Our experience for whitetails in Oklahoma is somewhat limited. We have hunted both deer and turkeys on public land there for about a week each. The state offers a wide variety in habitats from one side to the other. The Eastern side of the state is similar to what you would see in the Midwest with more wooded areas and creek bottoms but as you start to venture West, it changes to flat prairie habitat (both can be great for deer hunting). When Jake and Ted hunted Oklahoma during the Fall of 2020, we hunted in both types of habitat and had success in each.
Here is one of our hunts from Oklahoma:
Archery deer licenses for non-residents are OTC and cost between $400-500 if you buy the annual license. They also offer a five day license for non residents which comes in between $200-300. The tag allows you to shoot two bucks and four does. These licenses can all be bought online or on their app, “Go Outdoors Oklahoma”. Once you have harvested a deer you will need to make your own physical tag to put on the deer and it needs to include: your name, area of harvest, date, time, confirmation #, gun/bow and county. You must also E-check your deer on the Oklahoma website or app and this must be completed within 24 hours of the harvest.
Oklahoma DNR Website: https://www.wildlifedepartment.com
Our Experience
The hunting pressure during our time in Oklahoma was moderate. We started off on the east side of the state and ran into a good number of hunters. This is typical for these OTC states. First week or two of November is going to have an influx of hunting pressure with non-resident hunters taking vacation time and traveling.
We were able to escape some pressure by using a boat. We hunted the backside of areas that had a lot of foot traffic from other hunters. Jake was able to harvest a buck using these tactics and I had multiple encounters in just a few days of hunting.
After hunting that area for a few days we ended up talking to a local who recommended a few spots farther West. We decided to pack up and move to those areas for the remainder of our trip. Immediately we saw less pressure and more bucks in the west side of the state.
Being able to spot deer from the vehicle and oil rigs helped us find bucks. Ted was able to take the buck in the video above on the second morning after our move. A popular method in these open terrain states like Oklahoma and Kansas is to sit funnels and be patient for an opportunity. Although this works well if you have the time, spot and stalk hunting is definitely something to keep in mind, especially on a short time frame. All of Oklahoma can be very good for deer hunting and the state is becoming more popular each year for whitetail hunters.
