"wanted dead or alive" status removal

[OZZO]

Any way to pay it off or somehow get rid of it?

As part of a quest at Strawberry some actions result in this status and I read somewhere that it can't be removed until the end of the game, which pretty much blocks that area for me. Is it still the case?

[PafunaMT]

The only Wanted Status that can't be removed until the Epilogue is the Wanted level in the Blackwater/Great Plains area of West Elizabeth and New Austin. If you just shot up Strawberry with Micah, once you finish that mission the bounty can be paid off or you can surrender to the law and spend time in jail.