Deer season fast approaching with Oct. 1 archery opener

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 Thousands of Oklahoma deer hunters have the Oct. 1 deer archery season opener in their sights when they will kick off another season of deer hunting.
            Last year, Oklahoma bowhunters set a new archery season harvest record by taking 17,784 deer, helping to push the annual combined season deer harvest to the second highest level in state history. Sportsmen checked in a total of 111,427 deer overall, a 16 percent increase over the previous year and only 7,922 deer shy of the state's all-time annual harvest record of 119,349 deer in 2006.
            According to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation's recently published “Big Game Report” — available now in the Sept/Oct issue of Outdoor Oklahoma magazine — an estimated 83,335 hunters participated in archery season last year. Jerry Shaw, big game biologist for the Wildlife Department, says that high number could be the result of the added challenge and extra time in the woods that the archery season offers.
            “Combined with the added challenge, many archery hunters take up the sport to enjoy greater opportunity to be in the woods, as archery season is the longest of our deer seasons,” Shaw said.
            Shaw also said archery hunting can offer a chance to harvest more meat and more close-to-home hunting opportunities that might otherwise be missed.
            “Deer numbers remain at high levels, and hunters should take advantage of the very liberal season dates and bag limits afforded to archers,” Shaw said. “Additionally, some areas close to our urban centers can be safely and effectively hunted by those using archery equipment. While the majority of our deer hunting still takes place in the more rural areas of our state, bowhunters should not overlook opportunities that might be found closer to home. Of course hunters looking at suburban opportunities should always check local laws to make sure that they are in compliance.”
            Bowhunting not only gives hunters more time in the woods, but it also builds a skill that can be learned from home.
            “It is never too early to begin to prepare for archery season,” Shaw said. “While a gun hunter can sight in a rifle in the course of an afternoon, it may take a bow hunter several weeks of practice to dial in his equipment and to build and train muscles not used for many other activities. Besides, part of the fun in archery hunting is getting to practice in your own backyard.”
            According to Shaw, archers can expect good hunting, but some hunters in parts of the state might have to watch closely for game during the earliest part of the archery season. 
            “Our wet summer has helped the vegetation to reach great height and density,” Shaw said. “The deer will still be out there; it will just be tougher to see them. However, it appears that the acorn crop will be plentiful, which should help draw deer out of the thicker cover and perhaps under a hunter waiting in a tree stand.”
            To hunt deer during archery season, resident hunters must have an appropriate hunting license and, if their hunting license was purchased prior to July 1, a fishing and hunting legacy permit. Additionally, all deer hunters must possess a deer archery license for each deer hunted or proof of exemption. Nonresident deer hunters are exempt from a hunting license while hunting deer, but they must possess a nonresident deer archery license for each deer hunted, or proof of exemption. Holders of nonresident lifetime hunting and lifetime combination licenses are not exempt from purchasing deer licenses. All hunters who harvest a deer must check in their animal at the nearest open hunter check station, with an authorized Wildlife Department employee or online at wildlifedepartment.com. A county-by-county listing of hunter check stations is available in the “2009-10 Oklahoma Hunting Guide” or at wildlifedepartment.com.
            To learn more about deer hunting in Oklahoma or to purchase a hunting license, log on to wildlifedepartment.com.

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