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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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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