sportsmen in 2009. Senator John Ford (R) was the Senate author.
            “Hunting and fishing are great traditions in Oklahoma and improve the quality of life for all who enjoy the outdoors,” Rep. McDaniel said. “The five-year combination hunting and fishing license will be an exceptional value for sportsmen, and it will encourage participation in our state’s outdoors.”
            Rep. McDaniel is the state’s District 83 representative (northwest Oklahoma City) and serves on several House committees, including Tourism and Recreation, for which he is vice chair; Industry and Labor; Arts and Culture; Human Services; and Health. Sen. Ford represents District 29 (northeast Oklahoma).
            The bill sets the fee for these licenses at $88 for a five-year fishing license, $88 for a five-year hunting license and $148 for a combination license, which also includes the five-year fishing and hunting legacy permit. Normally, hunters and anglers pay $5 each year for the legacy permit, or $25 over five years.
            “For most sportsmen, five years of annual combination licenses and fishing and hunting legacy permits comes to about $210, but for just $148 sportsmen can get a hunting and fishing license as well as a fishing and hunting legacy permit that will last five years,” said Melinda Sturgess-Streich, assistant director of administration for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. “That is an enormous saving.”
            Sportsmen who hold a five-year license will still be required to purchase other applicable annual permits such deer and turkey licenses, appropriate waterfowl stamps, land access permits and other permits where required.
            The five-year fishing, hunting or combination license will be available in January 2009 at any sporting goods store or location that sells hunting and fishing licenses, or online through the Wildlife Department’s Web site at wildlifedepartment.com.
            The Wildlife Department is the state agency charged with conserving Oklahoma’s wildlife. It receives no general state tax revenues and is funded by sportsmen through the purchase of hunting and fishing licenses and special federal excise taxes on sporting goods.

House Approves Terrill/Coffee Hunting & Fishing Protections

Members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives voted today to give Oklahomans the opportunity to protect their right to hunt and fish by amending the state Constitution in November.

Senate Joint Resolution 38, by state Rep. Randy Terrill
(R-Moore) and state Sen. Glenn Coffee (R-Oklahoma City), would place a state question on the November ballot allowing citizens to determine whether the right to hunt and angle and take game and fish should be protected by the state Constitution.

"Oklahoma has a long tradition of hunting and fishing that precedes statehood by centuries," Terrill said. "Our right to hunt and fish is inherent and deserves constitutional protection, especially given the increasingly radical actions of liberal activist groups targeting outdoor gaming around the nation. This bill gives our citizens the chance to protect their rights from being taken away by people who have no respect for our traditions and values."

The resolution will add a new section to the State Constitution that gives all Oklahomans the right to hunt, trap, fish, and take game and fish. The legislation would prevent new state laws from prohibiting anyone from engaging in such activities.

The bill has received the support of both the Oklahoma Rifle Association and the National Rifle Association.

In a joint memorandum of support, Joel Partridge, Oklahoma State Liaison for the National Rifle Association's Institute for Legislative Action, and Darren LaSorte, Manager of Hunting Policy for the NRA-ILA, urged lawmakers to support Senate Joint Resolution 38.

"Enshrining the right to hunt, fish and trap in the Oklahoma Constitution will protect the state's rich hunting heritage for generations to come against attacks from the well-funded anti-hunting interest groups like the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS)," Partridge and LaSorte wrote. "The group spends $120 million annually lobbying to incrementally stop hunting and animal agriculture across the country," Terrill said.

“I am very pleased that the House voted overwhelmingly to support this legislation to protect our state’s rich hunting and fishing heritage,” said Coffee, R-Oklahoma City. “Unfortunately, the rights of hunters and fishers are coming under attack across the country, such as efforts to ban fishing by declaring that fish feel pain. SJR 38 gives the Oklahomans a chance to vote to add protections for hunting and fishing to our constitution.”

The letter states that Senate Joint Resolution 38 will "provide truly meaningful protections against the animal 'rights' radicals." Partridge and LaSorte note that sportsmen generated $573.2 million in state economic activity in 2007 and created 6,755 jobs, according to the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and the National Shooting Sports Foundation.

Senate Joint Resolution 38 passed the Oklahoma House of Representatives today and now returns to the state Senate.

Military's gun of choice under fire

HARTFORD, Conn. - No weapon is more important to tens of thousands of U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan than the carbine rifle. And for well over a decade, the military has relied on one company, Colt Defense of Hartford, Conn., to make the M4s they trust with their lives.

Now, as Congress considers spending millions more on the guns, this exclusive arrangement is being criticized as a bad deal for American forces as well as taxpayers, according to interviews and research conducted by The Associated Press.

"What we have is a fat contractor in Colt who's gotten very rich off our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan," says Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla.

The M4, which can fire at a rate of 700 to 950 bullets a minute, is a shorter and lighter version of the company's M16 rifle first used 40 years ago during the Vietnam War. It normally carries a 30-round magazine. At about $1,500 apiece, the M4 is overpriced, according to Coburn. It jams too often in sandy environments like Iraq, he adds, and requires far more maintenance than more durable carbines.

"And if you tend to have the problem at the wrong time, you're putting your life on the line," says Coburn, who began examining the M4's performance last year after receiving complaints from soldiers. "The fact is, the American GI today doesn't have the best weapon. And they ought to."

Military sticks to its guns
U.S. military officials don't agree. They call the M4 an excellent carbine. When the time comes to replace the M4, they want a combat rifle that is leaps and bounds beyond what's currently available.

"There's not a weapon out there that's significantly better than the M4," says Col. Robert Radcliffe, director of combat developments at the Army Infantry Center in Fort Benning, Ga. "To replace it with something that has essentially the same capabilities as we have today doesn't make good sense."

Colt's exclusive production agreement ends in June 2009. At that point, the Army, in its role as the military's principal buyer of firearms, may have other gunmakers compete along with Colt for continued M4 production. Or, it might begin looking for a totally new weapon.

"We haven't made up our mind yet," Radcliffe says.

William Keys, Colt's chief executive officer, says the M4 gets impressive reviews from the battlefield. And he worries that bashing the carbine will undermine the confidence the troops have in it.

"The guy killing the enemy with this gun loves it," says Keys, a former Marine Corps general who was awarded the Navy Cross for battlefield valor in Vietnam. "I'm not going to stand here and disparage the senator, but I think he's wrong."

Colt has competition
In 2006, a non-profit research group surveyed 2,600 soldiers who had served in Iraq and Afghanistan and found 89 percent were satisfied with the M4. While Colt and the Army have trumpeted that finding, detractors say the survey also revealed that 19 percent of these soldiers had their weapon jam during a firefight.

And the relationship between the Army and Colt has been frosty at times. Concerned over the steadily rising cost of the M4, the Army forced Colt to lower its prices two years ago by threatening to buy rifles from another supplier. Prior to the warning, Colt "had not demonstrated any incentive to consider a price reduction," then-Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Sorenson, an Army acquisition official, wrote in a November 2006 report.

Coburn is the M4's harshest and most vocal critic. But his concern is shared by others, who point to the "SCAR," made by Belgian armorer FN Herstal, and the HK416, produced by Germany's Heckler & Koch, as possible contenders. Both weapons cost about the same as the M4, their manufacturers say.

The SCAR is being purchased by U.S. special operations forces, who have their own acquisition budget and the latitude to buy gear the other military branches can't.

Or won't.

"All I know is, we're not having the competition, and the technology that is out there is not in the hands of our troops," says Jack Keane, a former Army general who pushed unsuccessfully for an M4 replacement before retiring four years ago.

Development of the carbine was driven by a need for a weapon that could be used in tight spaces but still had plenty of punch. Colt's answer was the 7 1/2-pound M4.

Soaring sales
In 1994, Colt was awarded a no-bid contract to make the weapons. Since then, it has sold more than 400,000 to the U.S. military.

Along the way, Colt's hold has been threatened but not broken.

In 1996, a Navy office improperly released Colt's M4 blueprints, giving nearly two dozen contractors a look at the carbine's inner workings. Colt was ready to sue the U.S. government for the breach. The company wanted between $50 million and $70 million in damages.

Cooler heads prevailed. The Defense Department didn't want to lose its only source for the M4, and Colt didn't want to stop selling to its best customer.

The result was an agreement that made Colt the sole player in the U.S. military carbine market. FNMI, an FN Herstal subsidiary in South Carolina, challenged the deal in federal court but lost.

And since the Sept. 11 attacks, sales have skyrocketed.

The Army, the carbine's heaviest user, is outfitting all its front-line combat units with M4s. The Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and special operations forces also carry M4s. So do U.S. law enforcement agencies and militaries in many NATO countries.

More than $300 million has been spent on 221,000 of the carbines over the past two years alone. And the Defense Department is asking Congress to provide another $230 million for 136,000 more.

Growing dissatisfaction
A few years ago, the Army considered buying a brand-new carbine called the XM8. Designed by Heckler & Koch, the XM8 was touted as less expensive and more reliable than the M4. The project became bogged down by bureaucracy, however, and was canceled in 2005.

Keane, the retired Army general, blames a bloated and risk-averse bureaucracy for the XM8's demise.

"This is all about people not wanting to move out and do something different," Keane says. "Why are they afraid of the competition?"

Within military circles there are M4 defectors. U.S. Special Operations Command in Tampa, Fla., was one of the carbine's first customers. But the elite commando units using the M4 soured on it; the rifle had to be cleaned too often and couldn't hold up under the heavy use by Army Green Berets and Navy SEALs.

"Jamming can and will occur for a variety of reasons," concluded an internal report written seven years ago by special operations officials but never published. "Several types of jams, however, are 'catastrophic' jams; because one of our operators could die in a firefight while trying to clear them."

Pointing to the report's unpublished status, Colt has disputed its findings. The M4 has been continually improved over the years, says Keys, the company's chief executive.

Some units looking beyond Colt
Special Operations Command is replacing the M4s and several other rifles in its arsenal with FN Herstal's SCAR, which comes in two models: one shoots the same 5.56 mm round as the M4; the other a larger 7.62 mm bullet and costs several hundred dollars more. Both SCARs can accommodate different-size barrels allowing the weapons to be fired at multiple ranges.

The SCARs are more accurate, more reliable and expected to last far longer than their predecessors, said Navy Lt. Cmdr. Marc Boyd, a command spokesman.

"SOCOM likes to be different," says Keys of Colt, using the acronym for the command. "They wanted something unique."

With the SCAR not yet in full-scale production, Heckler & Koch's HK416 is being used by elite units like Delta Force, the secretive anti-terrorism unit. The command would not comment on the HK416 other than to say there are "a small number" of the carbines in its inventory.

A key difference between the Colt carbine and the competitors is the way the rounds are fed through the rifle at lightning speed.

Mixed messages
The SCAR and HK416 use a gas piston system to cycle the bullets automatically. The M4 uses "gas impingement," a method that pushes hot carbon-fouled gas through critical parts of the gun, according to detractors. Without frequent and careful maintenance, they say, the M4 is prone to jamming and will wear out more quickly than its gas-piston competitors.

"A gas piston system runs a little bit smoother and a lot cleaner," says Dale Bohner, a retired Air Force commando who now works for Heckler & Koch. "If the U.S. military opened up a competition for all manufacturers, I see the 416 being a major player in that."

Outside of Special Operations Command, there seems to be no rush to replace the M4.

Brig. Gen. Mark Brown, head of the Army office that buys M4s and other combat gear, traveled to Iraq and Afghanistan last summer to get feedback from soldiers on Colt's carbine.

"I didn't hear one single negative comment," Brown says. "Now, I know I'm a general, and when I go up and talk to a private, they're going to say everything's OK, everything's fine. I said, 'No, no, son. I flew 14,000 miles out here to see you on the border of Afghanistan. The reason I did that was to find out what's happening.'"

Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., says the troops may not be aware of the alternatives. He wants the Pentagon to study the options and make a decision before Congress does.

"Sen. Coburn has raised a good question: 'Do we have the best personal weapon?' And I don't know that we do," Sessions said. "We're not comfortable now. Let's give this a rigorous examination."

Say No to SB2111, SB1735 and HB2547

Since 1927 the Oklahoma Rifle Association, official state affiliate of the National Rifle Association, has been in the forefront protecting the Second Amendment and champion of sportsmen’s rights in Oklahoma, the latter, which have come under, attack by special interests that view financial advantage more of a goal than protecting a precious heritage.  Unfortunately, many have succumbed to “Trojan Horse” legislation disguised as “property rights” and “free enterprise.”   Under the guise of “trespass” legislation, the entire state will be “posted” without the necessity of erecting signage because of a measure by Rep. Phil Richardson, R-Minco, and Sen. John Sparks, D-Norman.

One would be led to believe that “trespass” is a major problem in Oklahoma yet no one has offered any evidence that supports this contention and as a result too many have blindly bought into Sparks and Richardson’s bills SB2111, SB1735 and HB2547.   The ORA made an inquiry with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation who we believe can speak from a position of authority on the matter.  Our inquiry was: “How many violations of “hunting or fishing without permission” occurred last year?  The response was 141 for hunting or fishing without permission.  Of these 6 were warnings.

These “Trojan Horse” bills fail to consider other critical factors such as absentee landowners and limited public hunting areas.  There are many properties belonging to out-of-state owners where sportsmen have hunted and fished for generations, making it difficult and often impossible to make contact owners to obtain the “written permission” that some believe mandatory.  When the requirement for posting was in place, any owner, local and non-resident, had the prerogative to erect signs.  Many landowners are angry that the decision to post or not would be taken from them.  They believe that this is their right, not someone in Oklahoma City.

Although the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation has made efforts to increase the number and size of public hunting and fishing areas through the “Heritage fees,” the short time these fees have been in existence has limited ODWC’s efforts.  Currently there is not enough public hunting and fishing areas to support the demand.  Unlike many states, Oklahomans have very limited access to federal wildlife areas unlike our sister state of Colorado and others.  Only one such area exists in our state and that is the Quachita National Forest.

Our state has a long-standing tradition of hunting with dogs.  The measures being offered by Sparks and Richardson are the death knell for the time-honored tradition of hunting with dogs in Oklahoma.  They will have accomplished what the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) could not do.

One has cause to question the motivation of those who are driving the current rash of proposed laws.  The answer is simple: money.  A large corporate entity is pushing the “trespass” legislation because they view the “people’s wildlife” as just another “cash crop.”  Proponents of commercial hunting are eager to take control of much of the hunting land once it is placed off limits, thereby permitting them to lease or buy large areas to be transformed into “pay to play” hunting.  The average hunter or fisherman will discover that he or she can no longer afford to participate and out-of-state “sportsmen” with fat wallets will fill the void created by their departure.  According to authorities, there already exist over a hundred commercial hunting sites in our state and, at the current rate, the southern part of Oklahoma will be one big commercial hunting area.

The ORA strongly supports “property owners’ rights” and stands behind the concept of “free enterprise,” a principal that has made our nation the wealthiest on the planet.  However, wildlife in Oklahoma is the “property of the people” under the long held standard of ferae naturae.  Free enterprise is not good when it capitalizes upon property not held privately, but belonging to others, Oklahoma wildlife which belongs to all us.  The decisions made at this juncture will ultimately determine the future of hunting and fishing for future generations.  Supporting Richardson and Spark’s “Trojan Horse” legislation“ without examining the real motivation and ramifications to Oklahoma sportsmen is a great disservice to all Oklahomans.

Call your senator and urge them to vote “no” on these bills.   To contact your State Senator, please click here.
 
Charles H. Smith
Executive Director, Oklahoma Rifle Association

Did you know ...

•Oklahoma has three sub-species of wild turkeys: the Eastern turkey, found in the eastern one-third of the state; the Rio Grande, found in the rest of the state; and Merriam's, found at the tip of the Panhandle in far northwest Oklahoma, although some think those birds are truly hybrids of Merriam's and Rio Grandes.

•In the 19th century, wild turkeys were abundant in Oklahoma, with Gen. Philip Sheridan reporting a North Canadian River turkey roost that was more than three miles long.

•Wild turkeys were nearly wiped out by unregulated hunting in the late 1800s and early 1900s. By 1925, turkeys were believed nearly extinct in Oklahoma.

•In 1948, the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation began to reintroduce the wild turkey to its former range through trapping and transplanting as 21 Rio Grande turkeys were captured in the Texas panhandle and relocated to Harper County.

•Wild turkeys now can be found in every county in Oklahoma. In 2006, state wildlife officials estimate more than 60,000 wild turkeys were harvested by Oklahoma hunters.

•Most of the state's public hunting areas have wild turkeys. The most popular for turkey hunting are the Black Kettle Wildlife Management Area in western Oklahoma and the Three Rivers and Honobia Creek Wildlife Management Areas in southeastern Oklahoma.

•Gobblers taken east of I-35 must be checked in by hunters. Turkeys taken west of I-35 do not have to be checked.

•On NewsOK.com: See a video of turkey hunter and call maker Bill Decker talking turkey on his friction calls

Check out the Outdoors Web page for a photo trophy gallery from last weekend's spring youth turkey season. Send hunting and fishing photos for the trophy gallery to egodfrey@oklahoman.

By Ed Godfrey

ORA LEGISLATIVE PROGRESS:    From Charles Smith, President of the ORA...
ORA Update 8 April 2008

Measures:  HB2232, HB2513, HB2547, HB2732, HB2791, SB1735, SB2111;
With Action:On Any Day;

HB2232    #d    Senate    REF TO APPR     3/26/2008    Self-Defense Act-Lower age requirement

HB2513    #ds    Senate    REF TO APPR     3/26/2008    Concealed handguns-Allow at colleges and universities

HB2547    #@    Senate    GENERAL ORDER     4/7/2008    Trespassing on private land-Prohibit hunting and fishing-Specify damages

HB2791    #@xe    Senate    GENERAL ORDER     4/7/2008    Game and fish-Make actions on farmed cervidae facility or hunting area without permission unlawful

SB1735    @    House    REF TO NATRECS     3/18/2008    Permission to fish upon land of another-Make person responsible for damage-Modify penalty

SB2111        House    REF TO JUD/SFTY     4/3/2008    Trespass on private land-Increase penalty-Require restitution

#    Amended in House   
@  Amended in Senate   
X   Stricken Title
$    Appropriation Bill   
c    Carryover Bill       
e    Emergency
d    Dormant           
s    Committee Substitute   
/     Stricken Enacting Clause

We knew that bringing Brandon and Braylin onboard as pro-staffers would be a good thing and it's already starting to pay off.  Brandon is out right now hunting up some rattlesnakes.  This is going to make for some pretty interesting film.

The Oklahoma Rifle Association is moving forward to ensure our hunting rights are preserved.  If you like your hunting rights, you'll listen to this ad and take action.

While their children slept, Julius Billy of Fort Worth, TX and his wife were making plans for a family vacation late Thursday night when they heard someone trying to kick open their back door. Billy retrieved his 9mm handgun and went outside to confront the intruder as his wife dialed 911. The intruder stood in the Billy’s back yard, and, despite Julius Billy’s repeated warnings to get down on the ground, kept advancing towards the house until Billy shot him in the shoulder. Police arrived soon after and took the intruder Jason Murphey: "Higher Ed Officials Should Stop Attack On Veterans"
OKLAHOMA CITY - The Vice-Chairman of the House of Representatives Homeland Security Subcommittee, Rep. Jason Murphey (R-Guthrie), used the occasion of the Veterans Awareness Day Joint Legislative Session on Wednesday to call on Oklahoma Higher Education officials to ease off recent comments that he feels are insulting to Oklahoma's military men and women:

    In their zeal to maintain the status-quo and oppose House Bill 2513, Oklahoma's higher education elite are bringing into question the judgment of Oklahoma's military officers.

HB 2513, which is advocated by the National Rifle Association, supports Oklahoma veterans and active duty personnel by giving them the right to defend themselves and others when they are attending or teaching classes at one of Oklahoma's state colleges and universities, provided they notify the university they are in possession of a concealed carry license.

Murphey said he was especially concerned when, after the passage of House Bill 2513, prominent higher education officials launched a campaign in which they are insinuating that the safety of Oklahoma students will be endangered if Oklahoma's veterans and active military are allowed to defend themselves on college campuses:

    To suggest that Oklahoma's highly trained military men and women are going to endanger the safety of Oklahoma students is inappropriate. I believe that we have the finest military in the world and I find it offensive that some in the higher education community have begun to question the judgment of our military men and women.

    Earlier this year, the Governor received a report from a task force which recommended that millions of dollars be spent on enhancing campus security. This proposed expenditure comes at a time when Oklahomans are already forced to deal with massive tuition increases, high taxes and a government that continues to incur long-term debt. What better way to solve some of our security challenges than to take advantage of the training of our military veterans and active duty military personnel who also maintain concealed carry licenses? House Bill 2513 would allow them to defend themselves and their fellow students and teachers. In many cases, these personnel have training that is equal to or exceeds the training of the law enforcement officers charged with protecting our campuses. This is a service that would be provided with little or no cost to the state.

    It is inconceivable that we are willing to ask our military officers to work with local government in securing such dangerous areas as the Green Zone in Baghdad, but we don't trust them to work with local law enforcement officers to enhance safety on our own college campuses.

House Bill 2513 cleared the House of Representatives by a vote of 65-35 and is now headed to the Senate for consideration. into custody. Noting that his children were in bed nearby at the time, Billy commented, "If he got past me, who would be around to stop him? The main thing for me was that I was the last line of defense for my family."(star-telegram.com, TX. 3/17/08)

 
March 14, 2008
Contact:  Ron Black
gorilla@wildoklahoma.com
 
 
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK:  WILD Oklahoma television, radio and Internet programming has grown in popularity and in scope and now, WILD Oklahoma television adds another station – KSWX from Lawton beginning April 27th, 10:30am Sunday mornings.
 
“We are exceptionally excited to be honored to have our outdoor programming aired on KSWX based in Lawton,” said Ron Black, founder of WILD Oklahoma Media LLC.  “Our unique brand of outdoor programming that focuses exclusively on Oklahoma outdoor opportunities has grown and KSWX is the perfect addition to our media line up.”
 
WILD Oklahoma television has been airing on Oklahoma City’s Fox affiliate, KOKH Fox 25, and thus far, the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.  WILD Oklahoma’s brand of programming is geared toward Oklahoma hunters, anglers and outdoor opportunities.  Black says they have actually turned down film opportunities out of state because it would be in poor taste.
 
“Our ‘brand’ is WILD Oklahoma - not wild Texas or Kansas or New Mexico,” he snickered.  “It would be in terribly poor taste to forget our first love or to leave the one who brought us to the dance sitting in the parking lot.  We’re all Oklahoma all the time and that is not going to change and being on KSWX is absolutely the right thing to do.”
 
WILD Oklahoma has a radio branch as well, airing Sunday afternoons at 4pm in Oklahoma City on News Radio 1000 KTOK, in Cushing on KUSH AM1600 and in Guymon on KGYN AM1210.  Plans are in the works to add more radio stations within the KSWX footprint to continue the positive and revelatory message of Oklahoma outdoors in south Oklahoma.
 
“WILD Oklahoma television, radio and Internet is a celebration of the outdoor traditions and spirit of Oklahoma and frankly, there is nothing else like it,” said Black.  “We’re excited about being a part of the Duncan, Altus, Lawton, and southern Oklahoma programming choices.  We’re thankful that KSWX decided to let us invade their air space.”
 
KSWX broadcast includes Anadarko, Rush Springs, Duncan, Chickasha, Waurika, Walters, Lawton, Frederick, Hobart and Chattanooga viewing area.

By Rachael Van Horn
CNHI News Service
WOODWARD — Opponents to expanding wind energy on public land are voicing their opinions, and sometimes in a loud manner.

About 50 of those opponents met Wednesday with OG&E Electric Services and Department of Wildlife Conservation officials to discuss concerns about expanding Centennial Wind Farm north of Fort Supply onto Cooper Wildlife Management Area. It is a scenario OG&E says will not happen.

In light of growing local and statewide opposition and concern by wildlife organizations about the impact to the region’s natural habitat, OG&E has declined to pursue the development of any wind energy on public land, officials said.

However, OG&E still plans to continue its bid to pursue wind energy development on private land, and there is a large project for the development of high voltage transmission lines running from Guymon through the Woodward area and into Oklahoma City.

Earlier this month, OG&E officials said they heard the concerns and would continue its tradition of being a good neighbor by not developing on the public land.

But despite the announcement, some residents, spooked by the idea and anticipating more such proposals by other companies, hoped to use the forum Wednesday as an opportunity to impress upon state wildlife commissioners their opposition to any company developing on publicly owned land.

We belong to the land

Pat Clark, of Mooreland, has lived in the region for 68 years.

“I pray to God that the Wildlife Department has the wisdom to keep this development off our public lands,” Clark said. “We (the sportsmen) purchased Cooper eight or 10 years ago ... if we allow them to develop on Cooper, how long before they get to Packsaddle.”

Packsaddle Wildlife Management Area covers 17,000 acres in northwest Ellis County, far south of Cooper.

James Peach represents Quail Forever, a sportsman’s organization.

He presented a petition with 127 signatures in opposition to any such development on public land here.

Sue Selman, of Selman Ranch, also was in attendance with a petition. She said wind energy development was sold to people based on the “hysteria of global warming” and did not produce a viable trade off where the reduction of greenhouse gasses is concerned.

“How can you justify destroying western Oklahoma so that other people in other states can have electricity?” Selman said.

Representatives from National Wild Turkey Federation also were in attendance to express opposition.

Looking to the future

But others, such as local real estate professional Douglas Eagon, hinted at other considerations.

“Wind energy is here,” he said. “We have to make certain that we have our long-term glasses on to see where we need to be in 10 years from now.”

In its presentation Wednesday night, OG&E spokesman Jesse B. Langston reminded residents OG&E is regulated by Oklahoma Corporation Commission and would be a better negotiator than other companies coming in to develop wind energy who are middlemen selling power to utilities.

Eagon said he believed, in light of possible legislation pushing wind energy, negotiating with OG&E is better than the other options of non-regulated companies, which might come in the future and urged people to consider those facts with regard to private land development. However, Eagon was outspoken in his opposition to development of wind on public land.

“Fern Cooper used to be known as ‘Big Momma,’” Eagon said. “And if Big Momma were here, she would say what she thinks, and I feel pretty sure she did not decide to give of her own private holding to see it used that way.”

The Florida Marlins may soon have protestors on their hands at Spring Training games. Not because of stealing what will likely be nearly $1B in tourist tax money for a new stadium (from the citizens of Miami without a proper public vote).

We’re talking about reaction to Marlins pitcher Logan Kensing’s habit of overhead hog hunting (no, we’re not talking about occupying a South Beach balcony after a long day on the field).

The PALM BEACH POST reports the Palm Beach County Environmental Coalition has given the Marlins 10 days “to reprimand the player for behavior that isn’t one of a role model.“

That behavior includes tracking hogs and coyotes in a helicopter, then shooting them from above. Kensing had the good judgement to detail the activity to the Post in a Feb. 21.

    “The pilot’s pretty good. He gets right next to them. We spot them, he flies in sideways, glides and we shoot them.” As a matter of fact, Kensing thinks it’s so much fun that he now wants his own chopper.

So far Marlins Owner Jeffrey Loria has made no comment. If he doesn’t respond, the PBCEC says it will “infiltrate the fans and pull out signs. We’ll picket. If we’re willing to have 27 people arrested, it’s obvious we’re committed.“

We’re a little taken aback by Kensing’s hunting techniques. But he claims to love animals, having apparently rescued a baby raccoon from a Florida golf course (note photo inset).

But we wonder what would’ve happened if he’d been in Apocalypse Now mode when he first spotted the varmit.

WILD OKLAHOMA NOTE:  Hunting and tracking via helicopter is very much like what the Oklahoma Department of Ag does - then after the kill, they leave the dead bodies to rot and potentially contaminate water sources for cattle ranchers.  The solution to this hog mess is to invite the WILD Oklahoma boys out to kill em and grill em.  Kensing is an idiot.

Gun bills may not see House vote
By Michael McNutt
Capitol Bureau
House members may not have the opportunity to vote on a bill that would allow 18-year-olds to carry a concealed handgun and another measure that would allow eligible students to carry concealed weapons on college campuses.

House Speaker Chris Benge said members of the House Republican caucus have been getting many calls about both proposals. Thursday is the deadline for bills that have passed out of House committees to be acted on in the House of Representatives.

Firearms at college
College and university officials are "very concerned” about House Bill 2513, which would allow students to carry firearms on campus if they are at least 21 and are licensed to carry a concealed weapon, said Benge, R-Tulsa.
"They would like for it not to go forward,” Benge said.

"Like any other measure out there that creates a lot of stir and a lot of input from people outside the Capitol, we're listening and trying to gauge whether we should hear those measures or not,” he said. "We're talking to members about it.”

Rep. Jason Murphey, R-Guthrie, said he filed the bill after the Feb. 14 shootings that left six dead, including the gunman, at Northern Illinois University, as well as an attack in April at Virginia Tech University, where a gunman killed 32 people.

Benge said higher education officials are worried about security in classrooms if the bill would become law.

"Someone who is in the classroom said: ‘Sometimes I give bad grades. I'm not sure I want to give out bad grades to somebody who might be carrying a weapon,'” Benge said.

Guns for 18-year-olds
HB 2232 would lower the age to 18 from 21 when Oklahomans could get a concealed handgun license.
Asked if that bill would advance, Benge said, "Not at this time. There's some concern out there with the bill.”

Rep. Jerry Ellis, D-Valliant, said he filed the measure, which won committee approval this week, because 18-year-olds are allowed to serve in the military and may be activated to defend their country.

"The difference there, though, is that you have somebody who's gone through 16 weeks or whatever basic training is,” Benge said.

Benge said the bill also could make it possible for high school students to get a permit to carry a concealed handgun.

"There are a lot of 18-year-olds that are still in high school, and that's a big concern by many,” Benge said.

House Democratic leader Danny Morgan, D-Prague, said it is appropriate to be cautious.

"Those are two issues that we want to be very diligent in the study of,” Morgan said.

HB2232, by Rep. Jerry Ellis, D-Valliant, decreases from 21 to 18 the age for obtaining an Oklahoma Self-Defense Act license.

Comment: Several states have the age set at 18 years and have not experienced any problems. If they can vote at 18 and fight for our country, they're old enough to hold an SDA license.

Contact your state representative and urge him or her to support HB2232.

Click the link to contact your representative.
http://www.okhouse.gov/Members/MemberListing.aspx

OG&E steps aside on wind farm development

OG&E is no longer pursuing the idea of developing a wind farm on the Cooper Wildlife Management Area near Woodward.


"We heard from folks in that area and sportsmen and even OG&E employees who had concerns about it,” said Brian Alford, spokesman for OG&E.

Alford said OG&E has many opportunities for wind development on private land in northwest Oklahoma.

Still, state wildlife commissioners plan to go ahead with a March 12 public meeting in Woodward concerning wind power on wildlife management areas.

David Riggs, chairman of the state wildlife commission, said public input is needed on the issue and encourages everyone to attend.

Hog hunting meeting

A public hearing is scheduled Monday to establish rules on the transportation, breeding and commercial hunting of feral hogs in Oklahoma.

The hearing will be at 1 p.m. at the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry in Oklahoma City, 2800 N. Lincoln.

by: ROBERT BOCZKIEWICZ World Correspondent

2/29/2008  12:00 AM

DENVER -- A group of Oklahoma employers are making a novel argument in opposing a state law requiring employers to allow workers to have guns in locked vehicles where they work.

ConocoPhillips Co. and other smaller employers in a court case contend the law constitutes "an unconstitutional taking of (their) property" and their right to exclude people from their property. That argument is in a new filing by the employers at the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

They want the court to uphold a decision of U.S. District Judge Terence Kern in Tulsa who struck down the law. The case recently heated up at the Denver-based court when national organizations on both sides of the law submitted their stances to the judges who will decide whether Kern was correct.

The appellate judges recently allowed the National Rifle Association to file "friend of the court" arguments in support of the law. A gun-control advocacy group and two safety and security organizations announced Thursday they have jointly submitted ''friend of the court'' arguments in opposition to the law.

A month ago, Gov. Brad Henry and Attorney General Drew Edmondson told the judges they should overturn Kern's Oct. 4 decision. The officials contend the law promotes public safety.

This week's response filing by ConocoPhillips and other employers takes an opposing position. They contend Kern correctly concluded the law is not valid because it conflicts with the federal Occupational Safety and Health Act's requirement that employers provide safe workplaces. He issued an injunction barring enforcement of the law.

That position is in addition to the employers' argument that the law unconstitutionally takes their property without due process and impermissibly infringes on their fundamental property rights. They also contend the law is unconstitutionally vague.

In their quest to overturn the law, employers sued the governor and attorney general in 2004.

The lineup of employers at the appeals court in addition to ConocoPhillips are Norris, DP Manufacturing Inc., Tulsa Winch Inc., Ramsey Winch Inc. and Auto Crane Co.

The groups that submitted supportive arguments are the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, the American Society of Safety Engineers and ASIS International, which describes itself as an organization of professionals responsible for security at corporate and government facilities.

The Brady Center was founded by Jim Brady, President Reagan's press secretary who was shot in the head in a presidential assassination attempt.

"Our workplaces need to be free from gun violence, and that is most likely to happen when they are free from guns," the center said.

An attorney for the NRA, speaking from its headquarters in Virginia, said the NRA thinks "it's reasonable for law-abiding citizens to store firearms in a locked vehicle on a company parking lot for lawful purposes."

Attorney Mark Bower said the NRA does not advocate a law allowing employees to carry guns on company property or to take guns out of their vehicles on company property. He said the NRA believes OSHA was intended to regulate equipment and other elements inherent in workplaces, not guns or "intentional unlawful acts by employees."

Oklahoma lawmakers passed the law in two stages in 2004 and 2005 in response to Weyerhauser Corp. firing eight workers at a timber mill in southeastern Oklahoma. The workers had guns in their vehicles at the mill in violation of Weyerhauser policy.

From the McCarville Report:

Oklahoma Congressman Dan Boren has been nominated for membership on the National Rifle Association's Board of Directors. Boren is one of 34 nominees, from which 26 will be elected in balloting later this year. Oklahomans now serving on the NRA Board include Joe Allbaugh of Blackwell and Washington; Cleta Mitchell, former Oklahoma legislator now a Washington attorney; John Burtt of Shawnee; and Bill Brewster, former congressman now a Washington lobbyist.

By Ed Godfrey
The Oklahoman
The Oklahoma Gas and Electric Co. wants to lease or buy from the state Department of Wildlife Conservation a portion of the Cooper Wildlife Management Area in northwest Oklahoma for its power-generating wind turbines.


It's curious that state wildlife commissioners would consider such a proposal when state wildlife officials have been clamoring that more public hunting land is needed in Oklahoma.

Most Oklahoma hunters and anglers are now paying an additional $5 each year for a Legacy Permit, with the money earmarked for land acquisition.

So why lease or sell a portion of an already-existing wildlife management area that is heavily used by quail hunters?

The state Wildlife Conservation Commission, the eight-member governing board of the state Wildlife Department, has formed a sub-committee of four commissioners to study the OG&E offer.

On it is longtime Wildlife Commissioner John Groendyke of Enid, who also sits on the board of directors for OGE Energy Corp., the parent company of OG&E.

Groendyke said Thursday he would abstain from any vote on the OG&E proposal. He said he was appointed to the sub-committee because the Cooper WMA is in his district and, as commissioner, was instrumental in developing Cooper and the other WMAs in northwest Oklahoma.

But a strict interpretation of OGE's own "Code of Ethics” policy, posted on the energy company's Web site, would seem to suggest that Groendyke shouldn't even be on the sub-committee.

A portion of that policy listed under conflicts of interest reads, "when serving as a director or member of an outside organization or serving in public office, members shall abstain from any discussion or voting affecting OGE and make it clear why they are abstaining.”

Groendyke said he understands the perception and why some would question whose interest he is serving.

"I will sure look at that,” Groendyke said when informed of the OGE ethics policy. "If I need to get off the committee because it causes some people heartburn, I will.

"Everybody on that commission and in the (wildlife) department knows I am on the OGE board and that I have had an interest in wind farm projects.

"But the last thing I want to do is to make people feel uncomfortable and that I have a conflict one way or the other.”

Gil Broyles, spokesman for OGE, said the conflicts of interest policy posted on the company's Web site "applies to employees and not members of the board of directors specifically.”

Groendyke said the offer from OG&E wasn't his idea and that he hasn't formed an opinion on whether the state Wildlife Department should pursue it.

Wind energy has been a priority for OGE chairman and chief executive officer, Peter Delaney, for the past couple of years, and the Cooper WMA is close to the energy company's Centennial Wind Farm, he said.

Delaney made the proposal to lease or buy Cooper in a letter to Greg Duffy, director of the state Wildlife Department. In the letter, Delaney said several wind developers are trying to secure land for wind projects across Oklahoma, including OG&E.

The letter did mention Groendyke, as Delaney wrote that the commissioner "has been kind enough to introduce me to the Department of Wildlife Conservation and the extent of your land holdings and future goals.”

At issue for state wildlife commissioners is to what extent would numerous wind turbines disturb wildlife on Cooper? And what kind of policy would they be creating if they choose to lease Cooper for a wind farm?

No doubt, other WMAs in western Oklahoma such as Beaver, Sandy Sanders and Packsaddle will be targeted for wind energy as well.

Sue Selman of Buffalo, president of Save The Prairie and an owner of the historic Selman Ranch north of Woodward, is against any wind turbines on Cooper.

"This is 16,000 contiguous acres of prime public land paid for by thousands of hunters and taxpayers,” she said. "There is only two percent of public land available in Oklahoma, with precious little in northwest Oklahoma, and we can ill afford to lose any.

"By leasing or selling public land for wind development, we are opening the door for further industrial development of all our public lands.”

The 16,000-acre Cooper WMA is located northwest of Woodward, in the heart of quail country, although state wildlife officials say deer and quail don't seem to be bothered by wind turbines.

Northwest Oklahoma also is one of the few places where the lesser prairie chicken still exists. Oklahoma once had a firearms season on prairie chickens, but the population of birds has dwindled to the point that the hunting season was closed more than a decade ago.

Habitat loss is to blame for their decline, and wind farms in areas where prairie chickens still roam will result in more loss of their habitat. Prairie chickens stay away from wind turbines because they see vertical structures as a potential raptor roost.

State wildlife officials say there are prairie chickens on Cooper but no "leks” or booming grounds.

The Selman Bat Cave, the site of popular summer bat watches, also is nearby, and there are concerns about the mortality rate of migrating Mexican free-tailed bats from wind turbines.

"I don't see it having much effect on hunting,” Groendyke said of possible wind turbines on Cooper. "The main issues will be the prairie chickens and the bats.”

Broyles said acquiring Cooper for a wind farm is not a high priority for OG&E.

"Not to deny that it wouldn't be a good fit, but we have a lot of other options out there,” he said.

Perhaps wildlife commissioners could justify leasing or selling Cooper to OG&E if the state Wildlife Department would receive enough money to buy more land in northwest Oklahoma with even better wildlife habitat.

Selman, though, thinks it would be bad wildlife management.

"Placing wind turbines on the Cooper Wildlife Management Area will fragment and destroy a large quantity of (wildlife) habitat,” she said. "It's a gross injustice to our part of the state, to wildlife and to hunting.”


Hunt hard.  Fish hard.  Play in WILD Oklahoma.
www.wildoklahoma.com

OUTDOOR CALENDAR
 
FEBRUARY
 
1: Applications being accepted for the 2008 Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Youth Camp. For more information or for an application, log on to wildlifedepartment.com.
 
2 & 3: In Search of Eagles at the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. These programs are intended for individuals and family groups. Children must be at least eight years old. Restrooms are not available on the tours. Wheelchair access is available if requested at time of reservation. Refuge tours are dependent upon wildlife and weather conditions. They may be cancelled or modified if adverse conditions exist. Reservations are required. A $5 per person reservation fee will be collected prior to each program. Reservations will be retained until 10 minutes before each program. After that time, stand-bys will be accepted. If the bus seating is filled after accepting stand-bys, late arrivals with reservations will not be able to participate in the program. For reservations, call (580) 429-8587 weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
 
2: The Edmond Ducks Unlimited Chapter Annual Banquet and Auction at Oak Tree Country Club. Doors open at 6 p.m. Dinner is served at 6:30 p.m. Located at 700 Country Club Drive (West of Kelly Avenue between West Sorghum Mill Road and West Waterloo Road in north Edmond). The banquet will feature silent and live auctions, raffles, and games. Tickets are $60 Single; $75 Couples; $15 Green Wings; $300 Sponsors and $550 Corporate Tables. For more information or tickets call or e-mail Keith Osburn (405) 528-2068/talloak69@aol.com or Steve Collyar (405) 330-0025/steve@redriverroofing.com.
 
2: Annual Bowhunting Council of Oklahoma meeting and banquet at the Clarion Hotel & Convention Center at I-40 & Meridian. The theme this year is “Oklahoma,” with guests including Ken Gee from the Noble Foundation speaking on antler development; Luann Waters giving a demonstration on pioneer life; Al Herrin, author of Cherokee Bows and Arrows; and Bill Starry presenting information on Hunting MCAAP. It will also include an “Around the Campfire” Session. The general meeting will start promptly at 8:30 a.m., followed by seminars until 4 p.m., dismissing for lunch from noon-1 p.m. All seminars and the general meeting are free. The Banquet will be Old West BBQ menu at a cost of $25 per person. The Bowhunting Council of Oklahoma Banquet will begin at 6 p.m. The silent auction and raffle tickets on the “Black Widdow” bow will continue until after the meal. During the evening, we will honor our past Herb Hale Award recipients, something you don’t want to miss! The “Big Buck” and other awards will be recognized and presented during the evening. For more information, contact any member of the BCO or Pat Finnigan, BCO president, at (405)262-7559. See you at the banquet and don’t forget to bring your animals for scoring and bragging rights.
 
3: Woodward Archers 3-D Shoot. Range directions from 48th St and Oklahoma Ave: go 1 mile west, turn left off Hwy 15, go south 2 1/2 miles west. For more information, contact Ed Kinney at (580) 256-3320 or Frank Patterson, Jr. at (580) 256-6613. Memberships available. Shoots are open events. Sign-in begins at 7:30 a.m. and closes at 2:30 p.m.
 
4: The Wildlife Conservation Commission meeting is set for 9 a.m. at the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation headquarters (auditorium) located at the southwest corner of 18th and North Lincoln, Oklahoma City.
 
9: The Oklahoma Fur Bearers Alliance 2008 fur auctions will be held at the Lincoln County Expo Center in Chandler. For more information contact John Weygandt at (918) 645-5667.
 
7-10: Annual Oklahoma Predator Hunters Association meeting will be held in Poteau. A banquet will be held on Sat. Feb. 10 from 7-9 p.m. For more information contact Rusty Gaylor at (918) 282-6830 or log on to okpredatorhunters.com.
 
14 – 17: Oklahoma Tackle Show at the State Fairgrounds (Travel & Transportation Building, Cox Pavilion, Carriage Hall). Show Times: Thursday: 5 p.m. - 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday: 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.; Sunday: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Admission: $7 per person.
 
16: Annual Trout Derby at Lake Pawhuska.
 
17: Woodward Archers 3-D Shoot. Range directions from 48th St and Oklahoma Ave: go 1 mile west, turn left off Hwy 15 go south 2 1/2 miles west. For more information, contact Ed Kinney at (580) 256-3320 or Frank Patterson, Jr. at (580) 256-6613. Memberships available. Shoots are open events. Sign-in begins at 7:30 a.m. and closes at 2:30 p.m.
 
21: Bluebird Bob Walshaw will present a hands-on seminar on bluebirds and how to deal with house sparrows at Bass Pro Shops at 7 p.m. in Broken Arrow. This program will be held in the upstairs meeting room, is free and open to the public and door prizes will be awarded.
 
23 & 24: NatureWorks Art Show at the Renaissance Tulsa Hotel & Convention Center (6808 South 107th East Avenue (71st and US-169)), Tulsa. Show runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are $5.
 
29: – March 2: Backwoods Hunting and Fishing Expo at the Fairgrounds, OKC. The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation will be on hand to score deer racks and offer an informational booth. For more information, contact Dale Welchel at (405) 769-8816.
 
MARCH
 
1: The Oklahoma Fur Bearers Alliance 2008 fur auctions will be held at the Blaine County Fairgrounds, Watonga. For more information contact John Weygandt at (918) 645-5667.
 
1: 89er Chapter of Trout Unlimited 13th Annual Banquet and Auction. Auction preview starts at 5 p.m. and begins at 6 p.m. The Banquet will be held at the Sportsman's County Club (4001 Northwest 39th St. OKC). All anglers and friends welcome. Tickets $20 in advance and $25 at the door. For ticket information call: Backwoods (Tom Adams) 751-7376 or Brian Ellis 236-1010.
 
7 & 8: Stars Over the Wichitas Tour at the Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge. The public is invited to participate in an evening with the stars. Participants will search for and locate major constellations and other heavenly bodies with assistance from an amateur astronomer. Bring your own optics, or view the night skies through a 13" Dobsonian telescope. The two-hour program begins 30 minutes after sunset. Participants should meet at the Boulder/Lost Lake picnic area entrance gate. Reservations, which are required, can be made by calling the Visitor Center at (580) 429-8587. A $5 reservation fee per participant is collected prior to the program.
 
8: Tulsa Chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation 20th Annual Big Game Banquet: “Pass It On” for Wildlife at the Tulsa Convention Center (100 Civic Center, Downtown Tulsa). For information and tickets contact: Mitch Bray at (918) 407-7542 (due to reserve dinner and seating, no tickets will be sold at the door). Tickets: $55 Single Meal; $75 Couples Meal; $10 Kids Meal; $20 Each additional adult meal. Includes dinner, annual supporting membership in the RMEF, one-year subscription to the RMEF “BUGLE” Magazine and an RMEF decal.
 
8: Oklahoma Station Chapter of Safari Club International 23rd Annual Awards Banquet and Charity Fundraiser. 6:30 p.m. at The National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum located 1700 N.E. 63rd St. Oklahoma City 73111. Registration starts at 5:30 p.m. To purchase tickets or for further information, contact Verilea Faust at (405) 721-7229 or 1-800-405-3580 or e-mail faust4v@pldi.net. View auction items and bid online at oklahomastationsci.org.
 
8: The Oklahoma Fur Bearers Alliance 2008 fur auctions will be held at the Okmulgee County Fairgrounds, Okmulgee.  For more information contact John Weygandt at (918) 645-5667.
 
16: Woodward Archers 3-D Shoot. Range Directions from 48th St and Oklahoma Ave: go one mile west, turn left off Hwy 15 go south two and a half miles west. For more information contact Ed Kinney at (580) 256-3320 or Frank Patterson, Jr. at (580) 256-6613. Memberships available. Shoots are open events. Sign in begins at 7:30 a.m. and closes at 2:30 p.m.
 
27-30: The Fourth Annual Oklahoma Selfbow Jamboree. Hosted by the Rutter family, the farm has a three-acre pond next to the campsite where those who wish can go fishing. A small covered pavilion will serve as the center of activities. Portable outhouses will be provided, and limited trailer camping is available. There is sufficient room for primitive (tent) camping, and families are welcome. There will be lots of activities going on all weekend long. Other than holding a Clout Shoot to raise money to offset expenses incurred in hosting this event, nothing formal is currently scheduled. However, demonstrations/participations for building selfbows, BBOs, river cane arrows and flint knapping are being planned. So bring your tools or just your willingness to learn. For directions and additional information go to ojam.org.
 
28 & 29: National Wild Turkey Federation Owasso Chapter presents a Women in the Outdoors Event. The event will be held at Camp Okiwanee in Sapulpa. The event is for women age four and older. To register or for more information, contact Pattie Bing at (918) 224-8097 or pjbing1@juno.com.
 

Julie Bisbee and Tony Thornton
Staff Writers

KINGSTON - State-owned land that once made up Lake Texoma State Park was sold to a private developer today for $14.6 million.

The sale was finalized when officials with the Commissioners of the Land Office signed over the property to Pointe Vista Development, a private partnership between Mark Fischer, president and chief executive of Chaparral Energy, and Aubrey McClendon, chairman and chief executive of Chesapeake Energy Corp.

Pointe Vista Development paid nearly $20,000 per acre for 520 acres of mostly waterfront property, including Chickasaw Pointe Golf Course.

Plans call for the golf course to be closed and redesigned.

"We are excited to have finally closed the initial phase associated with the purchase of the Lake Texoma State Lodge property" from the state, said Scott Fischer, Pointe Vista's operational manager.

"This process took much longer than expected due to a multitude of title issues that had to be cleaned up to assure us that we would have the ownership rights to be able to construct the proposed development that we have planned," Scott Fischer said.

He said delays in the process may have caused some to become justifiably skeptical about whether the sale would take place.

"However, I want to assure you that we never wavered in our conviction to make this happen," Scott Fischer said.

The company plans to buy 3,000 total acres at Texoma, including the old state lodge, which will be demolished.

Plans call for a hotel, convention center and retail shopping. The project is valued at between $750 million and $1 billion.

WILD OKLAHOMA NOTE:  Well, WILD Oklahoma's Ron Black railed about this a few months ago when members of the Oklahoma Congressional Delegation fought to get federal money to help make this happen.  It may be a good thing, but it looks like it is just a hint of what may be coming down the pike for Oklahoma hunters and anglers who enjoy public land...while it lasts.

By TOM BREEN,
AP
Posted: 2008-01-31 13:14:49

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (Jan. 31) - A significant drop in the number of hunters in West Virginia has left a hole in the state's budget, and one lawmaker thinks he has a solution: allow children to receive hunter training in school.

Seventh- through ninth-graders could opt for instruction in topics ranging from survival skills to gun safety, but the weapons would have dummy ammunition or be disabled. Sen. Billy Wayne Bailey, who introduced the bill this month, doesn't envision students firing real guns during class time.

"It's a way to take this kind of education in the classroom and make it more convenient for young people," said Bailey, a Wyoming County Democrat.

West Virginia, where roughly 320,000 people participated in the recent two-week gun season for bucks, may be the only state contemplating such a bill, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Although it still ranks in the top six nationally for sales of hunting permits to nonresidents, West Virginia sold 154,763 permits to residents in 2006, a 17 percent decrease from 1997, according to the state Division of Natural Resources.

The decline is being felt at the state Capitol. This month, Gov. Joe Manchin proposed spending $1.8 million on DNR's law enforcement efforts to make up for revenue lost because of the decline of hunting and fishing permits.

"West Virginia is probably in better shape than other states, but this is really rather disconcerting from our perspective," said Paul Johansen, DNR assistant chief of wildlife management.

Nationally, the number of hunters 16 and older was about 12.5 million in 1996, a 10 percent decline from 2006, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Part of West Virginia's problem is it doesn't require senior citizens to buy a hunting license. The state has one of the oldest populations per capita in the nation, and the ranks of hunters aren't being replenished by young people.

To secure a license, residents have to complete at least 10 hours of training and be at least 10 years old when they take the test, which includes demonstrating proper gun safety. Would-be hunters have to show they can load and unload a gun, carry it across obstacles, and keep the muzzle pointed in the right direction.

            Outdoor enthusiasts can contribute to important projects supported by the Oklahoma Station Chapter of Safari Club International by attending their 23rd Annual Awards Banquet and Charity Fundraiser Saturday, March 8 at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.
            The Oklahoma Station Chapter of Safari Club International offers support and funding to a number of sportsmen’s causes, especially local efforts that benefit the sportsmen and wildlife of Oklahoma. The chapter is a sponsor for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation’s Oklahoma Wildlife Expo and a donor to the Hunter's Against Hunger program, which oversees the distribution of thousands of pounds of hunter-harvested venison to needy families.
            The organization also helped fund the purchase of an airboat used by the Wildlife Department on waterfowl surveys and other wetland management tasks, and they provided the Department with a 24-foot trailer for use in the Department's Shotgun Training Education Program (STEP). The STEP program introduces both youth and adults to shotgun shooting techniques and the proper handling of firearms. Additionally, the chapter purchased eight elk for introduction into an existing herd in southeast Oklahoma. The chapter also sponsors the Department's annual youth essay contest, which gives youth the opportunity to share their feelings about Oklahoma’s outdoors and to win great prizes, including a guided pronghorn antelope hunt in New Mexico.
            One of the highlights of the annual event is the live auction, where bidders have a chance to buy guided hunts in Oklahoma, across the United States and around the world. There also will be a selection of items on the auction block including art, firearms, camping equipment, vacations, jewelry and much more.
            This year’s banquet also may offer something new to those who cannot attend through its online bidding option. Log on to oklahomastationsci.org regularly between now and the banquet to learn more about the possibility of bidding online for auction items. The Web site also provides a growing list of items up for auction.
            The banquet begins at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, March 8, but registration begins at 5:30 p.m. The National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum is located at 1700 N.E. 63rd St. Oklahoma City 73111.
            Tickets may be purchased in advance through Thursday, March 6 for $75 or at the door for $100. To purchase tickets or for further information, contact Verilea Faust at (405) 721-7229 or 1-800-405-3580 or e-mail faust4v@pldi.net. For questions relating to the hunts that will be auctioned, contact Safari Club director Mike Mistelske at mjmistelske@yahoo.com.
            For more information on the Oklahoma Station Chapter of Safari Club International, log on to oklahomastationsci.org.

Wind farms creating a problem for hunters?  Some believe so.

Chad Love writes and impressive photographic column on the issue of wind farms on public hunting land.  What is the aggregate result and how do hunters balance environmental concerns and needs for American energy independence with conservation efforts.  A good story with amazing photos on Field and Stream online.  A hat-tip to Scotty Dee for referring this to us.

Public outcry over ATVs has led to some changes

Ed Godfrey, Oklahoman

The U.S. Forest Service's plans to restrict off-highway or ATV travel in the Ouachita National Forest is a hot issue in southeastern Oklahoma.

Many folks in McCurtain and Le Flore counties have quietly enjoyed the Ouachita Forest for decades, and they don't want rules spoiling their use.

"This little topic is certainly stirring the pot down here in McCurtain County,” said Dian Jordan of Pine Meadow Cabins near Broken Bow.

Jordan said 20 percent of her cabin rental business is ATV riders. Beginning Oct. 1, ATV riding will be limited in the forest to designated trails only.

More than 200 people attended public hearing on the issues in Poteau and Idabel last week. Most believe the new U.S. Forest Service policy to be overly stringent, denying access to some fantastic scenery and limiting the mobility of hunters, especially disabled hunters.

Read the rest of this incredible story here .

RB

Wow.  Things are moving along pretty darned quickly for the MAPVA event we're hosting on behalf of the Mid America Chapter of the PVA.  We have more and more people getting involved every day and we're just excited - that's all there is two it.  Click on the PVA tab above and check it out!

RB

I was recently contacted by Kirk Blaske over at Performance Hunter about trying out their "Clear Shot Formula," and I decided to give it a try.  It's vitamin supplement that is supposed to help with eye sight, thus the name "Clear Shot."

It's a serious issue for me as I have found myself n