Oklahoma

State Wildlife Department Helps Researchers Study Alligators In Southeastern Oklahoma

Published

2 years ago

January 26, 2023

State Wildlife Department Helps Researchers Study Alligators In Southeastern Oklahoma

On a moist and windy winter day, creatures conceal beneath the nonetheless Idabel swamps. Tim Patton has made it his aim to search out out as a lot about them as he can.

Fueled for the weekend by 5 breakfast burritos, he’s able to camp out on the Purple Slough Wildlife Administration refuge for a pair days to get a close-up take a look at the native alligator inhabitants.

Patton is a professor at Southeastern Oklahoma State College in Durant and is one in all three researchers engaged on an alligator analysis challenge within the southeastern a part of the state.

The challenge is funded by the Oklahoma Wildlife Division.

On a November morning, Patton ventures out into the murky waters to test his traps. This time just some innocent turtles took the bait.

“If we catch as many alligators as we did turtles, this job can be lots simpler,” Patton remarks.

The traps are one of many methods Tim and his analysis companions seize alligators.

The best methodology is a extra aggressive one: an after darkish search by boat, the place they catch gators with a pole.

Patton says the hot button is searching for beady pink eyes peering throughout the water.

“While you get the attention shine, they’ll simply sit there,” he says. “The most important we’ve captured to date is correct round 9 ft.”

As soon as caught, the alligators’ mouths are taped shut and they’re marked. A few of the gators are given a plastic tag and a chip. A couple of obtain radio transmitters to be tracked. The littlest get a small notch on their tails in order that researchers can test again in and see how the gators have grown over time.

“Hold catching and tagging and catching and tagging,” Patton says.

The researchers will examine alligators for 2 years, from infants to full-grown gators as much as 16 ft.

“We need to know what number of, what is the intercourse ratio, what number of males, what number of females, the dimensions construction, what number of little ones and massive ones,” Patton explains.

Researcher Jared Wooden has put up recreation cameras all around the refuge. Wooden is an Affiliate Professor of Biology at Southwestern Adventist College in Keene, Texas.

“Obtained a pair thousand movies and a few of them are fairly outstanding,” Wooden remarks.

The movies he has captured characteristic a number of supporting actors, like an otter household making an attempt to infiltrate an alligator den. In a single shot, you may see a rabbit narrowly escape turning into dinner for a hungry gator mother.

“All the pieces’s like Christmas, what you get on that video, that digicam,” Wooden says.

For Jake Pruett, an assistant professor at Southeastern Oklahoma State College, finding out nature is a dream come true.

“The strangest critter out right here is me,” Pruett says.

As alligators creatures swim via Oklahoma waters, the scientists proceed their search; at all times filled with surprises.

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Oklahoma

40 Years Later: Oklahoma Parole Board To Review Case Of Teen Who Killed Brother-In-Law

Published

30 minutes ago

January 14, 2025

Press Room

40 Years Later: Oklahoma Parole Board To Review Case Of Teen Who Killed Brother-In-Law

A man convicted of first-degree murder will stand in front of the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board to seek early release during a Stage 2 parole hearing on Tuesday.

Wayne Thompson was convicted at age 15 for the 1983 murder of his sister’s alleged abuser.

Thompson’s case gained national attention and influenced juvenile justice after the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1988 ruling in Thompson v. Oklahoma, which deemed it unconstitutional to execute offenders under 16.

His death sentence was commuted to life with parole eligibility. Now 57, Thompson cleared Stage 1 of the parole process late last year.

The murder, committed in Grady County, involved Thompson and accomplices beating, shooting, and disposing of Charles Keene’s body in the Washita River.

Thompson and his accomplices admitted to being under the influence of drugs while committing the crime.

Keene was alleged to have abused Thompson’s sister for nine years.

The Department of Corrections investigative report provided to the board does not recommend parole.

Thompson has sought parole twice since the 1990s, citing remorse and rehabilitation, though previous attempts were denied due to the crime’s violent nature.

Tuesday’s hearing comes as the board works through a backlog of cases from late 2024 and early 2025 following the resignations of two board members.

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Oklahoma

No. 3 Oklahoma State overpowers No. 5 NC State wrestling 34-3 in Stillwater

Published

8 hours ago

January 14, 2025

Press Room

No. 3 Oklahoma State overpowers No. 5 NC State wrestling 34-3 in Stillwater

The NC State Wolfpack won the first bout in their match against Oklahoma State, but those three points were the only ones NC State would earn all night, as the Cowboys dominated the Pack 34-3 in front of a wild home crowd.

🤼 MORE COLLEGE WRESTLING 🤼

Cael Hughes put the Cowboys on the board first with six huge team points via a pin over two-time All-American No. 7 Kai Orine of NC State; teammates No. 15 Carter Young and No. 14 Caleb Fish also added decisions in the first half of the dual at 141 and 157 pounds, respectively. No. 4 Tagen Jamison, meanwhile, added five points at 141 pounds with his fiery tech fall against Tyler Tracy of NC State.

Oklahoma State’s 197-pounder Luke Surber headlined the second half of the dual with his technical fall over No. 26 Christian Knop 18-2 for five team points of his own, while all four of his other teammates — No. 6 Cameron Amine, No. 3 Dean Hamiti, No. 3 Dustin Plott and No. 3 Wyatt Hendrickson — settled for decisions.

The Pack wrestled Oklahoma State tough, particularly in the heavyweight match where U23 world champion Isaac Trumble had fellow U23 world champ Hendrickson in some trouble, but Hendrickson survived and held on to his undefeated record.

The Cowboys win over NC State gives the program its ninth victory against the Pack and a second dominant ACC win over a top-ten team this season. Oklahoma State will have No. 22 West Virginia and No. 7 Northern Iowa next on the schedule though the match that will be circled on the calendar now is the Cowboys’ meeting with the No. 2 Hawkeyes on Feb. 23.

Complete results:

WEIGHT	BOUT RESULT	TEAM SCORE
125	No. 11 Vince Robinson over No. 2 Troy Spratley, 7-3	3-0, NC State
133	Cael Hughes over No. 7 Kai Orine, FALL	6-3, OSU
141	No. 4 Tagen Jamison over Tyler Tracy, 21-5	11-3, OSU
149	No. 15 Carter Young over No. 33 Koy Buesgens, 5-2	14-3, OSU
157	No. 14 Caleb Fish over No. 12 Ed Scott, 12-5	17-3, OSU
165	No. 6 Cameron Amine over No. 32 Derek Fields, 5-2	20-3 OSU
174	No. 3 Dean Hamiti over No. 19 Matty Singleton, 8-4	23-3, OSU
184	No. 3 Dustin Plott over No. 11 Dylan Fishback, 5-0	26-3, OSU
197	No. 7 Luke Surber over No. 26 Christian Knop, 18-2	31-3, OSU
285	No. 3 Wyatt Hendrickson over No. 4 Isaac Trumble, 10-4	34-3, OSU

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Oklahoma

Oklahoma women’s basketball NCAA Tournament resume for March Madness: Jan. 13

Published

16 hours ago

January 13, 2025

Press Room

Oklahoma women’s basketball NCAA Tournament resume for March Madness: Jan. 13

The Oklahoma women’s basketball team split a pair of SEC games last week.

OU (14-3, 2-2 SEC) suffered an 81-77 road loss to Mississippi State on Thursday. It then bounced back with a 77-62 home win over Texas A&M on Sunday.

OU dropped from No. 10 to No. 13 in the AP Top 25 Poll. It was ranked No. 11 last week in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, which will release this week’s rankings on Tuesday.

Each week, The Oklahoman will take a look at OU’s recent results, break down how its NCAA Tournament resume has changed and compare it to the competition. Here’s where the Sooners stand as of Monday:

Oklahoma basketball results last week

Jan. 9: Mississippi State 81, Oklahoma 77

OU stumbled in its 81-77 road loss to Mississippi State on Thursday. The Sooners committed 21 turnovers, which the Bulldogs converted into 25 points. This marked OU’s first loss to an unranked opponent this season, and the team dropped to 1-2 in SEC play.

Jan. 12: Oklahoma 77, Texas A&M 62

OU bounced back by earning a 77-62 home win over Texas A&M on Sunday. Raegan Beers recorded 16 points and six rebounds, but she exited the game with an apparent shoulder injury late in the third quarter and didn’t return. OU head coach Jennie Baranczyk didn’t have an update after the game on Beers, who’s averaging team highs of 17.2 points and 9.2 rebounds.