What to Do After the KillĪlways verify that your deer is dead upon approach, and keep your weapon loaded, just in case. Rutting season is somewhat flexible, and can begin as soon as September, lasting from one to three months into the winter. The latter are an especially good hint as to the size of any resident bucks, according to their antlers. These include traveling trails, ground scrapes, and bark rubs. Look out for raised elevations in these areas, especially ones with shade – just like people, deer like to keep themselves cool from the sun.Īs always, there will be clues of whitetail nearby that a hunting sleuth can discern. If you’re after a particularly big buck (one hundred and fifty pounds or larger), you’ll need to trek deep into the densest local thickets, as well as water sources like creeks and swamps. It should be no great shocker that whitetail deer prefer exactly opposite environments from those favorable to humans. If you plan to make a lifelong habit of hunting whitetail or other animals in Oklahoma, you may want to consider a lifetime permit, both for convenience and for long term savings. Unfortunately, if you’re a non-resident from out of state, you’ll have to pay closer to two hundred and eighty dollars – making it more appealing to stay close to home. You can expect to spend between ten and twenty dollars on a typical five-year permit for hunting deer, with separate permits required for standard firearms, archery and muzzle-loaders. The hunting permit is, of course, indispensable for any whitetail hunter. Even hunting with a little help from your truck’s headlights (known as ‘spotlighting’) is prohibited. You won’t be able to use night scopes or other forms of night vision gear. Note that Oklahoma is particularly strict on light sources for nocturnal hunting. Five to six AM is a typical time slot to begin a hunt. Since whitetail deer are primarily nocturnal, deer hunting is an early (or very, very late) bird affair. You also must keep in mind zoning-based restrictions, as well as quota caps that can put a premature end to a season. Hunting with an improper weapon during a season is just as illegal as hunting out of season. Finally, antlerless deer only season ranges from December nineteenth to the twenty-eighth, and a special, two-day youth hunting event starts on October seventeenth. The primary deer-hunting season with no modifiers extends from November twenty-second to December seventh. Muzzle-loaded firearms are permitted from October twenty-fifth to November second. October first to January fifteenth is the season for whitetail deer with archery. Tis the Season for Whitetailĭeer hunting has five separate seasons, some of which overlap. Don’t pay the price after the fact – follow these rules to hunt clean.

It might be tempting to ignore the red tape, but hunting illegally in Oklahoma is a crime with heavy fines for those who get caught.

Oklahoma deer hunting s