Oklahoma WMA question

[trb]

Hi all,

I live and hunt in Colorado, but in my quest to extend my hunting season, I have been researching nonresident opportunities. Given that I have family in Tulsa (none of whom hunt to be able to ask advice), I have been seriously exploring hunting the Oklahoma rifle season next year. I do not have any private permissions, so I have been exploring the OK wildlife department website and WMA system on OnX. The chunks that interest me the most due to size and proximity to Colorado are Cooper, Packsaddle, Canton, and Optima WMAs. However, the harvest report for these areas relative to their size are somewhat surprisingly low.

I am wondering if someone with experience on the ground might be willing to share with me something that I might not be realizing without being there during the season? I am visiting my family next week so I hope to do some drive-by scouting on the way back, but I guess I would have expected the harvest for these areas to be much higher. Is the deer density that low in these habitats or on public land? Does the pressure simply drive them all onto private? Are these areas worth me investing time in the next year scouting? Any and all advice is appreciated, and PMs are welcome. Just wondering if I am headed in the right direction.

Thank you in advance!

 

[Jeffminokla]

My experiences have been on public in OK. Mostly in eastern OK, though. Opening weekend looks like a pumpkin patch unless really foul weather comes in keeping hunters home. Also, those years with lots of rain have really high, thick brush making hard hunting. When we have a drought and less cover, more deer are seen and killed.

 

[kylemcintyre67]

I did my first public land hunting last year on the Honobia creek WMA for the rifle season. It was a tough area, very thick vegetation. I spooked up a lot of deer before I ever saw them. I missed a shot on a decent buck and ultimately harvested a small buck that I thought was a doe. I think if I were to have put a stand up I would have had a lot better time seeing deer, but my brain has betrayed me and I am no longer able to deal with heights. I will say that in the week I camped and hunted out there, I never saw a single other hunter outside of their truck/ side by side in the woods. I saw a ton of folks cruising the logging roads back and forth all day long. I am heading back for the rifle opener this week and hunting a smaller WMA near a buddies house so I don't have to camp this year. I found a section that is isolated from the roads by a big creek and have some intel that it has been unpressured for a few years. I am feeling very optimistic about this area based on the recon I did over spring break while looking for hogs. I saw a fair number of deer in the area. I will write up a full report when I get back for sure. I did read the harvest report they put out last year and the public numbers do seem way smaller than the private numbers. I suspect it has a lot to do with being allowed to bait on private and the tendency to road hunt the public.

 

[WildWill]

PM sent.

 

[trb]

Thank you all for your advice, it has been really helpful. I am going to try and drive by a couple WMAs on my way to Tulsa next weekend to visit family. Based on what I have seen on OnX, I am hopeful that I can explore a couple of spots a mile from an access point and maybe find a decent sit spot away from the crowds. I was naively hopeful that the low harvest numbers were because of most people hunting private in rural areas, but regardless, it will be an interesting and fun new experience next year!