Page 11 - March/April 2020 - Outdoor Oklahoma

Dear Wildlife Department,
My father is a hunter with physical disabilities, being legally
Game Bag blind the biggest challenge of them all. Despite his disabilities
he continues to hunt using legal technology aids and the help
of family and friends. We participated in a controlled hunt this
year at the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. Our biologist/
guide was Wildlife Technician Brian Powell. He went above and
A COLLECTION OF LETTERS TO THE WILDLIFE DEPARTMENT beyond to help my father and I have a wonderful experience
We’d like to hear from you! Send your letters to Outdoor during the entire hunt. He helped us load and unload gear from
Oklahoma Letters, P.O. Box 53465, Oklahoma City, OK 73152, the truck, made room in the cab so my father wouldn’t have to
or send e-mail to donald.brown@odwc.ok.gov. climb into the bed, offered advice to hunting areas that were
relatively easy to navigate on foot, and just generally made us
Dear Dallas Barber, Big Game Biologist, feel welcome. We recognize that introducing a person with
I would like to thank you and the rest of the staff for a great disabilities to a group can create challenges for the leader, but
youth hunt at Fort Reno on Dec. 13-14, 2019. I was fortunate to be Brian seamlessly stepped up to the challenge as an amazing
able to attend the hunt where two of my grandsons were fortunate ambassador for the agency.
to participate. They had a great time seeing many deer Including Adam Lehmann
some really nice bucks. They were also able to harvest deer for their
families to enjoy. This hunt was the first youth hunt that Dallas
Abbott, 12, has been drawn for. Deaken Abbott, 14, has also Dear Wildlife Department,
drawn out twice for the Keystone Lake youth hunt. I have another I was fortunate enough to draw in to
grandson, Peyton Abbott, 16, who has drawn the El Reno hunt the Beaver River-McFarland Unit WMA
three times. He now puts in with me for the McAlester archery controlled hunt this year. I was nervous
hunt and is ready to put In for other adult hunt. yet excited to try to harvest a deer on such
I grew up in Oklahoma in a time where there were not many deer a large new area to me.
in most parts of the state. I did not have an opportunity to hunt deer I contacted Wildlife Biologist Weston
until I was 21. I have been an avid hunter since. Today my favorite Storer shortly after I drew in July. First,
hunting is when I am sitting with one of my grandchildren watch- what a great guy he is. From the first time I
ing the smiles on their faces as they view or harvest deer or turkey. talked to him, he speaks to you like you’ve Weston Storer
Although they have harvested deer and turkey on private land, some known each other forever. He was a great
of the most memorable hunting experiences have been on the youth help and provided me with a lot of good information.
hunts provided by the Oklahoma Wildlife Department. I hope and When I arrived in Beaver the day before the hunt, I met him
believe that my grandchildren will continue to hunt as they become for check in. He is the same in-person as he was on the phone. He
adults and pass that on to their children and grandchildren. looked over my plan and gave me some more advice.
Thank you again for the great hunt, and thank you to the Wild- The Beaver River-McFarland Unit is a beautiful place untouched
life Department for providing the youth hunts and the adult hunts. in many areas, and I observed many deer and other wildlife over
Roger Abbot the three days. On Sunday morning, I was able to take the biggest
deer I’ve shot to date. To say I was excited was an understatement.
However, I was not excited for the tall task of moving the deer
Dear Josh Johnston, Fisheries NE Region Supervisor, nearly a mile back to the parking area.
I want to thank you for your work on our I messaged Weston, and he told me where to drag the deer and
research project this semester. You went out he could get to me. I’m not sure what I would have done without
of your way to help us achieve our goals. his help.
Josh came by TCC SE Campus to retrieve When it came time to quarter the deer up, I discovered I had left
our vials of solution. He traveled to two my knives back home. Without hesitation, Weston and Wildlife
ponds and dissected the fish fins for our Technician Cody Crisswell quickly helped me make short work of
study. He then traveled back to TCC to quartering the deer. Even with my knives I would have struggled
deliver the samples. Amazing service! We as well, as I have never quartered a deer.
were able to extract the RNA from the fish. Josh Johnston Growing up, I didn’t go hunting and only got into it out of my
We have these samples in the freezer for the next teacher of own curiosity and interest. Weston took the time to show me what
Molecular Biology and Techniques (I am retiring this semester). he was doing and why, and I’m forever grateful.
I wish that I could say that we were totally successful... We did You truly have two excellent employees up on the Beaver River
make some tremendous strides only because Josh made the tissue WMA who take the time to help from the very beginning of the
available. I really wanted ODWC to know how important Josh’s draw process and until the very end. They truly want you to be
work was for us! successful. We are blessed in Oklahoma to have the opportunities
Diana Spencer, Ph.D. on public land that we do. I for one would not be able to hunt
Associate Professor without them.
Tulsa Community College SE Campus Glenn Cocherell

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