OK bear hunt is a stining money grab

[OKC MAD COW]

I was so excited last year when I learned we were to have a bear hunt soon. Not that it's on, it makes me sick to see what the Department of Wildlife is doing.

I, normally, support the OK D.O.W 100%. I love what they do and the services they provide. With that being said, the bear hunt has turned in to a skinking money grab.

For example, I have a lifetime hunting license. Don't matter. I now have to buy a $100 bear tag.

If I plan on doing the black power hunt, which opens Oct 24th, I have to purchase my license no later thatn Oct 23rd. The day before it opens. If you don't get it that day or before than you can't get one.

The problem is there is a 20 bear total limit for archery and black power. if all 20 are taken on the 23rd, then I don't even get to hunt. They are making everybody pony up the $100 up front. This just does not seem right to me.

If I knew, the year after I bought my "Lifetime" hunting license that I was going to have to spend more money to hunt (other than federal) the I might have thought twice about it.

Now I have to get a bear tag and hope all the bear don't get taken before I can get in the field. Why can't I buy a tag the morning I'm going to go hunt. I have to call and check there are still some available.

Oh well, I'm just ranting.

-Thom

This just ain't right.

 

[patrickcudd]

I agree with you. When I saw this I thought it was ******** too.

 

[Jared]

Try to see if you can find anything ODWC has taken from lifetime license holders, they haven't. Purchasing a lifetime license doesn't mean your exempt from everything that comes along in the future. 75% of Oklahomas Resident hunters are lifetime license holders. The revenue from bear tags is what is going to fund the bear management programs.

 

[dennishoddy]

Try to see if you can find anything ODWC has taken from lifetime license holders, they haven't. Purchasing a lifetime license doesn't mean your exempt from everything that comes along in the future. 75% of Oklahomas Resident hunters are lifetime license holders. The revenue from bear tags is what is going to fund the bear management programs.

Thats correct, just the same way the the paddlefish study is being done. The Roe collected to be sold as caviar is helping to pay for the study.

That being said....I have eaten the russian caviar that is supposed to be the primo stuff.(I didn't have to pay for it) and I thought it suxed. My grandmother would give a piece of her mind if you didn't give her the channel cat eggs that were left over after a family fishing trip/fish fry.

Breaded, and deep fried. Tried it and don't like it.
The russian cavair suxed as well.

For the record I love fish, and some of the "fishy tasting fish" works for me too.

 

[RidgeHunter]

I don't have much of a problem with it. I read the paper when I bought my license and it didn't say anything about being exempt from all tags. It had a list of what I would be exempted from and I bought it under those conditions.

It has paid for itself several times over.

Now if they started messing with deer tags or something, I would be outraged. But I was never promised a bear tag.
They need some money to fund the resources/manpower to help get our bears established.

I am interested to see how many, where and the weights of what is killed though. If they can flourish in Arkansas, they can do it here with a little more time. Some BIG bears starting to come out of Ar in the last few years.

BTW, If 20 bears are tagged on the first day, I will be shocked. Actually I'll be a little shocked if 20 are killed the whole season.

To change the subject from hating to hunting, anybody here think they have a shot at one this year? If so, good luck, that would be too cool to kill a bear in the first Okie season ever!

 

[Jared]

I believe that we will be surprised to see how fast the 20 quota is met.

 

[Oklahomabassin]

My thought on the bear tags being required before the season is an approach to keep people legal. Many people won't know they have a bear in the area until they hit the deer stand. If they see one and think, hey I could shoot that, hurry to town and buy the tag and check it in. This will prevent that.

 

[ElkStalkR]

Well what stinks is you buy a $100 tag and there is a 20 bear quota. If that is filled within the first couple of days you are done hunting regardless if you filled your tag or not. Seems likely that many will be eating a $100 tag. $100 ain't cheap to have a quota system.

 

[sumoj275]

No problem here, but I am not hunting bear either. Seeing how the state wants to have a flourishing bear population and season, why did they not try to get stimulus money for it???

 

[Ozark Tracker]

we had the quota system and callin to see how many had been taken until this last year, the quota had been 200 Bears as long as we've been over here,(moved Here from Muskogee, 12 years ago)

We live North of I-40 and Ozark about 15 miles, out in the National Forrest up here. there are a lot of bears up here, but they are hard to find. we've seen several within a quarter mile of the house and seen tracks down around the turkey houses. but you sure don't see em all the time. we saw one crossin the road just last week,

are you guys going to be able to bait the bears or are you just hopeing for the best.