Hunting regulation on white deer repealed
Dana Hellbusch of Edmond took this white buck during the 2009 deer season in Logan County. Lawmakers have repealed the hunting regulation which required hunters to first obtain permission from the state wildlife director before killing a white or piebald deer.
Oklahoma deer hunters no longer need permission from the state wildlife director before killing a white or piebald deer during the deer hunting seasons.
Oklahoma lawmakers have repealed the prohibition against killing such deer without prior approval from the state wildlife director.
House Bill 1314 was signed into law by Gov. Mary Fallin last week and is effective immediately.
In 2010, former legislator Terry Harrison of McAlester received a $296 fine from a game warden for killing a white deer during the deer gun season. He was unaware of the regulation that required permission from the state wildlife director.
Since 1998, Oklahoma hunters had been required to get permission from the state wildlife director before harvesting a white or piebald deer. Piebald deer are deer with large white patches.
When a Guthrie hunter took a white buck in Logan County in 1997, it led to a legislative attempt to protect the animals.
There are a pocket of white deer around the state, including in Logan County. White deer are the same as other white-tailed deer except for the color, which is caused by a genetic mutation. White and piebald deer are rare and because of their color, they are more susceptible to predators.
A bill was introduced to make it illegal for hunters to kill white deer in 1998, but what was passed was the regulation which has now been repealed.
It’s been a needless hoop for hunters to jump through because no Oklahoma hunter had ever been denied permission by a state wildlife director to harvest a white deer.
A handful of white deer are taken by hunters each year in Oklahoma.
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Comments
I appreciate the wardens and know they get busy at times but this was a hokey law and didn’t deserve to tie up game wardens anyway. We got too many poachers and nobody to deal with them. Studies in oklahoma have inadvertenly shown that bucks are poached at a rate of 20% of the population. THAT needs dealt with. I’m referring to a study the Noble foundation tried to do but had the bucks poached. Some areas are worse with no enforcement attention. I realize the number of enforcement personnel are scarce and they have to sleep to so I don’t blame them. If I could stay up all night I’d deal with them as I could. The Sheriff’s Dept said they will answer all calls of illegal activity and may be the best chance of catching poachers. The robo deer is fine for spots and counties that get them but that too is very limited. I don’t know the answer and don’t blame our wardens. Maybe a law enforcement network that could respond any time through partnerships. The Sheriff seems like a good possibility for catching a few in my neck of the woods.
now that I have reached retirement age of 66, I have a life time fishing and a separate life time hunting license. In order to hunt and fish in Oklahoma, what other licenses and permits do I have to buy? Or has the Dept of Wildlife made up a flier “You are at retirement age, here are your requirements”
If there is only a pocket full of white or piebald deer, why in the world would you want to kill them to me you would want to protect them. It doesn’t make any sense to me but most of Oklahoma laws doesn’t. They should pass a law making a season to kill stupid and ignorant people.
These deer are mutants, not a species of deer that will become exinct if state hunting laws allow this “pocket” of them to be hunted. More genetically mutated deer will soon follow.
What is URI.
Laws should protect the white deer, from what is written I
understand their are not many.
I also think the Spirt bear[a group of black bear that are
all White] it is only a small group yet trophy hunters want
them. I myself don’t believe in trophy hunting. If you don’t
eat it don’t kill it,
The last year I went deer hunting, I spotted a legel buck
but as I was on target to shoot I saw a flick of motion be-
hed the deer. It was a man wearing clothes that blended in,
if he had not moved the bullet might have passed thru and
hit him. On the opposite side of the gully was another guy
I could not see till he moved, because of health and no huntin partner I haven’t been out. I did not shoot because o
unable
I don’t have a problem with trophy hunting as long as you are going to eat it I don’t agree with killing just to kill. I also think you should respect the animal not like Native Americans not worship there spirit. What I mean is you should always go for the quick kill you shouldn’t shoot at one out of your performance range with whatever weapon your using things like that. I also think if you see a wounded animal that’s hurting if its legal to kill you should or try to get it better or call a game ranger we shouldn’t let one suffer if we can help it. James to those guys that apparently weren’t wearing orange and the one you could of accidentally killed you should have tried to tell them what almost happened so they understand how serious it is. To the guy asking if he needed anything else get a hunting and fishing laws and rules magazine what I would do is call the department of wildlife and just ask them that’s part of there job. As for the white deer I would need to see more info on those if its a random mutation from there habitat or something or if it had to be passed down to understand what I think should be the rules with them. I tip my hat to game rangers I got a ticket one time I had just turned the age where you had to have a hunting license and didn’t remember since I never needed one before. I was out with 3 others hunting coyotes and when we came back to the vehicle the game ranger was there. Here’s one reason I really respect them here are 4 guys with rifles or shotguns in hand wearing pistols and a decent sized knife. A normal police officer in that situation would be probably gun drawn telling us to get down and be radioing for backup. The ranger just asked us to unload our weapons and put them down I understand that’s part of there job dealing with hunters with guns. Being out manned 4 to 1 with guys you don’t know what they were doing but all are fairly well armed I wouldn’t want to do it and I know a few police officers that I’ve asked they say they wouldn’t handle it very well probably either. I understand there a big difference in jobs and most hunters aren’t going to kill a game ranger but there are enough that will. There’s some counties in Oklahoma that being a ranger could be pretty dangerous since there are those who do illegal things on there property like marihuana and others and guard there property very seriously. I just think its a more dangerous job than most people understand so they get my utmost respect. I was also going to say Oklahoma has hunting and fishing licenses for handicapped people the last ones I got were 10 dollars each and good for 5 years I haven’t used the hunting but I have the fishing.
[...] Hunting regulation on white deer repealedNewsOK.com (blog)Lawmakers have repealed the hunting regulation which required hunters to first obtain permission from the state wildlife director before killing a white or piebald deer. Oklahoma deer hunters no longer need permission from the state wildlife director … [...]