2016 LEFLORE COUNTY GUIDE. Supplement to

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1 2016 LEFLORE COUNTY HUNTING & FISHING GUIDE Supplement to

PAGE 2...FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2016 There were quite a number of winners during the 2016 LeFlore County Bass Club Tournament circuit. The first tournament of the season was Jan. 30 at Broken Bow Lake.

Dwain Caughern and Jeff Clark were runnersup [17.78 pounds, $375], while Gary Steelman and Keith Griffith were third [17.7, $250]. After taking February off, there were two March tournaments.

2 PAGE 2...FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2016 There were quite a number of winners during the 2016 LeFlore County Bass Club Tournament circuit. The first tournament of the season was Jan. 30 at Broken Bow Lake. Jerrid Keller and Clint Wood won with a winning stringer weighing 19.8 pounds to earn $625, and Keller pocketed an additional $250 for catching the tournament s big bass that weighed nine pounds even. Dwain Caughern and Jeff Clark were runnersup [17.78 pounds, $375], while Gary Steelman and Keith Griffith were third [17.7, $250]. After taking February off, there were two March tournaments. The first one was March 12 on 2016 Outdoor Hunting and Fishing Guide POTEAU DAILY NEWS A look back at the 2016 LeFlore County Bass Club Tournament circuit Lake Tenkiller, which was won by Randy Martin and Bucky McGee with a stringer weighing pounds to earn $550. Robbie Brassfield and Keith Jones were second [18.84 pounds, $330], with Russell Rogers and Rick Bartmier third [18.07, $220]. Gary McGinnis caught the tournament s big bass, a 6.12-pounder to earn him $220. The other tournament in the month took place March 19 back at Broken Bow Lake. Mason Spencer and Glen Webb were the champions, taking the championship stringer to the scales that weighed pounds to earn them $450. Keller and Wood, the season-opening tournament championship duo, came in second place with a stringer weighing pounds to earn $270. Jody Adams and Brad Hall were third [14.03 pounds, $180], and Keller had the big bass [5.95, $180]. April also had a pair of tournaments, with the first one taking place April 3 on Lake Eufaula. Steelman and Griffith took home first place with a winning stringer weighing pounds, pocketing $525 for the win. Brassfield and Jones were runners-up [13.43 pounds, $315], and Joe Phillips II and Weston Bedford were third [11.81, $210]. Steelman had the big bass winner [6.72, $210]. Sardis Lake was the site of the other tournament of that month, taking place April 23. Joey Chitwood and Tony Parker took home first place with a winning stringer weighing pounds to earn $600. Jeff Hardin and Dennis Roper were second [23.42 pounds, $360], while Michael Bailey and Ryan Rollison came in third [19.86, $240]. The big winner went to A.J. Higgins for hauling in a 6.62-pounder to earn him $240. May was the third straight month with two tournaments in the circuit. The first one was a May Day tournament taking place May 1 on Robert S. Kerr Reservoir. Rogers and Bartmier, who were third in the March 12 tournament on Lake Tenkiller, bested the tournament field to win that day s tournament with a winning stringer weighing pounds to earn $475, with Rogers getting an additional $190 for hauling in the tournament s big bass weighing 4.58 pounds. The Patton duo of Jesse and Johnathan came in runners-up with a 12-pound even stringer to pocket $285. Steelman and Griffith were third [10.84 pounds, $190]. May 22 was the other tournament for the month, this one happening back at Sardis Lake. Adams Outdoors with Jody Ray Adams and Hall claimed the top prize of $650 for bringing a stringer weighing pounds. The Knights, Bubba and Dakota, were runners-up [21.34 pounds, $390], while Hardin and Roper were third [20.98, $260] with Harding getting the big bass winner [7.86, $260]. The final tournament of the 2016 circuit took place June 12 at Pine Creek Reservoir. Spencer and Webb got their second win of the season, with a winning stringer weighing pounds to earn $425. Steelman and Griffith were second [21.02 pounds, $255], while Lance and Kollin Crawford were third [20.98, $260]. Lance Crawford had the tournament s big bass, a 6.44-pounder, to earn an additional $260. Steelman and Griffith were the LCBC Team of the Year, catching a total of pounds of bass and earning $660. Keller and Wood were runnersup in the category [87.51 pounds total caught, earning $330], followed by Caughern and Clark [82.76, $110], Hardin and Roper [78.8] and Adams and Hall [76.71]. Keller caught the biggest bass of the year, weighing nine pounds even on Broken Bow. Bailey caught a big bass weighing 8.11 pounds in an open tournament on Sardis Lake for the second-heaviest big bass. Hardin s 7.86-pounder caught on Sardis Lake was third place in the category, followed by Caughern s 7.13-pounder caught on Broken Bow Lake and Steelman s 6.72-pounder hauled in out of the waters of Lake Eufaula. Chitwood and Parker had the heaviest stringer caught for the season, a pounder on Sardis Lake. Spencer and Webb had the second-heaviest stringer, a pounder, hauled in on Pine Creek Reservoir. Sardis Lake provided the next three heaviest stringers Hardin and Roper [23.42 pounds], Adams and Hall [23.07] and Jason and Camryn Wickware [22.39, coming on an open tournament]. The Poteau Daily News is your best source for local sports coverage in LeFlore County

POTEAU DAILY NEWS 2016 Outdoor Hunting and Fishing Guide FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2016.

Conservation. All you ll need to do is keep track of things you observe while in the forest or the field.

3 POTEAU DAILY NEWS 2016 Outdoor Hunting and Fishing Guide FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, PAGE 3 Bowhunters sought as observers during deer season Attention avid bowhunters: Here s your chance to impact wildlife management decisions and activities of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. All you ll need to do is keep track of things you observe while in the forest or the field. For the first time, the Wildlife Department will conduct a Bowhunter Observation Survey during the upcoming archery seasons. Bowhunters are invited to go online and register as an official observer and become a citizen scientist this year. This is a great opportunity to help the Wildlife Department learn more about our natural environment, and in turn help the wildlife that we are mandated to protect and conserve, said Corey Jager, responsive management specialist for the department. Here s how the survey will work: Bowhunters will register by filling out an online form by today. Participants will receive an informational packet that they will receive by before the survey period begins Saturday. When in the field or forest from Saturday to Nov. 30, observers will record the number of deer, wild turkeys and furbearers they see, along with the number of hours they spend in the field. Observers will submit reports of sightings either at the end of each hunt, or all at once after Nov. 30 using an online form. After the survey is complete and data are processed, participants will receive a copy of the results. We believe this citizen-science survey will provide valuable information to the Wildlife Department for evaluating population demographics and the general health of these wildlife populations, Jager said. And it s just so easy to jot down your observations from your hunting trips, but it really could help our biologists make the best management choices for the animals and hunters alike. This survey allows hunters to play a more active role in bettering the future of their sport. To sign up, go to tinyurl. com/bowhuntersurvey through today. For more information, contact Jerrod Davis, furbearer biologist, at jerrod.davis@odwc. ok.gov or (405) , or Erik Bartholomew, big game biologist, at erik.bartholomew@odwc.ok.gov or (405) The Poteau Daily News is your best source for local sports coverage in LeFlore County SURVEYORS WANTED Archery hunters are invited to participate in Oklahoma s first Bowhunter Observation Survey and share their wildlife sightings as a citizen scientist. Photo by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation

PAGE 4...FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2016 2016 Outdoor Hunting and Fishing Guide POTEAU DAILY NEWS 2016-17 Outdoor Hunting Season Schedules Deer Deer Archery: Saturday until Jan.

15, 2017 Youth Elk Gun: Oct. 14-16 Elk Primitive Arms [Muzzleloading]: Oct. 22-30 Elk Gun: Nov. 19-Dec. 4 Special Southwest Zone Elk Seasons Archery: Saturday through Wednesday; Dec.

3 through Jan. 15, 2017 County and Tags: Cimarron County 50; Texas County 20 Bear Bear Archery: Saturday until Oct. 16 Bear Muzzleloader: Oct. 22-30 Turkey Turkey Fall Archery: Saturday until Jan.

18 Youth Spring Turkey: April 1-2, 2017 Youth Spring Turkey [Southeast Region]: April 15-16, 2017 Spring Turkey: April 6-May 6, 2017 Spring Turkey [Southeast Region]: April 17-May 6, 2017 Quail Nov.

4 PAGE 4...FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, Outdoor Hunting and Fishing Guide POTEAU DAILY NEWS Outdoor Hunting Season Schedules Deer Deer Archery: Saturday until Jan. 15, 2017 Youth Deer Gun: Oct Deer Primitive Arms [Muzzleloading]: Oct Deer Gun: Nov. 19-Dec. 4 Holiday Antlerless: Dec Elk Elk Archery: Saturday until Jan. 15, 2017 Youth Elk Gun: Oct Elk Primitive Arms [Muzzleloading]: Oct Elk Gun: Nov. 19-Dec. 4 Special Southwest Zone Elk Seasons Archery: Saturday through Wednesday; Dec Gun: Thursday through Oct. 9; Dec Antlerless: Nov. 19-Dec. 4; Jan.1-31, 2017 Antelope Antelope Archery: Saturday until Oct. 14 Antelope Gun Seasons Landowner Drawn Doe: Dec. 3 through Jan. 15, 2017 County and Tags: Cimarron County 50; Texas County 20 Bear Bear Archery: Saturday until Oct. 16 Bear Muzzleloader: Oct Turkey Turkey Fall Archery: Saturday until Jan. 15, 2017 Turkey Fall Gun: Oct. 29- Nov. 18 Youth Spring Turkey: April 1-2, 2017 Youth Spring Turkey [Southeast Region]: April 15-16, 2017 Spring Turkey: April 6-May 6, 2017 Spring Turkey [Southeast Region]: April 17-May 6, 2017 Quail Nov. 12 through Feb. 15, 2017 Pheasant Dec. 1 through Jan. 31, 2017 Dove Until Oct. 31; Dec Rail Until Nov. 9 Woodcock Nov Snipe Saturday until Jan. 15, 2017 Gallinule Until Nov. 9 Sandhill Crane Oct. 22 until Jan. 22, 2017 Canada Geese Oct. 29-Nov. 27; Dec. 10 until Feb. 12, 2017 White-Fronted Geese Oct. 29-Nov. 27; Dec. 10 until Feb. 12, 2017 Light Geese Oct. 29-Nov. 27; Dec. 10 until Feb. 12, 2017 Conservation Order Light Geese Feb. 13-March 30, 2017 Youth Waterfowl Panhandle Zone Oct. 8-9 Zone 1 Oct Zone 2 Oct Waterfowl Panhandle Zone Oct. 15 until Jan. 11, 2017 Zone 1 Oct. 29-Nov. 27; Dec. 10 until Jan. 22, Zone 2 Nov. 5-27; Dec. 10 until Jan. 29, Crow Oct. 10-Nov. 16; Dec. 9 until March 4, 2017 Squirrel Until Jan. 31, 2017 Rabbit Saturday until March 15, 2017 Furbearers [Raccoon, Bobcat, Badger, Gray Fox, Red Fox, Mink, Muskrat, Opossum, River Otter, Weasel] Dec. 1 through Feb. 28, 2017 TERRIFIC TONY Tony Parker, left harvested this 10-point buck during the 2015 deer gun season. Photo Submitted by Tony Parker SUCCESSFUL HUNTS FROM Top photograph, Kyle Parker harvested this 12-point buck during the 2015 deer muzzleloader season. Bottom photograph, Tony Parker got this eight-point buck also during the 2015 deer muzzleloader season. Photos Submitted by Tony Parker

Department of Wildlife Conservation s Hackberry Flat Wildlife Management Area.

The Wildlife Department and Friends of Hackberry Flat will be offering several morning and evening programs this fall to celebrate the monarch butterfly s migration, said Melynda Hickman, a wildlife

5 POTEAU DAILY NEWS 2016 Outdoor Hunting and Fishing Guide FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, PAGE 5 Wildlife Department to mark monarch butterflies Migrating monarch butterflies can travel up to 100 miles a day on their southern journey and many will soon be stopping at the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation s Hackberry Flat Wildlife Management Area. Citizen scientists are invited to join biologists on the area next week as they tag individual butterflies and learn more about their long-distance migration. The Wildlife Department and Friends of Hackberry Flat will be offering several morning and evening programs this fall to celebrate the monarch butterfly s migration, said Melynda Hickman, a wildlife diversity biologist for the Wildlife Department. Reservations are not required for the following free events. Morning Activities: 9-11 a.m. Sunday, Monday, next Friday and Oct. 8 Meet at the Hackberry Flat Center at 9 a.m. where monarchs will be waiting to be tagged and released. Biologists will discuss this butterfly s life history and migration cycle and share tips for attracting this and other pollinators to your neighborhood. Evening Activities: 6:30-8 p.m. Sunday through next Friday Meet at the Hackberry Flat Center at 6:30 p.m. for a short trailer ride to a well-established monarch roost site. There, groups of butterflies form evening clusters in a small stand of trees to rest for the next leg of their journey and to conserve heat. After watching the monarchs roost, participants of the evening programs will venture into Hackberry Flat WMA to learn about other wildlife management activities. Dress for an evening outdoors. Programs will be held regardless of conditions, but monarch migration is strongly influenced by the changing fall temperature and rain events, said Hickman. Because of this, morning tagging activities may be limited by the number of monarchs collected for the program. Open for scheduled events like this monarch viewing program, Hackberry Flat Center offers interpretive guidance for wildlife enthusiasts, students and educators. Participants of these educational programs are exempt from needing a Wildlife Conservation Passport or valid hunting or fishing license while on Hackberry Flat WMA. For more information about the Center, visit wildlifedepartment. com. To get to Hackberry Flat Center, from the south side of Frederick, take U.S. 183 south for one mile, then go east on Airport Road for three miles. Follow the blacktop road south, and continue six miles. Watch for signs to the Center. For more information about this event, or other educational programs taking place at Hackberry Flat Center, contact Hickman at melynda.hickman@ odwc.ok.gov or by calling (405) The Poteau Daily News is your best source for local sports coverage in LeFlore County Have you visited the Poteau Daily News website today? Keep up-to-date with local weather, current events, breaking news, exclusive videos and clips not available anywhere else! No news organization on the planet covers LeFlore County news better than we do!

PAGE 6...FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2016 2016 Outdoor Hunting and Fishing Guide POTEAU DAILY NEWS Hunters reminded to update licenses before seasons Opening day of dove hunting season is just days away.

allowing them to hunt before going afield.

6 PAGE 6...FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, Outdoor Hunting and Fishing Guide POTEAU DAILY NEWS Hunters reminded to update licenses before seasons Opening day of dove hunting season is just days away. As sportsmen and sportswomen prepare their camo, shotguns and decoys for this season, the Wildlife Department reminds hunters to make sure they have the required licenses, permits and certifications allowing them to hunt before going afield. An expired license is an easy thing to overlook by mistake, said Mike Chrisman, license section supervisor for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. Most annual hunting licenses for residents expire on the last day of the year. And sometimes, people will forget that the old license in their wallet is out of date. License and permit revenues form the backbone of funding for the Wildlife Department s fish and wildlife conservation and management activities. The Wildlife Department receives no general tax appropriations from the state. The annual resident hunting or fishing license costs just $25, and that price has remained the same for many years, Chrisman said. Every time you buy a license, you are helping fund conservation activities that improve hunting and fishing across Oklahoma. Hunting seasons that have already opened include dove Sept. 1 and teal and resident Canada goose Sept. 10. Rabbit season will open Saturday, and archery seasons for deer, elk, turkey, antelope and black bear also will begin Saturday. To find out which hunting licenses, permits and certifications are required when in the field and who is exempt from specific licenses or permits, consult the Oklahoma Hunting & Fishing Regulations Guide online atwildlifedepartment.com/ laws_regs.htm or in print wherever hunting and fishing licenses are sold. In addition, license reference guides are online at wildlifedepartment.com/ license/resident.pdf for state resident hunters, and wildlifedepartment.com/license/ nonresidentlicense.pdf for nonresident hunters. And most hunters ages are required to be hunter education-certified unless designated as an apprentice. Hunters and anglers who buy licenses have helped bring back wild turkey populations rivaling those found here around the turn of the 20th century. License revenue helped bring fish species to the state that our fathers could only dream about: striped bass, saugeye, trout and hybrid striped bass. The department s deer management programs, paid for with license revenues, have garnered national honors and produced annual deer harvests around 90,000 in the past several years. All required hunting licenses and permits are available at the Wildlife Department s online License Counter at wildlifedepartment.com/licensing. Licenses are also sold by hundreds of authorized vendors across the state. Sales of resident lifetime, senior citizen lifetime and disabled veteran lifetime licenses require additional paperwork and are only sold at Wildlife Department headquarters or by mail. Anyone needing to buy a license in person can visit the Wildlife Department s Oklahoma City temporary headquarters, 2145 N.E. 36th St. For more information, call the License Section at (405) The Poteau Daily News is your best source for local sports coverage in LeFlore County

7 POTEAU DAILY NEWS 2016 Outdoor Hunting and Fishing Guide FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, PAGE 7 Weather is key in forecasting quail hunting season By Kyle Johnson Quail Habitat Biologist The excellent quail hunting season Oklahoma enjoyed is still on the minds of many, and calls are already coming in seeking a forecast for the quail season. Although it is too early to know what may actually occur, clues are often found when looking at the weather. Furthermore, having some knowledge of recent quail population trends and habitat conditions can be helpful when forecasting the next quail season. Fortunately, much research has been done to compare years of quail booms with years of quail busts, and 2015 was certainly a quail boom for nearly all portions of Oklahoma with suitable quail habitat. Although habitat quality is important, biologists often contend that weather conditions play the major role in these boom and bust cycles, especially during the nesting season. In general, quail booms can occur when low to moderate nesting-season temperatures are combined with ample rainfall, especially when these occur in consecutive years. Even during years of moderate to high rainfall, quail production can be quite poor if the temperatures are extreme. Moderately good quail production is still possible even during dry years if temperatures remain cool. However, years with exceptional heat and drought, like Oklahoma experienced during 2011 and 2012, will nearly always result in poor quail production. A general comparison of the weather conditions that occurred during the poor quail year of 2012 to the excellent quail year of 2015 can provide some insight into how 2016 may stack up. It is important to remember that consecutive years of poor production can compound the problem. Likewise, consecutive years of good to excellent production can boost quail numbers to population levels that haven t been observed in quite some time. Sometimes, a year of excellent quail production and habitat condition can help buffer the impacts the following year if the weather is unfavorable for nesting and brood rearing. Although the fine details between temperature and rainfall can vary, extended periods of triple-digit temperatures combined with below average rainfall can have devastating effects on quail during the nesting season. So, how is the quail hunting season looking now? Areas with a carryover of good to excellent habitat conditions resulting from last year s plentiful rainfall should give breeding quail a better chance for a successful nesting season than areas with poor to fair quail habitat. The key now is to monitor the rainfall and temperatures for the rest of summer and early fall to determine if they more closely align with conditions in 2012 or conditions in Which direction the weather tilts between the two years should provide an indicator of what may be observed in the field this upcoming quail season. Let s hope it leans in the direction of For questions about improving habitat for upland game birds, including free habitat evaluations, contact Kyle Johnson, quail habitat biologist, at (405) or check out the Oklahoma Quail Habitat Guide on the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation website, wildlifedepartment.com. Former Water Resources Board executive director picked as next director of Wildlife Department J.D. Strong, former executive director of the Oklahoma Water Resources Board and former Oklahoma secretary of the environment, was selected by the eightmember Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission to serve as the new director of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. Strong brings 23 years of experience working in the environmental arena to his new position. He had been executive director of the Water Resources Board since 2010, and was former Gov. Brad Henry s secretary of the environment from Before that, he served as director of Environmental Affairs then chief of staff in the state Office of the Secretary of the Environment. Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin said, J.D. Strong is a proven leader at the Oklahoma Water Resources Board, leading the agency to be named as one of the top workplaces for the last three years. He also worked diligently on the historic water settlement with the Chickasaw and Choctaw nations. Strong is a fifth-generation Oklahoman from Weatherford, and he earned a degree in wildlife ecology from Oklahoma State University in Wildlife Conservation Commission Chairman John P. Zelbst of Meers said Strong is planning to begin his new duties Oct. 17. J.D. will keep leading us into the new century in a time when we are seeing so many changes. Longtime Commissioner John Groendyke of Enid mentioned Strong s efforts working with Native Americans to resolve water rights issues, saying those relationships will benefit the Wildlife Department as more compacts for hunting and fishing licenses are negotiated. YOUNG S PHARMACY We Honor All Major Prescription Plans Prescription Counseling LARRY YOUNG. R. PH. TRY OUR NEW WITTE ST. DRIVE THRU: Monday-Friday: 9 am to 5:30 pm Saturday: 9 am to 12 pm Dewey Poteau

Hunting Seasons and Bag Limits

2017-18 Hunting Seasons and Bag Limits These are the seasons and bag limits for most hunting and trapping seasons from July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2018. 2017-18 HUNTING SEASONS AND BAG LIMITS SQUIRRELS,