SECTION 800:25-7-67. Dates, open areas, bag limits, hunting hours, legal means of take, quotas, prohibited activities

  The following dates, open areas, bag limits, hunting hours, legal means of take, quotas, and prohibited activities apply to bear seasons:

(1)   Dates. The dates for bear archery season shall be October 1 through the third Sunday in October. The dates for bear muzzleloader season shall run concurrently with deer muzzleloader season.

(2)   Open areas. The counties open to bear hunting are Choctaw, Haskell, Latimer, LeFlore, McCurtain, and Pushmataha; and that portion of McIntosh, Muskogee, and Sequoyah south of Interstate 40; and that portion of Atoka, Bryan, McIntosh, and Pittsburg east of U.S. Highway 69.

(3)   Bag limit. The bag limit is one bear, regardless of seasons hunted.

(4)   Hunting hours. The hunting hours shall be one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset.

(5)   Legal means of taking. Bear may be taken with archery equipment or muzzleloading firearms described as legal for deer for the respective season.

(6)   Tagging and checking. The following provisions apply to the tagging and checking of bears:

(A)   Persons taking a bear shall securely attach their name and license number immediately to the carcass.

(B)   All bears must be checked as described in the Oklahoma Hunting Guide.

(C)   Evidence of sex must not be removed from the carcass until the bear has been checked by ODWC personnel. However, carcass may be checked in quartered with sex organs naturally attached and head accompanying the carcass. Bear carcass tags must remain with the carcass through the processing and storage process.

(7)   Quotas. Quotas will be set by the Wildlife Conservation Commission as needed and listed in the Oklahoma Hunting Guide. When the quota is met, the hunt for that year is closed. Harvest totals must be checked each day either on-line or by phone to make sure the quota has not been met before hunting bear.

(8)   Prohibited activities.

(A)   No baiting allowed on Wildlife Management Areas.

(B)   Shooting females with cubs is prohibited.

(C)   No den shooting of bears.

(D)   Shooting cubs is prohibited.

(E)   Shooting collared bears is prohibited.

[Source: Added at 26 Ok Reg 2638, eff 7-11-09; Amended at 29 Ok Reg 1513, eff 7-1-12; Amended at 36 Ok Reg 228, eff 1-1-19 (emergency); Amended at 36 Ok Reg 1077, eff 7-25-19]