Last weekend I had a cookout for family members. My cousin and I got to talking about the new Oklahoma Black Bear hunting season. He caught me off guard when he said that he wouldn't be going Black Bear hunting. I asked why and he said he wasn't going to pay the $101 for a Bear Tag.

"But you have a Lifetime License, you don't have to pay those fees" I said

"Better go read the regs, Lifetime license holders are not exempt" he said

So I went into the house and grabbed my regulations. I couldn't believe it! He was right!

I simply could not believe that the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation was going to make Lifetime License holders pay to hunt Bear. Hell, some of the same public land that is open to Bear hunting was bought with money from the Lifetime Hunting funds! How dare them!

Needless to say, my plans for a Camping/Deer/Bear hunting trip quickly vanished. It's not that I can't afford the $101, it's that I'm not going to pay it!

What Is Happening At The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife?

My Dad bought my Combination Lifetime Hunting & Fishing license for my 16th birthday. I can honestly say they've paid for their self many times over. He paid $225 back then. A bargain by any stretch of the imagination.

Over the years, I've been a supporter of the Wildlife Department. I use to buy the WMA Atlases and still buy the Habitat patches. Each year I stop by their booth at the Tulsa Boat and Travel show and buy cookbooks and other items for gifts for friends and family. I've made many donations over the years as well.

I think they've done an outstanding job in managing our State's resources. But for the last 10 years or so, I've noticed a change in policies and the mindset of the Department. It seems more and more that they're worried about revenue generation. It seems all they've been doing in Oklahoma City for a while is sitting back and dreaming of ways to increase their revenue off the backs of Oklahoma Sportsmen.

I understand times are tough. But increasing the revenues off of people who got you where you are today is not the way to do it! The funds from the Lifetime Hunting and Fishing license is suppose to go into a pool to help buy more land. So every lifetime license holder can say they helped the ODWC purchase many of the State's public lands. In return, we get these Lifetime license where we do not have to buy a hunting or fishing license and tags. Or at least that's the way it was originally set up and the way it has been for many, many years.

My cousin wrote the Department stating that he thought making Lifetime license holders have to buy a Black Bear license was unfair. Their reply in a nutshell was that "We told you when you bought the lifetime license what they would be good for. We've even upped the bag limits and added other game animals to the license making these license more valuable" Yeah, you may have stated what would be covered, but 25 years ago, hell, just 10 years ago you were still saying there were no appreciable populations of Black Bears in Oklahoma! For that matter, the Department said the same thing about Mountain Lions!

If you ask me, the letter had some major attitude with it.

Still, Lifetime means Lifetime doesn't it? Apparently not to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.

As I said earlier, I believe that the ODWC has been taken over by Bureaucrats and Bean Counters. It hasn't happened overnight, but gradually over a period of time as to not raise suspicion.

Time was when our Lifetime license covered trapping, but now they have an additional "Trapping License". We now have a host of permits and fees we have to pay that we were excluded from at one time or another or that simply didn't exist in the past. This year they started licensing guides and hit them with a big license fee as well as require them to carry liability insurance (thank your insurance lobby for this). Now we have to buy an outrageously priced Bear hunting license. And the kicker is the Season will close after 20 bears have been harvested.

If the Oklahoma Bear Season is closed after a week because the 20 bear quota being met, do those who've bought a bear license get a refund because the season was closed early?

I didn't think so!

It's time we started putting people back in the ODWC that has our best interest at stake, not the bottom line or the special interest groups. It's time to get rid of the Bean Counters and pencil pushers and get some people who know what the hell they're doing. If the ODWC needs revenue, then raise the price of the Lifetime License! It's still only $775 for a Combination. Most of the surrounding states that I'm aware of, Texas, Arkansas and I believe Kansas, start at $1000 for their Lifetime License.

Don't make your revenue off the backs of the people who brought you to the dance!

If even one cent of the Lifetime Hunting funds were used to buy or manage property and habitat for Black Bear, then Oklahoma Lifetime License holders should be exempt from the Bear hunting license fees!

I'd recommend that noone buy these overpriced Bear license. If you really want to have a decent chance at killing a Bear, go to Arkansas. This way you don't have to worry about the season being closed on you, leaving your holding a piece of paper you paid $101 for if you're a Resident or $506 for if you're a non-resident, even if you're a Lifetime License holder!

Starting this year, applications will only be taken online. So don't be looking for the booklets at Wal-Mart or your favorite Sporting Goods stores because they won't be there.

Is it me, or does it seem there are fewer and fewer hunts each year? Especially in the Deer Category.

One hunt that I did not find on the Application is the Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge Deer hunt. What gives?

I only put in for that hunt the first year it was offered. If you've been through Sequoyah NWR, then you know they still have quite a few deer out there.

Don't confuse the Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge for the Sequoyah Park Resort. These are two different hunts and I've already heard people saying "Hey, they opened Sequoyah NWR up to Buck hunting."

Wrong!

Sequoyah Resort Park is on Fort Gibson Lakejust East of Wagoner. Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge is in Sequoyah County on the McClellan Kerr Navigation Channel (Arkansas River).

My Picks For the 2008 Oklahoma Controlled Deer Hunts

If I were only looking to kill a big buck in the Oklahoma Controlled Hunts, my choices would be as follows, in this order.

1. The last two weekends at McAlester AAP
2. Cookson,the last weekend - The last weekend because it is prime Pre-Rut/Rut. I know the area well and there are some brutes walking around those mountain sides and valleys.
3. Wichita Mountains- A big buck haven and very hard to get drawn for. I believe last year there were over 7000 applications for 35 tags. Cookson is also hard to get drawn into. Last year they had nearly 1800 applicants trying for 25 either sex tags.
4. Salt Plains, the last weekend - Another hard to draw hunt. Last year, the last weekend had something like 800 hunters trying for 10 either sex tags.

Now, if you're just after any ole deer, your chances are much better by putting in for Anterless only hunts.

My top picks for a skin head would be:

1. Fort Gibson WRP. Lots of deer there, lots of Does!
2. Cherokee GMA. Consistent producer of fat Does year after year
3. Salt Plains. Yeah, there's a lot of Deer there!

What ever hunt you choose, I wish you the best luck. I've been fortunate to have been drawn on many hunts over the years and these are some of the best that Oklahoma has to offer.

I enjoy putting in for a new area each year until drawn. For the last several years, I've been putting in for Beaver River simply because I figure anything that close to the Kansas line has to have a few big bucks running around!

By the way, save on of those Elk Tags for me! I haven't been drawn yet in my lifetime and I'm due one!