Oklahoma Deer Gun Hunters Have Final Chance Over Holidays

Deer gun hunters will have one more opportunity to take a white-tailed deer in Oklahoma this winter during the Holiday Antlerless Deer Gun Season, which will run from Dec. 19-28 in specified open areas.

And in the gift-giving spirit of the season, any antlerless deer taken during those 10 days is considered a bonus deer and does not count against a hunter’s combined deer season limit.

Resident hunters who plan to participate in the Holiday Antlerless Deer Gun Season must have an appropriate hunting license and a Holiday Antlerless Deer License, unless exempt. Nonresident hunters must have a Nonresident Deer Gun License.

Unfilled licenses from the previous Youth Deer Gun, Deer Muzzleloader or Deer Gun seasons are not valid for the Holiday Antlerless Deer Gun Season.

The Holiday Antlerless Deer Gun Season will be open in eight of the state’s 10 Antlerless Deer Zones. Closed areas include the Oklahoma Panhandle west of U.S. 83, and most of southeastern Oklahoma. Also, many wildlife management areas are closed to Holiday Antlerless Deer Gun Season.

For open areas, consult the public hunting area listings and the zone map on page 22 of the current “Oklahoma Hunting” regulations guide.

Additional doe harvest helps accomplish several important deer management benefits, said Erik Bartholomew, big-game biologist for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. Some of those benefits are improvement of the buck-to-doe ratio for a more healthy herd structure; preventing localized overpopulation of does; reducing competition for forage to promote greater antler growth in bucks; reducing the potential for deer/vehicle collisions; and lessening the extent of potential crop depredation for landowners.

Visit www.wildlifedepartment.com for more information.