Hunters, firearms owners and people who enjoy the shooting sports have yet another place to practice with their firearms. The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation is pleased to announce the public opening of a new shooting range at Copan Wildlife Management Area, about 13 miles north of Bartlesville, Oklahoma.
“We are thrilled to be able to open yet another new range for the enjoyment of firearms and archery shooters alike,” said Communication and Education Supervisor Lance Meek.
Sen. Casey Murdock, R-Felt, has introduced legislation to put an end to the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association’s unchecked authority over students’ ability to participate in school sports.
Senate Bill 1890 proposes creating a new entity, the Oklahoma Athletics and Activities Commission, to supervise, regulate and coordinate school sports and other secondary school activities. The bill also repeals an existing law that forces many students transferring districts to sit out for a year before continuing to participate in school sports or other regulated activities.
Oklahoma’s 2025 holiday antlerless deer gun season will open Dec. 18 and run through Dec. 31 across most of the state. Hunters are urged to get outdoors during the last two weeks of the year and harvest one or two antlerless white-tailed deer — if not for themselves then for the thousands of hungry people in need through the Hunters Against Hunger (HAH) program.
Deer taken during the holiday antlerless season are considered bonus deer, which are in addition to a hunter’s aggregate deer limit from the other regular deer seasons. Hunters holding the appropriate base hunting license and a deer gun season license (unless exempt) may participate in the holiday antlerless season, even if they have already harvested their combined season limit of deer.
Witness Oklahoma’s premier high school basketball tournament live at the 60th annual Tournament of Champions on Monday, December 29 through Wednesday, December 31. Held at BOK Center, 16 teams will face off. Eight female high school teams will compete, as will eight male high school teams. Grab a seat and see which high schools come out on top at this fast-paced tournament. All-session tickets are on sale now and available online at www.bokcenter.com.
“We’re thrilled to see the 60th Tournament of Champions take over the BOK Center,” said TPS Director of Athletics Mick Wilson.
Investigative Analysis: In Oklahoma, where freedom and local control have long been cherished values, an unelected nonprofit bureaucracy has quietly amassed power over the lives of thousands of young student athletes. The Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association (OSSAA), founded in 1911 as a voluntary organization, now wields near-monopolistic control over high school interscholastic activities, from athletics to music and debate. This entity, governed by a board of superintendents and principals without direct accountability to voters or taxpayers, enforces eligibility rules, classifications, transfers, and safety protocols that often trample on individual liberties and school choice. From 2019 to 2025, the OSSAA’s missteps have exposed it as a prime example of government overreach by proxy, meddling in decisions best left to local school boards, families, and communities.