No Black Bear Hunt After All, Dorman Says

From The Associated Press ~ Legislation that would have created a special license for hunting black bears in Oklahoma will not be heard in the House over concerns about conservation of the animals, which were almost extinct from the state a century ago, the measure's author said Tuesday.

"Smokey and Yogi are safe for one more year," said the measure's author, Rep. Joe Dorman, D-Rush Springs.

Dorman's bill would have created a new licensing procedure within the Department of Wildlife Conservation for hunting black bears. Conservation officials have said the bears' numbers have rebounded in southeastern Oklahoma and that they are becoming a nuisance in some areas. But Dorman said re-examination of the black-bear population indicates that there are too few in the state to sustain an annual hunt.

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