The kids are now in college, and this is my first hunting season as an empty nester, so hopefully I will have more boots on the ground time in Okalahoma this year. Last year I bought my first musket, and got a little pratice in durning the late deer season. I’m still not a good enought shot to take it out for the Bear season. It was suprising harder to shoot that I thought. It’s probably going to be a Hog hunt for the first hunt of the season, with maybe a look at some exotic on a private ranch. When spring times comes, turkeys and some cool camping trips are on the schedule.
Oklahoma Public Land Hog Hunting
You can hog hunt year round in Oklahoma with a rifle or shotguns with slugs. Some of the public grounds on our list of possible places to hunt include:
- Kaw WMA
- Hackberry Flat WMA/WRP
- Sandy Sanders WMA
- Waurika WMA
Oklahoma Public Whitetail Deer Hunting
Whitetail deer and turkeys’ are two popular choices for public hunting in the Sooner state. I have been a few times to mountains in the southeastern part of the state with no luck. Much like Texas, most of the hunting is done on private land.
Oklahoma Goose Hunting
Oklahoma is a top notch goose hunting destination. It’s in prime winter nesting and flight paths of the migrating geese and also boasts a very healthy local population. Resident Canada geese (Branta canadensis maxima) on the other hand, are largely non-migratory, and reside year around throughout Oklahoma. Their population has exploded with modern ag production, and the bag limits and seasons for Geese are generous in Oklahoma.
Oklahoma hunters can hunt geese from November through January with generous bag limits.. Here are some places to hunt geese in Oklahoma:
- Hackberry Flat Wildlife Management Area & Center. Wetlands with ducks, geese, and quail.
- Osage Hills Wildlife Management Area One of the most popular place to hunt public land in Oklahoma.
- Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge – Pheasants, quail, dove, ducks, geese, and Sandhill Cranes.
North Oklahoma
- Oologah Lake
- Verdigris River Valley
- Fort Gibson
- Grand Lake
- Keystone Lake
South & Central Oklahoma
- Eufaula
- Kerr Lake
- Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge
- Wister, Hugo
- Red Slough
- Sardis
- Texoma. Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge
Oklahoma Black Bear Hunting
Option 1 is to go black bear hunting. This isn’t going to be an easy, and most likely an expensive tag. It’s not clear if I can get my in-state bear tag, being a dual resident with a Oklahoma lifetime hunting and fishing lic. The out of state bear tags are about $500
There are only a very limited number of black bears that can be taken in Oklahoma during the hunting season. It’s normally set at around 20. You have to call in every day to see if the quote was hit the previous day. Once the 20th bear is harvested, the season comes to an end. If you are brave enough you can get an early start to the season and try after one with your bow. I’m not sure I have it in me to try to take my first bear with archery equipment.
The best place to hunt for black bears in Oklahoma is the Southeastern Part of the state around Broken Bow Lake. There is a decent amount of public land, and it’s also where many of the private bear hunting also takes place.
Other Popular Hunting Options
Pheasnt, Quail, and Dove
There are not as many quality public hunting oppertunities for these game birds as thier is for other big game species.
Turkey Huting in Oklahoma
In the norhtern part of the state there are some good public hunting spots for Turkeys. This one is a new one to me, so I dont know much about it yet.
Exoctic Game and Ranches
There is an growing number of exotic hunting ranches in Oklahoma. It’s something that has been popular in Texas for a long time, and is starting to take hold up north. Many of the species come from Africa, so some of the landscape isn’t an ideal match
Elk Hunting
We are going to start applying for the Elk Tags avalibel in Oklahoma, but it a long shot even with points to land a tag in the lotter.
Good luck to all the hunters heading out for some game in 2025!