Deer, other fall hunting seasons under way
DEER SEASON is upon us in Oklahoma. Wildlife specialists remind that deer often travel in pairs, like these two pictured east of Kingfisher last year. [Photo by Twila Adams]
It’s the time of year deer hunters in Oklahoma have been anxiously awaiting.
Cooler temperatures have arrived and deer have become frisky.
Deer gun season opens Saturday, Nov. 18, and runs through Sunday, Dec. 3, according to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife.
It’s not the first deer hunting season of the fall with archery, youth gun and muzzle loader seasons preceding it, but it’s the season that brings the largest number of hunters out.
There is a six-deer limit for all the seasons with only two antlered deer allowed in the total bag limit.
The deer gun season won’t be the end of deer hunting for the most dedicated hunters. Archery season, which began on Oct.1, continues through Jan. 15.
Also, there is a holiday antlerless deer gun season scheduled Dec. 28 to Dec. 31. The idea for the does only hunt is to control the deer population, thereby protecting habitat.
Quail season began Saturday, Nov. 11, and extends through Feb. 15.
Once the major fall hunting season with pickup-trucks loaded with dog boxes and pointing dogs arriving on opening day along with orange-clad hunters, it has decreased in importance with declining quail populations.
Other fall hunting seasons in the state, some of which have already been completed include these: Elk
Archery – Oct. 1-Jan. 15.
Youth gun – Oct. 20 - 22. Muzzleloader – Oct. 28Nov. 5.
Gun – Nov. 18-Dec. 3. Holiday anterless gun – Dec. 18-31.
Antelope
Archery–Oct. 1-14 Gun (either sex, draw only, landowner/controlled permit only) Aug. 31-Sept 3.
Gun (doe only, draw only, controlled permit only) – Sept. 4-13.
Bear
Archery – Oct. 1-15. Muzzle loader – Oct.
28-Nov. 5.
Turkey
Fall archery – Oct. 1-Jan. 15 Fall gun – Nov. 4-17 Youth spring – April 13-14.
Spring – April 16-May 16.
Migratory Game Bird
Dove – Sept. 1-Oct. 31 and Dec.1-29.
Crow - Oct. 10-Nov. 16 and Dec. 9-March 4.
Woodcock – Oct. 28-Dec. 11.
Rail – Sept. 1-Nov. 9. Snipe – Sept. 30-Jan. 14. Gallinule – Sept. 1-Nov. 9.
Waterfowl September Teal
Sept. 9 - 24 Special Resident Canada Goose Sept. 9 - 18
Waterfowl Youth, Vet and Military (Panhandle) Sept. 30, 2023 Feb. 3, 2024
Waterfowl Youth, Vet and Military (Zones 1 & 2) Nov 4, 2023 Feb 3, 2024
Waterfowl (Zones 1 & 2) Nov. 11 - 26, 2023 Dec. 2, 2023 - Jan. 28, 2024
Waterfowl (Panhandle)
Oct. 7, 2023 - Jan. 3, 2024 White-Fronted Geese
Nov. 4 - 26, 2023 Dec. 2, 2023 - Feb. 4, 2024 Sandhill Cranes
Oct. 21, 2023 - Jan. 21, 2024 Dark Geese
Nov. 4 - 26, 2023 Dec. 2, 2023 - Feb. 11, 2024
Light Geese
Nov. 4 - 26, 2023 Dec. 2, 2023 - Feb. 11, 2024
Conservation Order Light Goose Season (COLGS) Feb. 13, 2024 - March 30, 2024.
SMALL GAME, BIRDS & FURBEARERS Squirrel May 15, 2023 - Feb. 28, 2024 Rabbit
Oct. 1, 2023 - March 15, 2024
Beaver, Nutria, Raccoon & Striped Skunk Year-round. See regulations for details.
Quail
Nov. 11, 2023 - Feb. 15, 2024 Pheasant
Dec. 1, 2023 - Jan. 31, 2024 Coyote
Year-round. See regulations for details.
Bobcat, Badger, Gray Fox, Red Fox, Mink, Muskrat, Opossum, River Otter & Weasel Dec. 1, 2023 - Feb. 29, 2024 Wildlife specialists remind that the fall rut for deer presents the need for increased caution when driving.
Deer are more likely to run across highways heedlessly during this season.
The late Jack Witt of Dover, a former game ranger and Northwest District supervisor, often cautioned that buck deer often traveled in pairs at this season and that just because one deer had passed in front of your vehicle didn’t mean that another wasn’t running right behind him, posing a traffic hazard.