|
|
Muzzleloader season is an excellent time to go deer hunting, for several reasons.
For one, the late October timeframe offers the best of Oklahoma's weather and seasonal natural beauty. And if cool mornings and fall foliage aren't enough, deer activity is picking up as the rut approaches, increasing the chances of catching a deer on the move.
This year, deer muzzleloader season is Oct. 22-30. Muzzleloader hunters can take four deer during the nine-day season (no more than one may be antlered).
Also opening Oct. 22 will be muzzleloader seasons for black bear in southeastern Oklahoma, and elk on private lands statewide. For complete details, see the current Oklahoma Fishing and Hunting Regulations on wildlifedepartment.com or on the Go Outdoors Oklahoma mobile app.
For our full slate of muzzleloader deer hunting resources, click here.
Whether you are hunting deer, elk or bear with a muzzleloader, it all starts with your hunting license. Log in to your Go Outdoors Oklahoma profile today, and be ready!
|
|
|
A white-tailed deer carcass recently recovered about 2.5 miles south of the Cimarron County border in the western Panhandle has tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD).
Although not inside of our state borders, due to the proximity of this finding to Oklahoma, the Wildlife Department has begun implementing its CWD Response Plan jointly produced with the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry.
At its October meeting, the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission also passed emergency chronic wasting disease (CWD) rules. The rules establish a Selective Surveillance Area (SSA) including the area south of U.S. 412 from Boise City to the New Mexico state line and south of U.S. 287 from Boise City to the Texas state line.
New rules have been established for this area. Hunters who harvest deer or elk within the boundaries of the SSA must process those animals before leaving the SSA. The following items are the only parts allowed outside the SSA: Select the link for the full details.
- Antlers detached from the skull plate and antlers attached to a clean skull plate or cleaned skulls (all tissue removed)
- Animal quarters containing no spinal materials, or meat with all parts of the spinal column removed
- Cleaned teeth
- Finished taxidermy products
- Hides or tanned products
Select the link for the full details.
Rules for Cervid Importation from Surrounding States
Additionally, specific restrictions apply to the statewide importation of cervid carcasses or carcass parts from outside Oklahoma's borders. For full details, including more on how hunters can help prevent the spread of CWD, check out the ODWC's CWD Informational Guide for Hunters.
|
|
Hunters in the Know ... Take a Doe
Oklahoma deer hunters can harvest a combined season limit of six deer. Additionally, deer taken during controlled hunts or during the holiday antlerless deer gun season do not count toward the combined season limit. That makes for liberal opportunities to harvest antlerless deer, which helps achieve important management objectives for the state's deer herd. Learn more about the benefits of harvesting antlerless deer, in addition to ways that you can share your harvest and even help fight hunger in Oklahoma through antlerless deer harvest.
Oklahoma's white-tailed deer are on the move, eating along the way. Their diet can be varied. The hunter or land manager who understands this and what to look for in terms of ideal deer food will have an advantage no matter their goals. Our recent Outdoor Oklahoma Journal article has the full scoop. This blog entry is an excerpt from our latest quarterly issue of Your Side of the Fence e-newsletter from our Private Lands Program. If you enjoy this information, you'll surely want to subscribe to YSOF to get it in your inbox four times per year!
|
|
|
Photo courtesy John Noll/USDA
Endangered Cranes to Move Through Oklahoma
The endangered whooping crane – one of North America’s rarest birds – migrates through Oklahoma twice a year, giving bird watchers and other wildlife enthusiasts a chance to see a species that narrowly escaped extinction in the early 1900s. The birds are best identified by their large white bodies; whooping cranes stand 5 feet tall and are one of the continent's largest birds. The black wingtips, another identification feature, are seen only when in flight.
The 2,500-mile journey from nesting grounds in Canada to wintering grounds in coastal Texas can take nearly two months, with the first migrating family groups of cranes reaching Oklahoma in mid- to late-October. The birds may touch down in wetlands or grain fields for a few days to rest and refuel before continuing to Texas.
If you see one of these endangered birds, please share the details with us on our website.
 Want Merch? We Got Merch!
What's better than a warm coffee around a campfire while hunting? How about a warm coffee around a campfire, while hunting, served up in our new line of 20oz and 16oz tumblers and mugs. These classy drinkware items come in multiple styles and colors and sport the ODWC's new logo while providing double wall vacuum insulation, high grade 18/8 stainless steel, a UV tint slider lid, and DuraGrip powder coat finish. They are also BPA free! Not only that, your purchase helps support conservation in Oklahoma. Get yours and other merchandise from our online shop today!
You just thought we were done with raffles for the year! But the Wildlife Department is back with another Outdoor Oklahoma Adventure, this time bringing you a chance to win an either sex elk hunt on Fort Sill in southwest Oklahoma. The hunt will begin the morning of January 4, 2023 and conclude the evening of January 6, 2023 (or upon harvest, whichever is first). All residents and non-residents are eligible for this hunt, including hunters who have already drawn the once-in-a-lifetime elk hunt through the Department’s regular controlled hunts program. Get your tickets for just $10, and all the details at the link below!
|
|
|
|
