Press release 

Oklahoma’s 16-day deer gun season will run Nov. 17 through Dec. 2.

With more than 187,000 expected participants, the season is the state’s most popular hunting event in terms of participation. It is also the deer season that boasts the greatest success rate in terms of harvest each year. Firearms accounted for 57.7 percent of all deer harvested in the 2017-18 seasons. That amounted to 62,257 deer, the highest total for gun harvest since 2012.

All things considered, deer gun season hunters should find ample opportunities for success in 2018.

“With timely rainfall throughout the growing season in much of the state, habitat is generally in great shape,” said Dallas Barber, big game biologist for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.

Acorns and other food sources are in good supply. Those hunters who take note of deer feeding patterns as the season opener approaches will have an advantage.

The deer breeding season, known as the rut, will peak over the next few weeks, which means deer will be more active during daylight hours. During the week prior to opening day, the Department will issue its annual Deer Rut Report, which will offer hunters valuable insights on deer movement and hunting prospects using the most recent information available from all regions of the state. 

Fueling deer hunting’s popularity in Oklahoma is a management plan that serves the state’s diverse hunters’ interests by providing region-leading season lengths and bag limits along with a strong education component outlining the benefits of balanced sex ratios and selective buck harvest.

Jerry Shaw, regional supervisor in the Department’s Wildlife Division, said Oklahoma offers generous seasons and bag limits while still having one of the healthiest buck age structures in the nation.

“Our hunters have taken the ‘Hunters in the Know ... Let Young Bucks Grow’ message to heart, and the results are being seen in fields and woods across the state. Today we have more mature bucks than at any time in our state’s past. And it is all thanks to hunters following our lead and allowing many of our young bucks to walk and grow another year.”

Central to this voluntary management approach is reminding hunters that every time they choose to pull the trigger or release an arrow, they are making a deer management decision. “Equally as important as the deer you take are the deer you pass on and let walk away,” Shaw said. “While the ODWC provides the direction, it is the hunters who are putting the management in place.”

The statistics bear this out. Last year, 28 percent of all deer harvested were in the 0.5-year and 1.5-year age classes, while 49 percent of the harvest was in the 3.5-year and 4.5-year age classes.

The Department’s balanced voluntary approach with its “Hunters in the Know” campaign has gained national attention in recent years. The Quality Deer Management Association recognized Oklahoma among the top five states showing declines in yearling buck harvests.

But antlerless deer harvest remains an important component of the state’s deer management plan, Shaw said. “Adequate doe harvest is vital to keep populations in balance with the available habitat, maintain healthy buck-to-doe ratios, and synchronize fawning when conditions are the most favorable for fawn growth.

“Even if your freezer is full, you can always donate the deer to the Hunters Against Hunger program and provide nutritious, delicious food for someone less fortunate,” Shaw said.

From the largest outdoor and sporting goods stores in the major metropolitan cities to the smallest of cafes and roadside motels in rural outposts across the state, deer hunting has a sizable economic impact estimated at more than $600 million a year.

It wasn’t always this way. From the time of Oklahoma’s first deer hunting season in 1933 until well into the 1960s, the forests of southeastern Oklahoma were about the only places with huntable populations of whitetails. As part of what has become one of conservation’s greatest success stories, the Wildlife Department began successfully trapping and transplanting deer from the 1950s through the 1970s.

Now, the state’s deer population is estimated to be well over 500,000 animals. And deer hunters in Oklahoma have a better chance of harvesting a deer than at any other time in the state’s history.

Barber urged deer hunters to also do their part for future generations.

“Seeing how far we have come, it’s important to remind hunters not only to be deer managers, but to share their heritage with others as well, so that this tradition of success is passed down and continued.”

For complete rules and regulations, consult the current Oklahoma Hunting Guide.

A service of the Oklahoma Wildlife Department

Southeast

Arbuckle: October 27. Elevation 6 1/2 ft. above normal, water 69 and stained. Watch for floating logs on the lake. Largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass fair on crankbaits and soft plastic baits at 8-10 ft. and on spoons and spinnerbaits at 35 ft. on the main lake along underwater ridges. White bass and crappie being caught on spoons.  Report submitted by Jack Melton.

Blue River: October 30. Elevation above normal, water 64 and clear. Smallmouth, largemouth and spotted bass fair on crankbaits, jerk baits and spinnerbaits around brush structure and points. Channel catfish fair on chicken liver, cut bait and stinkbait along rocks and deeper pools on the edge of currents. Rainbow trout are scheduled to be stocked in all areas except the Catch and Release portion of the river on October 30. The Catch and Release portion will receive its initial stocking on November 8. Report submitted by Matt Gamble, biologist at the Blue River Public Fishing and Hunting Area.

Broken Bow: October 26. Elevation below normal, water 74. Largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass fair on crankbaits and plastic baits below the dam and around points. Crappie good on jigs, minnows and slabs around brush structure and standing timber. Report submitted by Dru Polk, game warden stationed in McCurtain County.

Eufaula: October 26. Elevation above normal, water murky. Striped bass excellent on cut bait, live bait, live shad and shad below the dam and along the dam. Crappie fair on jigs in coves, along dam, docks and main lake. Blue catfish good on cut bait, dough bait, live bait, live shad and worms under bridges, main lake, river channel and river mouth. Report submitted by Cannon Harrison, game warden stationed in McIntosh County.

Hugo: October 26. Elevation above normal, water 71 and murky. Flood mitigation continues, with intermittent gate openings at Hugo Dam. Water flow and high water levels continue to be favorable for cat fishing. Blue, channel and flathead catfish good on cut bait, dough bait, live bait and shad below the dam, along channels, creek channels, main lake and river channel. Crappie fair on minnows and jigs below the dam, around brush structure, creek channels, main lake, river channel and standing timber. Report submitted by Andrew Potter, game warden stationed in Choctaw County.

Konawa: October 25. Elevation normal, water 65 and clear. Largemouth bass good on Alabama rigs, crankbaits, jigs and plastic baits in the main lake, around points, river channel and weed beds. Striped bass hybrids and white bass fair on Alabama rigs, crankbaits and live shad in coves, main lake and river channel. Channel catfish slow on chicken liver, cut bait and stinkbait in coves, creek channels, riprap and weed beds. Report submitted by Garret Harley, game warden stationed in Seminole County.

Lower Mountain Fork: October 26. Elevation normal, water clear. Trout good on PowerBait, small lures and worms along channels and rocks. Report submitted by Mark Hannah, game warden stationed in McCurtain County.

Lower Mountain Fork: October 26. Stocked approximately 2,300 rainbow trout on October 22. Report submitted by April Drake, secretary at the southeast region office.

McGee Creek: October 26. Elevation 3 1/2 ft. above normal. Largemouth and spotted bass good on crankbaits, flukes and jigs around brush structure, points and standing timber. Channel catfish fair on dough bait and stinkbait along creek channels, river channel and river mouth. Report submitted by Jay Harvey, game warden stationed in Atoka County.

Pine Creek: October 26. Elevation normal, water clear. Largemouth bass fair on plastic baits along channels, in coves and points. Crappie fair on jigs in coves. Channel catfish good on cut bait and shrimp along creek channels. Report submitted by Mark Hannah, game warden stationed in McCurtain County.

Robber’s Cave: October 26. Stocked approximately 600 rainbow trout on October 22. Report submitted by April Drake, secretary at the southeast region office.

Robert S. Kerr: October 26. Elevation normal, water murky. Largemouth and spotted bass fair on Alabama rigs, bill baits, lipless baits and tube jigs around points, riprap, river channel and rocks. Blue and channel catfish good on cut bait, dough bait, shad and stinkbait along flats, inlet, river channel and river mouth. Report submitted by Allen Couch, game warden stationed in Haskell County.

Sardis: October 24. Elevation above normal, water 68. Largemouth and spotted bass fair on jerk baits, lipless baits, plastic baits and spinnerbaits around brush structure, points, rocks, shorelines, standing timber and weed beds. Blue, channel and flathead catfish fair on cut bait, shad and sunfish along flats, main lake and shorelines. Crappie fair on jigs, minnows and tube jigs around brush structure, channels and standing timber. Report submitted by Dane Polk, game warden stationed in Pushmataha County.

Texoma: October 26. Elevation above normal, water muddy. Blue and channel catfish good on shad below the dam. Flathead catfish fair on sunfish below the dam. Striped and white bass good on live shad and topwater lures along flats, main lake and river channel. With the release of water at Denison Dam, the catfishing is good throughout most of the day, Blues and channels are biting well on cut shad and cut drum. Most fishermen use small pieces of worm to catch drum and then fillet drum using the fillets for bait. Flatheads are being caught on live baits such as perch, shad, small drum. Striper fishing in the main lake is doing well, look for working birds for surface feeding and when this isn't present dropping live shad is most productive. Report submitted by Trey Hale, game warden stationed in Bryan County.

Wister: October 26. Elevation above normal, water cloudy. Largemouth bass good on bill baits, crankbaits, plastic baits and spinnerbaits around brush structure, channels and standing timber. Blue catfish good on chicken liver, cut bait, hotdogs and shad along channels and main lake. Crappie good on minnows and jigs around brush structure, channels and standing timber. Report submitted by Thomas Gillham, game warden stationed in LeFlore County.

A service of the Oklahoma Wildlife Department

Winter will be here soon enough, but anglers don’t have to put away their gear. Here are some current updates about fishing, which can be great anytime of the year in Outdoor Oklahoma!

TROUT SEASON ARRIVES SOON
The weather might be getting colder, but the fishing action is getting ready to heat up at the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation’s seasonal trout fishing areas across the state.
Each year, by Nov. 1 and continuing into March or April, the Wildlife Department stocks trout in six public fishing areas: Perry CCC/Lake Perry Park, Robbers Cave, Blue River, Lake Watonga, Medicine Creek and Lake Carl Etling. For more information, go to wildlifedepartment.com/fishing/trout-information

In addition to these “cold weather” trout fisheries, the Department also operates two year-round trout fisheries in the Lower Mountain Fork River below Broken Bow dam and in the Lower Illinois River below Tenkiller Ferry Dam. Trout are normally stocked in these areas every week or two, as long as water conditions allow for trout survival.

Trout stocking is on schedule for all areas except the catch-and-release portion of the Blue River Public Fishing and Hunting Area, which won't receive fish until Nov. 8.

Trout, both rainbows and browns, are introduced species to Oklahoma. They thrive in colder waters and make excellent table fare. Using ultralight fishing gear with 4- to 6-pound test line and small hooks can lead to some thrilling action. But anyone can catch trout using regular angling gear with small jigs or spinners, prepared bait or live bait.

Trout fishing is also available from Dec. 1 to Feb. 28 at two Close to Home Fishing locations in major urban areas: Oklahoma City's Dolese Youth Park Pond and Jenks' Veterans Park Pond.
For complete trout fishing regulations, including daily and size limits, restricted areas and maps, consult the current Oklahoma Hunting and Fishing Regulations Guide found online at wildlifedepartment.com or in print across the state wherever hunting and fishing licenses are sold.
FLY FISHING SCHOOL ENROLLING
Enrollment is underway for the Illinois River Fly Fishing School. The 2019 session will be Feb. 22-23 at Tenkiller State Park and on the banks of the Illinois River.

This will be the 31st year that Patton Fly Fishing has conducted the course, which is always a great holiday gift for any angler. Early registration is suggested.

This basic course includes sessions on tackle and gear, knots, flies, fly selection and casting techniques. On Saturday afternoon, participants receive on-stream instruction. Fly rods will be available for loan Saturday. A state fishing license is not required for students during course instruction.

Instructors will be Mark Patton, Tom Adams, Blake Patton and Tre Dupuy.

Course fee is $175, with a $50 deposit due at enrollment. Saturday meals at $35, if desired. For more information, click here or call (405) 613-6520.

A service of the Oklahoma Wildlife Department


Youth deer hunters had their opportunity to hunt with a gun this past weekend, and now all deer hunters in Oklahoma will get the chance to harvest deer using a firearm starting this Saturday. The state’s 2018 deer muzzleloader hunting season will open Oct. 27 and run nine days through Nov. 4.

According to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation’s most recent Big Game Report, available in the current issue of Outdoor Oklahoma magazine, an estimated 79,200 hunters participated in deer muzzleloader season last year. And while the number of muzzleloader hunters had been on a downward trend since 2004, last year’s participation bucked that trend, with a 5 percent increase in hunters from the 2016 season.

With more muzzleloader hunters in the woods in 2017, the number of harvested deer reported was also up. The total take of 16,564 deer was the highest muzzleloader harvest since 2012. This accounts for about 15 percent of the state’s total deer harvest for the 2017-18 seasons.

Muzzleloader hunting seasons for elk on private lands and for black bears in southeastern Oklahoma will also be open from Oct. 27 to Nov. 4. Various zone quotas are in effect for elk, and a harvest quota of 20 is in effect for bears.
Deer are plentiful in every part of Oklahoma, whether in the wide-open prairies in the northwest or the pine-covered mountains in the southeast. Some wildlife management areas across the state are open to hunting for at least part of the muzzleloader season, some through controlled hunt drawings that give sportsmen a unique opportunity to change up their usual hunting routine.

To learn more about deer hunting on WMAs, consult the Special Area Regulations in the current Oklahoma Hunting and Fishing Regulations Guide or go online to wildlifedepartment.com. The website offers regulations, useful hunting information and a digital WMA atlas. In addition to detailed maps, sportsmen and sportswomen can find information about designated camping sites and contacts for WMA biologists.

Muzzleloader hunters in most of the state may also harvest a turkey the final two days of deer muzzleloader season, as that will be opening weekend of the regular fall turkey gun season. A fall turkey license is required, unless exempt. The map of open areas and other turkey season details are available in the current Oklahoma Hunting and Fishing Regulations Guide.

The regular archery deer hunting season has been underway since Oct. 1. The deer gun season will open Nov. 17 and run through Dec. 2.

All hunters who will be out beginning Saturday, Oct. 27, are reminded that requirements for wearing hunter orange clothing will be in effect.

For complete information and license requirements, consult the current Oklahoma Hunting and Fishing Regulations Guide found online at wildlifedepartment.com or in print across the state wherever hunting and fishing licenses are sold.

________________________________________