Savanna man kills 675-pound black bear

The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation has no official record for largest black bear killed in the state. Bear-hunting seasons began just four years ago, and up until this year they usually lasted just a day, with an extremely low total number of bears that could be harvested.

The 2012 season has no such quota. And after Savanna resident Jeremy DeFrange shot a 675-pound black bear on October 6 by Sardis Lake, the department may have to create a record.

DeFrange, a 39-year-old mechanic at McAlester Army Ammunition Plant, had been setting up bait barrels for several weeks prior to the kill last weekend. DeFrange said Saturday that he had seen the giant black bear last year, but because the season lasted just two days, they couldn’t catch it.