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Home		WEEK OF AUGUST 26, 2010 2010 Wildlife Expo to feature Oklahoma’s outdoors Sept. 25-26 Avoid common dove season mistakes with checklist approach to dove hunting 2010-11 Oklahoma Waterfowl Guide available now online Duck blind drawings set for Sept. 18 Outdoor Calendar Fishing Report Sign up for our Email Newsletter If you are with the media please call (405) 522-4872 to sign up.     Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) PAST WILDLIFE NEWS STORIES
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2010 Wildlife Expo to feature Oklahoma’s outdoors Sept. 25-26
            Fall is fast approaching in Oklahoma, which often means family gatherings, making memories and time spent outdoors — all of which can be done Sept. 25-26 at the sixth annual Oklahoma Wildlife Expo.
            The Wildlife Expo, sponsored by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation and coordinated by hundreds of volunteer organizations and individuals, is held each year at the Lazy E Arena, just north of Oklahoma City. The event offers three days of nonstop outdoor action for all ages and levels of experience with the outdoors — and it’s free.
            “The idea is to provide an absolutely free opportunity for people to come see all that Oklahoma’s outdoors have to offer,” said Rhonda Hurst, Expo coordinator for the Wildlife Department. “By getting people interested in the outdoors, we are confident we can raise awareness about the importance of wildlife conservation.”
            The Expo takes a hands-on approach to educating visitors about the outdoors.  Guests can try their own hand at shooting a shotgun or bow and arrow, riding a mountain bike or ATV, floating in a kayak, building a birdhouse, catching a fish and more.
            Booths and other activities inside the arena offer information and resources about outdoor opportunities that visitors may not even know are available to them in Oklahoma. Visitors can learn about fly fishing or deer hunting or even sample wild game meat and snacks cooked outside in a Dutch oven.
            Attending a seminar can enhance visitors’ knowledge on a number of outdoor topics ranging from aging deer on the hoof to training hunting dogs or caring for wild game meat in the field.
            Additionally, shoppers have a chance to look at and buy outdoor gear at the Expo’s Outdoor Marketplace, a large area where vendors are set up to display and sell outdoor-related products and services.
            The Wildlife Department works with a range of organizations, individuals and outdoor-related companies to host the Expo.
            Expo hours are from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sept. 25-26. Admission is free.
 
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Avoid common dove season mistakes with checklist approach to dove hunting
            With dove season only days away, law enforcement officials with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation remind hunters to be sharp regarding season regulations.
            Dove season runs Sept. 1 through Nov. 9 statewide, except in the southwest zone. The southwest zone will be open for hunting Sept. 1 through Oct. 31 and Dec. 25 through Jan. 2. The southwest zone starts on U.S. 62 from the Texas border west of Hollis, east to Interstate 44, Interstate 44 south to OK 7, OK 7 east to U.S. 81 and U.S. 81 south to the Texas border at the Red River.
            Full details and regulations for dove hunting are available in the current “Oklahoma Hunting Guide,” available free online at wildlifedepartment.com or at any location where hunting licenses are sold.
            Law enforcement officials hoping to help well-meaning sportsmen stay on top of their game suggest hunters read the “Hunting Guide” in full for details on general regulations and license requirements, but especially those portions that pertain to the species they plan to hunt. Additionally, working over a mental or written checklist of common violations before each hunt may serve to remind hunters of mistakes to avoid.
            “When hunters make a ‘laundry or check list’ before season and follow it, they will be much better prepared,” said Robert Fleenor, law enforcement chief for the Wildlife Department. “Going out at the last minute and not being prepared is the biggest problem.”
            The following is a basic checklist to help avoid some of the most common dove season mistakes:
 
 

• Obtain the appropriate hunting license as well as the Harvest Information Program (HIP) permit.
• Use appropriate shotgun plug. Taking migratory game birds such as doves with a shotgun capable of holding more than three shells in the magazine and chamber combined, unless otherwise provided, is prohibited. Fleenor said even well meaning hunters who remember to plug their shotguns should still ensure that the plug they use limits the magazine to two shells.
• Obtain landowner permission before hunting on private property.
• Do not shoot across or from roadways. Shooting from or across any public road, highway (or right-of-way) or railroad right-of-way is prohibited. Public roadways are defined as any governmental or corporate roadways where vehicular traffic is not restricted and the roadway is routinely used by the general public.
• Know your doves. Identification of species is a key to hunter success.
• Know you limits. The daily limit for dove is 15, which may consist of any combination of mourning, white-winged and fully dressed Eurasian collared doves (“fully dressed” describes those birds without a head or fully feathered wing naturally attached to the carcass). However, there is no limit on Eurasian collared doves provided that the head or one fully feathered wing remain naturally attached the carcass of all such birds while being transported to their final destination.