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WEEK OF NOVEMBER 5, 2009

 
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Emergency paddlefish rules to maintain fishing opportunities while reducing harvest
            Oklahoma is known for having the best paddlefish fishery in the world, and emergency rules approved by the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission will help ensure the fishing in northeast Oklahoma is as good in the future as it is now.
            At its November meeting, the Commission approved the following emergency rules for paddlefish angling:
* Paddlefish anglers will be required to immediately release all paddlefish caught on Fridays and Mondays, statewide.
* When an angler keeps a paddlefish, they will be required to immediately record the date and time of harvest of all paddlefish on their paddlefish permit.
* All snagging will be closed on the Grand River from the Hwy 412 bridge upstream to the Markham Ferry (Lake Hudson) dam from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. year-round.
* The Spring River will be designated a paddlefish sanctuary and will be closed to paddlefish angling by all methods from the Hwy 60 bridge upstream to the Kansas state line.
            All rules take effect Jan. 1, 2010.
            According to Barry Bolton, chief of fisheries for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, these rules were put in place to reduce the harvest of paddlefish after two years of detailed data from the Department's Paddlefish Research and Processing Center indicated that the fishery was being supported primarily by the fish from the 1999 spawn. Female paddlefish must generally reach eight to 10 years of age before they can reproduce, making the huge fish sensitive to overharvest.
            “These measures should reduce our harvest by as much as 30 percent while still providing significant paddlefish angling opportunities, which can go a long way in sustaining the species for anglers to enjoy for generations to come,” Bolton said. “By establishing ‘catch-and-release' days on Fridays and Mondays, anglers can still enjoy a long weekend of fishing, but they may take home fewer fish than before depending on what days they fish. I am confident this will have a long-lasting positive impact on our paddlefish fisheries and future angling opportunities, while minimally impacting the fishing we enjoy today.”
            Prior to establishing the Paddlefish Research and Processing Center at Twin Bridges State Park near northeast Oklahoma's City of Miami, the Wildlife Department knew very little about the number of anglers fishing for paddlefish each year. The Department also knew very little about the annual harvest numbers of paddlefish, which is one of Oklahoma's largest fish and dates back to the time of the dinosaurs. As a result, management of the fish proved challenging, and data collection was a difficult and slow process, as fish generally had to be killed by biologists in order for pertinent biological data to be collected.
            The Research and Processing Center opened in the spring of 2008 and offers anglers free processing of their paddlefish in exchange for biological data and eggs collected from female fish that were going to be harvested by anglers anyway. The data is used to help make important management decisions, and eggs collected from fish are sold worldwide as caviar. Proceeds from egg sales are then used to fund the paddlefish program in Oklahoma, which includes management and projects to improve paddlefish angling opportunities, such as access to prime fishing waters. Since its inception, the Research and Processing Center has collected information from thousands of fish, far more than biologists could survey without anglers' help.
            The emergency rules come before a slate of town hall meetings and public hearings to be held in 2010, where these rules and others are scheduled for discussion before the Commission considers making the rules permanent.
            The Commission also approved an emergency rule that allows licensed aquaculture facilities to possess and grow diploid carp for human consumption, for selling outside the state and for control of vegetation on their farms. Diploids still may not be stocked in private waters of the state. Only non-reproducing triploid carp can be stocked in private waters. The rule is designed to limit reproduction of grass carp in Oklahoma's waters, which compete with native fish species.
            In other business, the Commission heard a presentation from Finley & Cook, PLLC, including the results of the Department's fiscal year 2009 annual financial audit. The independent audit, which also reviewed federal grant programs, revealed no material findings. A clean audit report was rendered.
            The Commission also heard a presentation on the Department's Lake Record Fish Program, which recognizes big fish caught from select reservoirs and the anglers who catch them. The program was initiated Feb. 1, 2008, and initially included 13 lakes across the state. Since then the program has grown to include 38 lakes. The program is managed electronically, and a unique search feature on the Wildlife Department's Web site at wildlifedepartment.com allows users to search a range of lake record information, including the species of lake records, the names of anglers who caught them and other facts such as what bait and tackle was used to catch record fish from various lakes. Since the program's inception, the lake records portion of the Web site has seen more than 63,000 hits and more than 350,000 page views, including viewers from 38 states and 17 foreign countries.
            The Commission also recognized Loren Damron, game warden supervisor for the Wildlife Department, for 35 years of service; Steve Spade, hatchery supervisor, for 30 years of service; and Dwight Luther, game warden stationed in Creek and Okfuskee counties, for 25 years of service.
            Richard Hatcher, director of the Wildlife Department, also recognized Todd Craighead, information and education specialist for the Department, for recently receiving the George Lewis Advocacy Award. This award recognizes an Oklahoma City area resident with a disability who has performed outstanding and notable feats to enhance the empowerment and/or employment of individuals with disabilities by rising above his or her own disability and encouraging others with disabilities to do the same. This individual displays these principles through community involvement and in his or her area of employment. This individual has also promoted overcoming social, attitudinal, and environmental barriers to enhance the lives of all persons with disabilities and shown good citizenship in his or her everyday activities.
            The Wildlife Conservation Commission is the eight-member governing board of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. The Wildlife Commission establishes state hunting and fishing regulations, sets policy for the Wildlife Department and indirectly oversees all state fish and wildlife conservation activities. Commission members are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate.
            The next scheduled Commission meeting is set for 9 a.m. Dec. 7 at the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation headquarters (auditorium), located at the southwest corner of 18th and North Lincoln, Oklahoma City.
 
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Wildlife Department seeks public input for waterfowl stamp design winners
            Oklahomans can help choose the artwork that will be printed on the 2010-11 Oklahoma waterfowl stamp by dropping by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation's office at the Oklahoma Aquarium in Jenks to vote on their favorite entry.
            Every year wildlife artists from across the nation submit their rendition of a specified waterfowl species to the Wildlife Department's duck stamp design contest. In recent years the Wildlife Department has relied on input from the public to help determine the winner, whose work is printed on the Oklahoma waterfowl stamp the following year. This year, artwork was centered on the ringneck duck (Aythya collaris), which is found across North America, including Oklahoma's wooded ponds and lakes and is known for its ability to plunge deeply into water. A powerful swimmer, the ringneck can forage to depths of 40 feet in search of underwater food.
            “This is a great opportunity to be a part of the contest,” said Micah Holmes, information and education supervisor for the Wildlife Department. “This is a stamp for sportsmen, so the sportsmen's input is important. This is also a great opportunity to visit a unique Wildlife Department field office based out of the Oklahoma Aquarium in Jenks.”
            Duck stamp sales help finance many projects that benefit ducks and geese. Since the duck stamp program began in 1980, thousands of acres of waterfowl habitat have been created through duck stamp revenues.
            Along with public input, entries will be judged on anatomical accuracy, artistic composition and suitability for printing.
            The winning artist will receive a purchase award of $1,200. In the past, the purchase award has been provided by NatureWorks, a Tulsa-based conservation organization. Additionally, the winner and three honorable mentions will appear in a future issue of Outdoor Oklahoma magazine.
            A selection of waterfowl stamp art from previous years is currently on display in the lobby of the Wildlife Department headquarters located at 1801 N. Lincoln, in Oklahoma City.
            Prints of previous winning waterfowl artwork can be purchased at 
http://www.wildlifedepartment.com/oklahomastampprogram.htm .
            More information about the annual duck stamp design contest, including official rules, is available online at wildlifedepartment.com
 
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Quail season opens Nov. 14; conditions limit success of roadside surveys
            After a mild summer with periodic, timely rainfall, biologists with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation are optimistic about the upcoming quail season, which opens Nov. 14, statewide.
            With a mild winter void of long-lasting snow and ice storms, the quail population was expected to have good carryover into the 2009 nesting season. Weather during the nesting season for the most part was favorable, and reports have been positive, with more quail being observed than have been in years. Above-average rainfall led to lush vegetation, which can be good for quail reproductive success but challenging for conducting roadside survey counts. This year, composite results from roadside surveys conducted during August and October show a decrease from surveys done in 2008 and remain below the long-term average.
            Each year, Wildlife Department employees run 83 routes in every county in the state except Oklahoma and Tulsa counties. Each route is 20 miles, and some larger counties like Beaver, Ellis, LeFlore, McCurtain, Osage, Pittsburg, and Roger Mills, have two routes. The survey provides an index of annual population fluctuations.  Observers count the number of quail observed and classify the size of the young birds in broods to provide an index of quail abundance (number seen/20 mile route) and reproductive success.
            To conduct the surveys, biologists drive county roads and record the number of quail they see. Spotting quail in dry years with sparse vegetation is much easier than spotting them in years when the vegetation is green, thick and abundant. Not only is it harder to see quail in lush vegetation, counts are also made more difficult by the fact that quail may not use roadside ditches as much when so much other cover is readily available.
            Additionally, during the October survey period, survey conditions were generally poor with much of the state receiving precipitation nearly everyday and many of the remaining survey days being heavily overcast.
            “These factors may have contributed to lower numbers of quail being seen on roadside surveys,” said Doug Schoeling, upland game biologist for the Wildlife Department.
            The full survey report is available online at wildlifedepartment.com.
            According to Schoeling, the true test of how well the quail did this nesting season will come when the season opens and hunters take to the field with their dogs.
            Quail season opens Nov. 14 and runs through Feb. 15. Opportunities for public quail hunting exist statewide, but perhaps none offer better chances than hunting quail on wildlife management areas in western Oklahoma.
            To hunt quail, hunters need a hunting license and, if their hunting license was purchased prior to July 1, a fishing and hunting legacy permit. Licenses purchased after July 1 have the cost of the legacy permit included in the purchase price.
            For more information about quail hunting, log on to the Wildlife Department's Web site at wildlifedepartment.com.
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Fall offers different approach to turkey hunting
            With the excitement of deer season and the onset of seasons for several other species, such as quail which opens Nov. 14, hunters may overlook the unique opportunity to hunt turkeys this fall.
            With generous bag limits and the chance to harvest a turkey with a firearm, the fall turkey season opens doors for sportsmen to get serious about gobbler hunting or to take a more opportunistic approach and watch for them while participating in deer season. Regardless, a wild turkey dinner during the holidays is sure to be worth a hunter's efforts.
            During the fall and winter, turkeys can often be found foraging for acorns and other seeds. One method successfully used by hunters to harvest fall turkeys is to break up a flock and, while waiting in the general area from which they departed, use lost calls to draw the group back together. In the fall, hunters can use a range of calls, such as lost calls, purrs and the kee kee run.
            Fall turkey hunting opportunities includes an archery season that opened Oct. 1 and runs through Jan. 15 and a fall gun season that opened Oct. 31 and runs through Nov. 20. Depending on which county they're hunting, sportsmen can harvest one turkey of either sex or just one tom. Additionally, some counties are closed to fall firearms turkey and others are restricted to shotgun hunting only. Seasons on public lands may vary from statewide season dates. For complete season dates and regulations, consult page 28 of the current “Oklahoma Hunting Guide” or log on to wildlifedepartment.com.
            To hunt wild turkeys during the fall, residents must have a hunting license and, if their hunting license was purchased prior to July 1, a fishing and hunting legacy permit. Additionally, they must obtain a turkey license for each turkey to be hunted, unless otherwise exempt. Non-residents must possess a non-resident annual hunting license and a turkey license for each bird hunted, unless exempt.
            All fall turkey hunters must conspicuously wear either a head covering or an outer garment above the waistline consisting of hunter orange while hunting during any deer season in any open hunting area.
            For more information about turkey hunting in Oklahoma, including information about the state's spring turkey season which runs from April 6 to May 6 annually, log on to wildlifedepartment.com.
 
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