Comments on: Oklahoma’s best deer hunting counties

By: a quall

a quall — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 20:30:25 +0000

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.

By: a quall

a quall — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 20:27:22 +0000

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.

By: a quall

a quall — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 20:14:16 +0000

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.

By: Thomas James

Thomas James — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 17:23:18 +0000

“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!

By: Jason Tedder

Jason Tedder — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 00:32:07 +0000

1 buck,december gun, september bow opener, earn second buck with harvest of 3 or more does harvested.

By: Kenneth Edmond, OK

Kenneth Edmond, OK — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 19:09:05 +0000

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

By: Travis shaw

Travis shaw — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 13:16:05 +0000

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.

By: Phil Moulder Tulsa, OK

Phil Moulder Tulsa, OK — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 16:00:15 +0000

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!

By: Biologist Mike

Biologist Mike — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 15:56:07 +0000

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.

By: Dr. Jim G. Smith

Dr. Jim G. Smith — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 15:49:35 +0000

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!