A longer deer gun season may be on the horizon
Coley Ralston, a junior at Stillwater High School, with her 10-point whitetail taken near Mooreland.
Deer gun season ended Sunday but hunters may get a longer rifle season in the future.
State wildlife officials are considering a longer deer rifle season than the current 16 days of hunting. They are not officially advocating a longer gun season yet, but it appears they are laying the groundwork to do so in the near future.
The state Wildlife Department is holding town hall meetings across the state this week and one of the topics being raised by state wildlife officials is the possibility of a longer deer gun season.
Richard Hatcher, director of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, said state wildlife officials are not ready to seek a longer gun season yet, but they are trying to do determine how much support there would be for one.
Most hunters favor a longer deer gun season, but some fear it would cause lease prices to increase. No question there is enough deer in Oklahoma to justify a longer season.
“We are not running out of deer,” Hatcher said.
Another topic of discussion during the town hall meetings is allowing all hunters to use crossbows. Presently, only hunters age 60 and above or with a physical disability may legally hunt with a crossbow in Oklahoma.
Hatcher said he expects there will be legislation introduced this year to legalize crossbow hunting for all.
“We don’t care,” Hatcher said of the state Wildlife Department’s position on the issue. “It wouldn’t hurt anything and it might provide some more opportunities.”
Expect opposition from some bowhunters who favor only the traditional means of bowhunting.
State wildlife officials also are considering ending its fish stocking program for private ponds. Commercial fish farmers have objected to the state Wildlife Department providing this service for free as they consider it unfair competition.
Ending the program would provide more money to stock fish in public lakes, Hatcher said.
Town hall meetings are scheduled tonight (Dec. 9) in Muskogee (public library) and Clinton (senior citizens center) and on Friday in Oklahoma City at state Wildlife Department headquarters, 1801 N. Lincoln.
The town hall meetings are open topic and less formal than the public hearings on proposed rule changes.
The official public hearings on next year’s rule changes that are being proposed by the state Wildlife Department are scheduled next month.
The most controversial regulation changes on the list are the restrictions on paddlefishing in northeastern Oklahoma.
State wildlife commissioners passed emergency rules earlier this year to limit the fishing for paddlefish to catch and release only on two days of the week, Friday and Monday.
Commissioners also voted to make snagging for paddlefish illegal in Spring River above Grand Lake to protect it as a spawning ground.
Those rules, however, must be made permanent through the public hearing process. To see a complete list of proposed rule changes go to www.wildlifedepartment.com. A link also is provided to leave a comment on any proposal.
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Comments
I am against increasing the length of the rifle deer season. I am a squirrel hunter who uses dogs and my best hunting is after the leaves are off and deer season already keeps me out of the woods too long. I would prefer the original 9 day season like it use to be. Deer hunters aren’t the only hunters in OK. As for the crossbow, I would not have a problem making it legal for everyone.
My biggest problem with longer season is that where we live there are more ‘ROAD HUNTERS’ just driving around with loaded rifles waiting to see a deer cross the road. There are people in the woods that are wanting to shoot the first animal that crosses their path in the field. Anything that has an antler coming up big enough to see. Maybe offer a second season the last week of December. As of now with the YOUTH rifle hunt in the middle of October and blackpowder the follwing week then 2 weeks later Rifle opens, makes it hard for the avid bowhunter to get in the woods without people all around them with guns!
How about a doe only hunt during peak rut. This would give hunters a good opportunity to see some nice deer during the rut plus harvest over populated does to help get the doe buck ratio back in line.
road hunters dont care about dates of legal season, so you cant use that as an argument. Besides during the rut which usually ends at the beginning of rifle season, there aint a whole lot of bucks killed in the second week of rifle season. A third week of rifle season would create some more doe harvest, and very minamal trophy buck or yearling harvest. so dont worry about people killing to many under aged bucks>>
Get rid of blackpowder and add other wk of rifle. I hear alot of storys about missed shots with blackpowder or more like bad shot placement. I truly believe there are alot of deer wounded and lost by blackpowder!!!!! Encourage taken does also they are way better to eat.
Adding days to the rifle hunt would cause the most change in deer harvest if the extra days were added the week before the normal rifle season. I believe the opportunity to shoot larger deer would increase do to the rutting activity. If the days were added to the end of the current season we would not see much difference as far as mature bucks being taken. I myself would like the extra days be added to the end of muzzle loading season. One week would be enough.
I am against allowing crossbows without qualifications. Individuals that need to use crossbows allready are or they at least have the opportunity to do so. Individuals who love and enjoy bowhunting are allready paying the price to practice “to hone their skills” and keep their equipment in tip top shape. It has been my experience that when you lower the standards, quality is effected. By opening crossbow hunting without restriction the overall value and quality of the Oklahoma archery season is lessened.
As to increasing the length of gun season, 16 days is long enough to kill a mature buck, add an additional week for doe hunting.
I have to ask a question. “why is the wildlife department’s expansion of opportunities limited to just gun season?” Why not add an additional month of bowhunting beginning September 1st?”
i think openeing up crossbow hunting for everyone would be great ! how is it that me using a crossbow lessons your hunting experience? i am a current compound bowhunter and would just like the oppurtunity to use a crossbow and i actually believe wounded deer would decrease. hell just this year i use my last buck tag in rifle season to finish off o small 8 point buck with a broken leg that someone shot bad in rifle season .
I think the length of the deer rifle season is just fine. I do think that it should be a requirement that a doe be shot first, and a tag issued, when the doe is checked in, for the buck. With the ability to check in deer on the internet now, this shouldn’t cause a hardship on anyone. This way, you would insure that a significant number of does would be taken each year.
I have a lot of money tied up in my blackpowder rifle. as much if not more than most rifles. I want more time to hunt the old fashion way. Most road hunters use rifles. If you give them more time I will have road hunters by the truckloads cruising the roads daylight to dark. Give us more blackpowder days and keep the rifle as it is. I do want to be able to use crossbows, I dont have the arm pull as I used to and a crossbow will let me get back in the field. compare the days versus dollars spent on equipment and you cannot help but see that blackpowder hunters are way behind in days versus expense. BVow hunters have a whole lot of time versus expense. Give me a legalized crossbow to hunt with and I’ll be happy
Let’s make hunting during archery season as easy as possible! So nobody has to pay the price to hone their skills. Heck let’s take the challenge out of it all together. Anybody for fish in a barrel?
Oklahoma has got a good thing going, why screw it up?
oh man what a monster…. i shot my first buck thos year, its an aazing feeing. congrats to you and your family.
No increases in the length or opportunities need to be added. Just look at the numbers of deer harvested in the past 20 years….increasing nearly year. The current system works. The current seasons and regulations are fine.