Here is where you will find WILD Oklahoma news and information - and the WILD Oklahoma Media Pro-Staff will be adding color commentary.  Check back often because this is where the action begins.

Suspected burglar killed at Tulsa home

By KELLY HINES World Staff Writer
Published: 12/23/2008 6:24 AM
A Tulsa homeowner shot and killed a man who was breaking into his house early Tuesday, police said. Shortly before 3 a.m., three individuals broke into a home in the 1300 block of North Irvington Avenue, Tulsa Police Cpl. Mark Shelton said. Many of the 15 to 20 occupants were awake, including the homeowner, who heard the break-in and got his gun.

Two of the burglars, including one who was armed, were moving through the house when they encountered the homeowner, Shelton said. Gunfire was exchanged. The homeowner shot one of the burglars twice in the chest, and the homeowner's wife was shot in the abdomen. The wounded burglar left the house before collapsing and dying in the front yard.

His name has not been released.

The homeowner's wife was hospitalized but is expected to recover. The other two burglars ran from the house and were not located, Shelton said. They were described as black, in their late teens and wearing hooded sweatshirts and dark baggy pants.

Anyone with information about their whereabouts can call Crime Stoppers at 596-COPS or can text or e-mail the Tulsa Police Department at tulsaworld.com/crimestoppersemail. The Crime Commission offers rewards for information leading to arrests, and those reporting information can remain anonymous.

Safety Fears Spark Jump In Concealed Weapons Permits

By Darren A. Nichols and Iveory Perkins  originally published in The Detroit News

CANTON TOWNSHIP -- These days, Kirby Bunch packs more than credit cards in her purse.

Bunch carries a gun. In an age of increased awareness about violence, it makes her feel powerful.

"The first time I shot a gun was in February. I was a practicing at a firing range and I felt empowered when I held it in my hand and fired," said Bunch, 24, of Canton Township, who added her father was a military man so she was always familiar with guns.

"In that instant, I knew carrying a gun was something I wanted to do. I decided to get a personal weapon because of all the craziness going on today. My mother has been armed for many years and because of the times, it's more of a necessity."

Bunch has plenty of company who are locked, loaded and ready to fire. Fueled by crime fears and fading stereotypes about gun owners, she and other women increasingly are opting to carry concealed weapons six years after Michigan reformed laws making it easier to do so.

Permit applications have steadily declined among men after a surge in the first two years the law changed.

They fell for years among women as well, but are rising again. Women may set a record for statewide applications this year, and they're flooding ranges and prompting Wayne County and other training facilities to host "women-only" permit classes.

Bunch and other women remain the vast majority of the state's 150,000 who legally carry concealed weapons, but their ranks have jumped from 10 percent of permit-holders in 2001 to 17 percent this year. Women are on pace to receive nearly 4,100 permits this year, close to double that in 2003.

Some carrying weapons say their motives aren't mysterious: Just read the news.

Detroit last week was named the most violent community in the nation, according to rankings from FBI statistics that city officials vigorously dispute. Some suburbs, such as Troy, Livonia and Sterling Heights, routinely rank as among the nation's safest.

"After being bombarded with pictures of women being assaulted and raped, I said now is the time," said Noelle Dobbs, 37, of St. Clair Shores, who recently applied for a permit.

She's sharpening her skills and bonding with her father during weekly shoots at Target Sports in Royal Oak. "Coming here and hearing the story of some of these women, drug dealers coming in and people intimidated them makes me want to protect myself," Dobbs said.

Jerry Wrage echoed the sentiment. The owner of Handgun, Shotgun and Training Specialist in Rochester Hills said business increases when crime -- or perceptions -- rise.

Debbie Saari, 52, grew up with guns and hunting. Her father, Richard Totten, died in 2000 and left her a Colt .357 Magnum. It was locked away until she took a concealed weapons permit class this fall offered by Wayne County Sheriff Warren Evans.

Now, the nurse and real estate agent said she's "hooked" and practicing regularly at ranges. Her permit should arrive soon.

"It's the increase in crime and in the bigger picture, with everything going on with terrorism and politics, we need to all take advantage of our constitutional rights," Saari said.

"If more people took advantage of their rights, we'd all be better off."

Others argue public sentiments about guns are slowly changing from an exclusively male domain. In the past 20 years, gun manufacturers have changed designs and make smaller firearms that fit easily into purses -- and they're advertising directly to women, according advocates on both sides of the issue.

Nationwide, Americans own more than 200 million firearms, more than 60 million of which are handguns, according to the National Institute of Justice. Figures vary widely about the gender breakdown of ownership, but federal statistics claim 9 percent of women own guns.

"It's becoming more socially acceptable," said Macomb County Sheriff Mark Hackel.

Brian Anse Patrick, a professor at the University of Toledo who studies gun culture, said the reforms on carrying concealed weapons helped change attitudes in part by bringing the issue into the mainstream.

Before the law changed, Michigan counties had their own boards whose standards for approval varied.

"Before the CCW laws were liberalized, the people getting trained traditionally in gun culture were the old white guys," Patrick said. "But after (2001) women said, 'I am a woman and at risk and it's a pretty sensible thing to do.'"

Just ask Laura Herfy.

"Being a young female in this day and age, it's great thing to have. You can carry a .22 caliber in your purse," said Herfy, 25, of Troy, who got her CCW permit three years ago.

"Before I was pretty frightened, but now I train males on how to shoot. It's something I learned to love. Some people run or jog to relieve stress. I come to the shooting range."

To meet the growing demand, the Firing Line in Westland offers a women's night at least once a month. There is normally a waiting list, and at least 30 show up each night, said Larry Sullivan, a retired police officer who works at the facility.

"Few women feel comfortable with a guy showing them how to shoot," Sullivan said. "A lot of the women come and become better shooters than their husbands. Others want to defend themselves."

Other gun ranges report a surge in female customers, including Target Sports in Royal Oak, which has about 100 women at the range each week, general manager Ray Jay said.

In Wayne County, a jump from about 200 annual applications a few years ago to nearly 1,000 caused Evans, the sheriff, to host a women-only permit class. Originally only two were planned. But when 150 women showed up, the sheriff offered six classes.

"That kind of struck us as being significant," Evans said.

"Some of the feedback is that they love the class but it would be nice to have it where women can be in their own peer group, because some women have never been around a gun.

"Generally a lot of them are women who are out alone at night and they just want to feel like they have that level of protection. There are also a lot of single moms who feel it is important to protect their family and their kids in that regard."

 A good day at Deer Camp.............In the tower before first light, Coffee and Snowballs for breakfast by Touchlite. Then out the lights and open windows and turn up the cat heater for comfort.  Daylight revealed a beautiful scene of golden prairie grasses and hues of fall colors in the woods. The tower sets at a break in the treeline ,which runs the length of the lease, along Haytubby Creek.  All the locals had visited the feeder and briars at the wood edge,Barring one, The 10point+ buck.  Total count was 12 doe, and 1 Fork horn, when the 56 head of cows came to graze the area.  It was 0930 and the cows would delay deer trafic for 2-3 hours, so, Scrambled  Sardines in Eggs with  and GREEN Sauce sure would warm me a little, after the morning chill.  And! HI-HO,Hi Ho, It's of to camp I go........   

Just stoked the fire And sat warming, when a Doe crossed the fence not 60ft away and walked behind,My son,  Dougs trailer, on the way to the thicket on the east side of camp.  While the deer was behind the trailer from me, I lunge fo the pickup door and retrieve a capless rifle, set back down in the camp chair while stuffing my empty hand in my pants. I'm glad it found my pocket with primer caps, Cause whatever came out of that pocket was going in my break action rifle and slamming shut.   She walked cauciously across the pickup path, leading to camp, while seeming to stare right into camp at me.  With her entering the wood and thicket and watching the terain, I sneak to the driver side of my pickup, and get in position while the outhouse is between the doe and I. Sensing some safety, the doe stops to servey her day hideout.  Evil Brother, PRIDE, took over my thought processes, Me Thinks,........

When Doug and Grandson,Aikman get gack to Camp, I will be Snapping my suspenders and bragging how I shot a deer from the campfire, while they were, "waisting time" in the woods on stand or in the tower. This is gonna be funny!!!!!! BACK TO REALLITY> The Doe is in the thickett just 20ft behind the outhouse I'm on the drivers side of the truck, the truck is in the truck path beside the thickett, Outhouse to Pickup--Approx 40ft, Considering the angle of sight, (level and 30 degrees angle, across the pickup bed to the outhouse, Total Distance to the target 65 ft, (at most).  The Deer is a clear shot through the thickett And since I have a rock solid rest I simply put the crosshairs at the point just 1inch above the front elbo, at the dirrect heart center, and gently sqeeeeeze off the 50 caliber Power Point Power Belt.   wHOOOOOOOOOmmmm!!     WHAT A SHOT!                 

 A virtual  "World Record".  I guess my glasses and eyesight have failed me.  Seems as though a domesticated sheep on the ranch had the misfortune to cross paths with my plans of bragging.  I am the recordholder of shooting the heaviest "Domesticated BigHorn Ram".............5,865Lbs.  (Aftershot photos Attatched)

     Seems in all the calculating, I had forgotten to consider the 1-5/8 inch highth difference in my rifle barrel and the scope.  The animals' heart area was visible by about 1" above the pickup bed rail.  A noise that I will not soon forget!                                 

DEADEYE   WITEY!

RB

Imagine for a moment, you're flying operations in Iraq or Cambodia.  You're perched in a Blackhawk helocopter, flying high over your target - the enemy.  You shoot with reckless abandon, hitting your mark.

That's kind of what the Agriculture Department must feel when they fly over property covered with feral hogs and shoot them down.  The problem is that it is an enormous waste of taxpayer dollars when part of the solution to the problem with feral hogs is right at our fingertips - and yes, it can actually be revenue producing, rather than tax dollar sucking.

Representative Joe Dorman (D-Rush Spings) is planning to file a bill or an attachment to an existing bill to allow for feral hog hunting at night.  For a $10 tag annually, landowners and lease holders to private land can go out and kill feral hogs at night.  Of course, WMAs will be excluded.

There are some inherent problems, however, since trespassers and poachers are scumbag piles of human waste who have no respect of boundaries to begin with, but for the rest of us, it will be great fun.

With the existing trespassing laws and perhaps with increased fines and jail time included, some of the problems with trespassers will be reduced, but overall, the plan to allow hunting of feral hogs at night is a good thing and it will generate much needed revenue for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation - and not waste taxpayer dollars and endanger livestock by leaving the dead hogs laying around after the commandos from the Ag Department do their fly-by shootings.

Support Joe Dorman's bill and support legislators like Joe Dorman.

**Campus Concealed Carry bill is dead on arrival and your so-called Republican conservatives can't understand "shall not be infringed."  Jason Murphey, recipient of the 2008 Legislator of the Year Award from the Oklahoma Rifle Association has decided to see if the State Senate will file the bill to allow 21 year old adults who have passed a CLEET certification class the Constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms.  Perhaps the Award doesn't mean as much to him this year as it did last year...

The once bold Murphey has become timid.  No doubt Speaker Benge and the moderate Republicans who dominate the House have gotten to him and he has realized that if he is to get any of the perks others receive, it's time to bow down at the altar of the regents of higher education - just like the rest of the Republicratic members of both the House and the Senate.

Evidently, the pressure from St. Boren and St. Hargis has just been too much as the selling of education indulgences have ruled the halls of our methane gas filled dome for far too long.  State Senator Todd Lamb (R-idiculous) who is a former Secret Service Agent (oooooh, scary) told Mick Hinton from the Tulsa Whirled that "it would be better if guns were not allowed in the classroom." 

The irony is that I remember seeing Senator Lamb at the Friends of the NRA Banquet this year with his son in tow and he was just beaming.  Happier than any legislator in recent history.  Happy, apparently, because he was in the know and was pulling the wool over everyone's eyes.  Just because he was a Secret Service Agent doesn't necessarily mean that he would by default be a good 2nd Amendment supporter.  Neither does being a veteran mean one would support veterans or our military - let's not forget John Kerry.

Again, the Republican majority where the 2nd Amendment is concerned is no better than a Democratic majority.  The State Chamber has come out against the right to keep and bear arms before and continues to do so (remember the friend of the court brief they filed on behalf of the companies who sued the legislature after firing employees who had hunting rifles in their trucks?).  The State Chamber opposed HB1804 (illegal immigration legislation) and it is only natural that they oppose the right of our veterans and adults who pass a rigorous CLEET certification class the right to keep and bear arms on the hallowed ground of our taxpayer funded colleges and universities.

Danny Morgan opposed it because he too is probably thinking about higher office.

You see, my friends, elected officials are all jockeying for position - trying to see who will get to run for either statewide office or move their offices to the State Senate so it is St. Boren, St. Hargis and the holy convocation that is the State Chamber who holds the cards and pulls the strings now of our so-called conservative, Republican leadership.

Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

So NOW are you ready for a revolution?  It's time for third party candidates in Oklahoma.  The two-party system is a failure.  I am tired of elected officials who talk out of both sides of their mouth and are only looking to climb the political ladder.

But you had damned well better be prepared for more of your tax dollars to be spent on education this year...

When are we going to see some REAL leadership down there?  When are we going to see candidates for public office who have actually READ the Constitution?  Why is it we are left with a bunch of panderers and Chamber sycophants who sell their male-parts as soon as they take their oath of office?  Aren't you sick of this crap yet? 

SIDEBAR:  Don't expect to hear about this on any of the talk radio stations in Oklahoma right now either.  Between Sam Bradford winning the Heisman and Sarah Palin's church burning, there's just no time to talk about issues of importance in Oklahoma policy making.  These elected officials wake up every morning in their Abercrombie and Fitch jammies and thank God Almighty that I am not on the air right now.

If you have listened to the radio show, watched the television show or visited with any of the WILD Oklahoma staff at any event you are aware of how important we feel it is to introduce new people to our sport.

I had the opportunity to do just that one weekend. It is an amazing sense of joy and pride to see the look on a new hunters face as they are blessed with their first kill.

I was with Gavin LaFollette one of our new Pro Staff members on his first hunt at our lease in Duncan. We saw a lot of game not just deer but turkey's and hogs as well. I was initially amazed at how he just took everything in....For those of us who have been in the woods for many more years than we sometime care to remember, we sometimes fail to capture the beauty of a lone coyote the grace of a group of does or the magnificent image of a mature buck.

A new hunter will miss none of these things and will help us to remember why we do what we do.

Gavin killed his first buck an 8 pointer the following weekend. I was not there for the excitement however, I did receive the call as he was walking up to his new prize. I could not have been happier if it was mine.

You may ask why did we add Gavin, a new hunter with little experience to our WILD Oklahoma Pro Staff. Well, that is exactly the answer "new". He can learn from us and you our valued listeners, viewers and readers and we can learn back from him about the joyous thrill of just being there.

So take a new friend, old friend or a hunting season widow/widower out in the field or in the woods. It is truly a heartwarming experience.

Thanks, Kenny "Bilbo" Bradshaw

Good luck and Big Horns !!!!! Walk softly and Carry a Big Stick !!!!!

RB

I have been an ardent supporter of the ORA's position on trespassing legislation - that many of the measures put forth have been terribly draconian and harmful to unsuspecting hunters.  You see, some WMA's in Oklahoma are simply not well marked and many investors from out of state have been buying up property surrounding the WMA's and building high fence or lease-only hunting areas.  A hunter on a WMA could easily cross property lines without knowing and end up in a heap of trouble.

My opinions are changing, however.

One of our pro-staffers, Brandon Arrington, has family land that has been in his family for generations and unfortunately, he has a trespassing problem.  Rude and inconsiderate hunters have set up blinds and stands on his family land and Brandon and Braylin (brother) have taken them down and even ran into a couple of these scumbags along the way.  The WILD Oklahoma crew also has leased land in South Oklahoma and we have found out that some dirtbags have trespassed on our land and run dogs on our land.  The aggregate result is that a couple of the big bucks we've been working on were taken - and not by us.  In addition, whomever has been running dogs on our land has chased off some of the monster hogs we have on our property.

You see, there is a real and present threat posed by rude and stereotypical hunters and perhaps the time has come to reconsider some of the more draconian measures in dealing with poachers, trespassers and road hunters.