House Panel Okays Black Bear Hunt

A state House committee has given its blessing to legislation that authorizes a new license for hunting black bears.

The House Environment and Wildlife Subcommittee approved the measure Monday and sent it on to the House Natural Resources Committee for a vote.

Richard Hatcher, assistant director of the Department of Wildlife Conservation, says the agency is proposing a limited black bear season in which only about 20 of the animals would be taken each year.

Hatcher says the number of black bears in the state has steadily increased over the past 20 years. Officials estimate that between 300 and 500 of the bears roam the forests of eastern Oklahoma. Hatcher says they're becoming a nuisance in some areas and have broken into trailers and hunting camps.

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