Wildlife department transitions to electronic reporting
BY KELLY BOSTIAN World Outdoors Writer
Sunday, January 20, 2013
1/20/13 at 5:15 AM
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This time next year, full harvest numbers for Oklahoma's deer season should be available. But the 2012-13 season wrapped up last week with remnants of the old deer harvest reporting system, along with the new.
"They're out picking up the books today," Erik Bartholomew, big game biologist for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, said Wednesday. Oklahoma's longest season is archery, which ran Oct. 1-Jan. 15.
Hunters now have the option of reporting their deer kill online or doing it the traditional way on paper at an official check station.
"We will go fully electronic next season," Bartholomew said. "We will still have physical check stations for controlled or special hunts."
Web-based reporting will allow nearly instant checking of harvest numbers as the season progresses.
Full deer harvest numbers typically are compiled and released with the state's Big Game Report, posted online and printed in the department's September/October issue of Outdoor Oklahoma magazine.
Bartholomew said indications are Oklahoma hunters experienced an average hunting season with 63,440 deer kills reported online so far.
"Looking at last year, about half were checked online," he said.
If that trend holds, then the typical harvest of 100,000 to 110,000 for Oklahoma should hold again this season, he said.
Associated Images:
Gene Satterwhite sent this photo with a straightforward note about the buck, saying it was a large one that he killed during the rifle season and "I just wanted to share." GENE SATTERWHITE/Courtesy
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