Holidays mean additional antlerless deer hunting opportunities for sportsmen

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Hunters will have an additional six days of antlerless deer gun hunting during the holidays this year, making the eighth anniversary of the holiday antlerless deer gun season.
            The season dates will be right before the Christmas and New Year's Day holidays — Dec. 18-20 and Dec. 25-27. Most of the state will be open to antlerless hunting those days, excluding most of the panhandle and portions of southeast Oklahoma. For a map of Oklahoma's antlerless deer hunt zones and to see which counties will be open for the holiday antlerless deer gun season, consult page 21 of the current “Oklahoma Hunting Guide.”
            According to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation's annual Big Game Report, written by big game biologist Jerry Shaw, doe harvest reached an all-time high last season when hunters harvested 48,358 through the course of the state's various gun, muzzleloader, archery, youth and holiday antlerless deer seasons.
            According to Jerry Shaw, high doe harvests help accomplish several important management benefits such as preventing localized overpopulations, improving buck:doe ratios for a more healthy herd, reducing competition for forage to promote greater antler growth in bucks, reducing the potential for deer/vehicle collisions, and lessoning the extent of potential crop depredation.
            “Every effort should be made by deer hunters to ensure that this emphasis on doe harvest continues,” Shaw said.
            With deer muzzleloader and deer gun season behind them and archery season open through Jan. 15, hunters have been having a successful season both on public and private land across the state.
            To participate in the holiday antlerless deer gun season, resident hunters must possess a valid hunting license and, if their license was purchased prior to July 1, a fishing and hunting legacy permit, unless exempt. Hunting licenses purchased after July 1 include the legacy permit in the purchase price. Additionally, they must possess a holiday antlerless deer gun license, unless exempt. Resident youth hunters 16 or 17 years old must purchase a hunting license, and a $10 youth holiday antlerless deer gun license is available for all youth under 18 years of age.
             Nonresident deer hunters are exempt from a hunting license while hunting deer, but they must possess a nonresident holiday antlerless deer gun license or proof of exemption. Nonresident lifetime license holders are not exempt from purchasing deer licenses.
            In addition, hunters participating in the holiday antlerless deer season must comply with the hunter orange requirements for the regular deer gun season. Archery hunters and those hunting most other species in open holiday antlerless zones must wear either a hunter orange hat or upper garment while hunting.
            To learn more about this year's antlerless deer season, consult the current “Oklahoma Hunting Guide” or log on to wildlifedepartment.com.

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