Oklahoma Changed Night Hunting Laws

Lonnie

New member
Oklahoma's latest regs came out last week and they have eliminated night calling for coyotes. It was already pretty hopeless since only #6 shot was allowed in shotguns. Only coon hunters can roam the night with a gun and only rimfire .22s. I've talked to my game warden about taking my beagle calling at night with a .22 mag but he says I can't get away with it. Too bad.
 
We need to all get together and form a group to advocate some changes and proposals to present to the Wildlife Department. I know several Oklahoma predator hunters that would probably rally with us on this issue. Let me know what you think. Any ideas? Do you think this would help?
Alan
 
I don't have any ideas but I do know more then a few people that would go for it. I think anything will help. It was hard enough before to hunt at night that not to many even bothered with it. So what do they do? They take it all away. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif What if we are out there "coon hunting" and a coyote attacks us?? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
Hey guys, sounds to me like the guys or ladies making the rules got there heads where the sun don't shine. Good luck trying to change the rules, I hope you do it. Good Hunting
 
I've talked to some wildlife people before and it seems the Farm Bureau is the big group stopping us. They are afraid cattle will be shot. It sure would not hurt to make our voices heard. Lets all email the department and ask if night hunting could be legalized. Strategically, it might be better to seek legalization in the western half of the state since it is far less populated. Landowners there also tend to have a lot larger spreads. If it worked there, it could move east as well. You can email the wildlife dept. by sending mail to Paul Moore at pmoore@odwc.state.ok.us.
 
I have already written something up that I will either mail them or e-mail them. But this being started by the Farm Bureau is quite to my surprise and dwindles a couple of my points that I wrote in the letter. Don't they know if they would have let us use lights it would be a lot safer and there would be the little to no worry of hitting a cow? Besides the fact remains coyote cause WAY more deaths to cows then misplaced shots ever could. Another thing, how could we shoot a cow with the guns they lets us use? Obviously you could but #6 or smaller shot doesn't pose much of a threat to cows in my book. I don't think that is poses enough threat to a coyote to even hunt with it. I think it would be a good idea to email the dept. Not just us Okies either but it would be appreciated if any out of state members wanted to chime in with their opinions. Should we all email on the same day or just as we write it out? Hopefully we can do something about changing this.
Stephen Skaggs
 
I wish we could night hunt with rifles here in Oklahoma too. I think this change is unwarranted and probably doesn't mirror the popular opinion of the sportsmen and women in Oklahoma. As far as the cattle issue, I don't know what to say. It really kind of insults me that someone would think that I couldn't tell the difference between and coyote and a cow. I also think that most hunters that predator hunt are responsible people.
I've heard that the laws were changed to stop deer poaching at night. I dont believe that, if they are sorry enough to poach, they will anyway. I would like to see the numbers of deer poaching arrests before and after the night predator hunt laws changed. I bet it has had very little effect on the number of arrests. However I may be wrong as numbers can be made to say what you want them to.
 
I worked with the Calif. DFG and got them to change the law to allow hunting of upland game with airguns. It was not too difficult.

Try to find the person responsible for coyotes in the State DFG.

Also, you should get them to allow you to use lights mounted on you gun so you can identify the target before you shoot.
 
Texas has all of the night hunting, light shinning you want, but Oklahoma game laws sucks. Texas hunters must be smarter than us in Oklahoma. What is there reason for no night hunting? Oklahoma you can hunt hogs at night with a permit with no restrictions on rifle or shotgun, but no coyotes. This doesn't make scene. I have hunted hogs at night for 3 years on 7800 acres with more than 2500 head of cattle. No accidents or trouble. OKLAHOMA GAME LAWS SUCK HARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
MO-No hunting at night and cannot be in posession of NV or Themal and a firearm at the same time. When hogs take over the state, all of the above will be legal, because then we (hunters) will serve their (MDC) purpose. I would not shoot a wild hog if I saw it now, and won't when they want me to do their dirty work.
 
Lived and hunted in Oklahoma all my life, sure glad I have a few friends in Texas
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They need to change the night hunting laws in Oklahoma to....oh I don't know...legal. It's funny that the most Conservative State in the Nation won't allow you to kill a coyote at night while some states that won't even allow you to own a magazine with more than ten rounds can. Okay maybe funny isn't the word for it. What word am I looking for to describe it? Oh yeah I remember now....stupid. It's stupid.

What are they afraid of? Is it a poaching issue? Because I'm pretty sure people poach deer now and predator hunting at night isn't legal. Are they afraid cows are gonna get shot? Because cows can get shot during the day too if someone is shooting in their direction. Nobody in their right mind is going to mistake a 1,000 pound bull for a 30 pound coyote unless they're blind as a [beeep] bat or they're just shooting at every eye that shines. I don't even know the real reasoning behind no night hunting here because it's made up nonsense. There's no valid argument as to why it shouldn't be legal.

That's why I hate entering tournaments and hunting here. If you're up against guys from Texas that sleep during the day and hunt at night you already lost before you even start huntin. If you enter a one day hunt and a guy from Oklahoma brings in 12+ coyotes and a bobcat....Don't kid yourself he went nocturnal. Get with the program Oklahoma!
 
Okla may not change the night hunting laws but we have a chance to change the shot size rules. Changing the shot size is on the proposed rules changes for 2018. The proposed rule will change the largest shot size from BB TO #4 Buckshot. Go to the Okla Dept Website and fill out the comments section. needs to be done by Jan 5, 2018.

We need to get everyone in the predator hunting world to get on the website and submit a comment. go for it
 
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