The Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission has established a statewide elk hunting season in addition to approving several other hunting and fishing rule changes at its recent meeting in Oklahoma City.

Officials with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation say a statewide elk season addresses agricultural depredation problems for some landowners by allowing for a controlled thinning of elk herds while creating new opportunities for hunters.

Elk can be found in at least 30 of Oklahoma's 77 counties, some of which have been open to controlled and private lands hunting for many years. Most are found in the southwest region in and around the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, where a highly sought after limited elk hunt is offered almost every year through the Wildlife Department's Controlled Hunts program. Elk hunting in the area outside the refuge also has been available for many years through a private lands season in Caddo, Comanche and Kiowa counties. Additionally, controlled hunts have been available on Pushmataha and Cookson Hills wildlife management areas and through a private lands season in six northeast Oklahoma counties. Elk are found in Oklahoma outside those areas, though, including in the Panhandle, where elk migrate through the state from Colorado and New Mexico.

The new statewide elk season has been divided into seven hunting zones, some of which have their own quota and individual hunter harvest limits. In six of the zones, elk seasons will run concurrent with statewide dates for deer archery, youth deer gun, deer muzzleloader, deer gun and holiday antlerless deer gun seasons unless quotas are met earlier. Hunters will be required to check the Wildlife Department's website before hunting each day to determine if the quota for their zone has been reached. The seventh zone - labeled the special southwest zone - will be comprised of the previously established private lands hunting area in Caddo, Comanche and Kiowa counties, and the season dates and regulations there will remain unchanged from previous years.

A number of other hunting and fishing rule changes were approved as well, including one that prohibits the possession of dogs on Honobia Creek, Three Rivers and Pine Creek wildlife management areas during daylight hours of the youth deer gun, deer muzzleloader and regular deer gun seasons. The new rule allows dogs on those WMAs starting from one hour after official sunset to one hour before official sunrise. Outside of these hours, dogs must be removed from those areas. All other rules and dates pertaining to pursuit with hounds on WMAs remain unchanged.

Among other approved rule changes are some aimed at better conserving populations of smallmouth bass in Oklahoma rivers and streams, increasing trapping opportunities, and allowing deer antler shed hunting on wildlife management areas for legal WMA users.

All of the rules considered and approved at the meeting first underwent a public comment period in which Oklahomans had the opportunity to provide their thoughts on the proposed changes. They must now pass through the legislative process and be signed in the governor.

Complete details regarding the list of approved changes will be published in the next "Oklahoma Hunting Guide" and "Oklahoma Fishing Guide."