RE: South East Oklahoma
I hunt near Bengal, which is basically on the line between Latimer and Leflore counties. It is north of McCurtain county. The terrain is mountainous and very rough in many areas. It definitely makes any animal that you take a trophy. There are some big deer but you will have to work to find them. I love it down there. It's very beautiful.
As for the bear situation, there is definitely a fair black bear population down there. They were originally released in Arkansas but migrated over. In fact, one of them decided to enter our cabin(through the wall). Luckily no one was there. There are also some mountain lions, although the wildlife department doesn't like to claim their existence from what I hear. I have seen tracks and 'heard things' in the woods at night but have not been able to see one yet. My wife's cousin said that they supposedly released 7 pair of them last year. One of his buddies stopped him one day at the gas station in Red Oak to show him a pair that he had just shot. After being told that he could get thrown under the jail for that, he said that it was legal to shoot them because "there is no season on them, so you can shoot them year round, just like coyotes".......