Oklahoma’s best deer hunting counties
This big buck was taken in Logan County
The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation has finally totaled the numbers from last year’s deer hunting seasons.
The grand harvest total was 112,863. For the fifth straight year, Osage County was the county in Oklahoma where the most deer are killed.
Osage’s total of 5,118 deer easily outdistanced second place Pittsburg County’s total of 3,765.
Pittsburg County has been second or third in the deer harvest totals for the past four years.
The rest of the top 10 counties in 2011-12 were Atoka (3,380), Pushmataha (3,309), Cherokee (3,293), Creek (2,934), Sequoyah (2,848), Le Flore (2,722), Craig (2,709), and McCurtain (2,363).
The top public hunting area was the Three Rivers Wildlife Management Area with a total of 513. Five years ago more than 1,200 deer were taken off Three Rivers in southeastern Oklahoma.
But the public hunting area has significantly diminished in recent years due to the timber groups that own the land leasing more of it for private hunting.
The same is true at nearby Honobia Creek, where 174 deer were harvested last season. Five years ago that number was almost three times higher at 516.
Out west, hunters on the Black Kettle WMA killed 441 deer last season, the second highest total for public land in the state.
To view a complete listing for all counties from last season and deer harvest results from previous years go to http://www.wildlifedepartment.com/hunting/deerharvesttotals.htm
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Comments
Another way interesting way to look at these numbers is deer killed/sq mi. If you factor in the area of each country the rankings would look like this:
1. Cherokee (4.24 deer/sq mi)
2. Sequoyah (3.99 deer/sq mi)
3. Craig (3.55 deer/sq mi)
4. Atoka (3.41 deer/sq mi)
5. Creek (3.02 deer/sq mi)
6. Pittsburg (2.73 deer/sq mi)
7. Pushmataha (2.32 deer/sq mi)
8. Osage (2.22 deer/sq mi)
9. LeFlore (1.69 deer/sq mi)
10. McCurtain (1.24 deer/sq mi)
Thus, making the pound for pound (if you will) deer per county champion of 2011/2012 Cherokee County.
[...] Oklahoma's best deer hunting countiesNewsOK.com (blog)The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation has finally totaled the numbers from last year's deer hunting seasons. The grand harvest total was 112863. For the fifth straight year, Osage County was the county in Oklahoma where the most deer are … [...]
Thanks for doing the math on the deer killed per square mile, Micah. That is a better way to determine the most prolific deer hunting counties in Oklahoma. I plan to take a look at which counties produce the most Cy Curtis bucks later this fall.
[...] Oklahoma's best deer hunting countiesNewsOK.com (blog)The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation has finally totaled the numbers from last year's deer hunting seasons. The grand harvest total was 112863. For the fifth straight year, Osage County was the county in Oklahoma where the most deer are … [...]
If ODWC would realize it is 2012 and reduce the buck limit to 1 like Kansas we would see information on the counties to harvest the most mature bucks.
With a December gun season and 1-buck limit, Kansas has it right!
Kansas Does Have it RIGHT! More and more hunters are leaving Oklahoma to travel to 1-Buck limit states like Kentucky, Kansas, & Ohio where they can manage for older age bucks. The worm is turning.
I would love to see ODWC wake up and go to a 1-buck limit. It would simplify everything. Guys would shoot more does, and pass young bucks. ODWC would make more money with more tags and licenses sold. Win-Win for EVERYONE!
If oklahoma wants to see bigger deer gun season needs to be moved to December 5 opener. All the big buck states have gun seasons or shot gun seasons that are not timed with the rut. I know that scares everyone to death, but a one buck limit is no fun either for the guys that put in the work with bow and gun. Most guys only shoot one buck anyway unless they are die hard or lucky. As far as doe numbers, a buck limit won’t change how many does people kill by enough to justify reducing the limit. Folks that shoot all thier does are going to no matter what.The only answer to big bucks is letting them walk and giving the big ones greater window to be huge.In many cases the average hunter is not practicing deer mnagement and don’t care about antler size so at last light on the last day durning gun season these guys will take home the 21/2 year old 8 point rather than eating a tag, and I’m sorry but that’s “one” less buck to make maturity. Every good spot I know has less hunters and more big bucks. There’s an equation to apply here but I don’t think increasing the urgency to get your one and only buck for the year is gna make bigger ones. If gun season was moved this year I know five bucks that would make it to 4 and 1/2 next year. Unless I kill one with my bow before gun season. The hunters that have a trophy in mind, most I believe r already passing young deer and shooting does. It’s the other meat hunter types that are just there to take a deer home and if they don’t care wat they shoot then why should we cater to them by giving them rifle on the rut. The guys that have that drive to kill a big one would figure out how to do it with a slingshot if that was legal means. So I think unless ODWC wants a mass reduction in herd numbers then our gun season achieves that, but if we want to increase our quality and become a booner state then, MOVE GUN SEASON! It would b 2 years and everybody that pays t hunt Kansas an Texas will b staying at home trying t figure out how they are going t kill all those good ol’ big ‘uns. Not to mention outfitters. There are a few that we see regularly on tv but the potential is there to increase industry in the state not just the hunting industry but flat out tags, gas, truck stop burritos, and Walmart ammo. I hunt every weekend and spend five days straight through the week before gun season. I get a crack at my bucks with a bow and see them fight ,breed ,and chase every year. After the opener I watch someone thats never set foot on the place,roll away with one of them in the back of their truck. If we are the superior beings, top of the food chain, give a little respect to the species and at least move the opener back a week to insure the big boys breed a few does first.
I agree with a one buck limit in Oklahoma. I also like Travis idea of moving gun season forward 1 week to the last week in Nov, or even further forward to December like Kansas.
You are right Travis.
You are right Phil.
You are both right. I would like ODWC to go to a one buck and a December gun season. This would fix everything. With all this warm weather, it would be nice to hunt when its colder and the deer movement is better in early Dec. Its still hot the Saturday before TG, and is predicted to be around 70 Saturday afternoon. Too hot for good deer movement.
Happy to see so many good deer managers out there who do not agree with our outdated, liberal season dates, and bag limits in Oklahoma. I would love these two ideas to be implemented like they both said.
1-Buck Limit for me… Pete
1 buck,december gun, september bow opener, earn second buck with harvest of 3 or more does harvested.
“I hunt every weekend and spend five days straight through the week before gun season. I get a crack at my bucks with a bow and see them fight ,breed ,and chase every year. After the opener I watch someone thats never set foot on the place,roll away with one of them in the back of their truck.”
Wow that is too familiar! That’s how it has worked for me the last 5-6 yrs running! I once ask a ODWC represenative about these changes and he said “Oklahoma was more interested in hunting oppurnity than Trophy hunting” This makes sense. Yet I’d love to see our state go to one buck limit and I had’nt thought about pushing the opener of rifle back to first of Dec. That too would be fine by me! I haven’t taken a buck since 2009, and looks like this year is out as well. Simply because of the quote I posted, opening day of rifle the two really nice animals I had been watching took a tailgate ride to town! Good Luck and Good Hunting All Thomas!
Just the facts, the best counties are all in the Eastern part of the state, better management there. Western counties all declining in harvest with no management.
5 of the 10 counties with the most deer per square mile are in zone 10 which has very few doe days.
I also checked Cy Curtis and the same counties are out producing trophy bucks as well. Out west they shoot everything and sometimes twice including baby bucks and then complain because there isn’t a 20 point buck behind every mesquite bush.
The East has always been able to support a much larger deer herd but the decline in harvest and size of western bucks is recent and symptoms of a problem while the increase in trophy bucks in the east is partly that landowners figured out how to manage their own land and what works instead of using the cookie cutter deer management they have out west.
They still have lots of places that have plenty of deer and have better soils to grow big bucks than Eastern Ok. Most just aren’t taking care of that probably because most land is leased and lots of lessees just use it and abuse it and gripe when it isn’t as good as before.
Another not so obvious improvement in the East is that in the past all the Western hunters used to come to Eastern oklahoma until they moved enough Eastern Ok. deer out there for them to shoot. Now we have less hunting pressure in the East and that helps. They need to fix the west so they don’t start coming back here again. Still get lots of tulsa county but don’t need the rest.
Another way interesting way to look at these numbers is deer killed/sq mi. If you factor in the area of each country the rankings would look like this:
1) Cherokee (4.24 deer/sq mi)
2) Sequoyah (3.99 deer/sq mi)
3) Craig (3.55 deer/sq mi)
4) Atoka (3.41 deer/sq mi)
5) Creek (3.02 deer/sq mi)
6) Pittsburg (2.73 deer/sq mi)
7) Pushmataha (2.32 deer/sq mi)
8) Osage (2.22 deer/sq mi)
9) LeFlore (1.69 deer/sq mi)
10) McCurtain (1.24 deer/sq mi)
Thus, making the pound for pound (if you will) deer per county champion of 2011/2012 Cherokee County.