As one of only twelve Mountain State towns to rank such a visit, don’t miss out. If you can make Tuesday evening’s (March 18) Sectional Meeting between 6-8 p.m. at the Chief Logan State Park Conference Center off Corridor G, please do so. Drop by to meet a host of varying DNR staff and provide your comment.

In particular, DNR is seeking input on this fall’s hunting and next year’s fishing proposals.

General comments and recommendations can also be made.

Before finalizing the regulations package at the April Commission Meeting, both DNR and its civilian board of Natural Resource Commissioners take this local and statewide comment pool into consideration.

An “open house” forum, you can attend anytime during the stated time slot. Meetings such as these here and in Wyoming County have been instrumental in keeping the bowhunting only status at Logan, Mingo, Wyoming and McDowell counties.

You can pick up a copy of the change proposals and some other handouts at the meeting.

This year, black bears will be getting the brunt of the attention.

That’s quite a change from the usual domination by deer.

For the bears however, it’s hunters needed!

Major bruin liberalization in the form of special September hunts is being recommended to reduce a booming population.

For deer, first and foremost, the bowhunting only counties have no changes prescribed nor are there any rumblings to that effect.

However, as the statewide herds are rebuilding slowly from recent modern era lows, a modest increase in the open antlerless deer counties is being proposed.

For anglers, the only statewide change involves the locally familiar R. D. Bailey Lake.

Beginning in 2008, DNR is proposing no limit for white and striped bass under 15-inches in size.

That’s a brief on the hunting fishing specifics. But don’t forget those general interest topics ranging anywhere from the wild boar decline to the feasibility of elk and quail restorations.

All are all fair game. The status of a new lease public Wildlife Management Area (WMA) for Logan County is also getting quite a bit of attention.

A familiar face will be missing from this year’s meeting.

Mingo County native and long time DNR District Biologist, Tom Dotson retired in December.

Dotson’s 30-year plus career included the recommended closure of gun deer hunting in Logan and Mingo counties circa the late 1970s.

As bowhunting evolved into the long standing rule and tradition (and at Wyoming and McDowell counties), DNR met stiff opposition while probing the reestablishment of gun hunting in the early 1990s. In the interim, the tall, lanky and graying Dotson stated that folks would eventually let DNR know “if and when” to bring on the guns.

And, that he may very well be retired before that ever happened