WHITETAIL DEER

There comes a time each year when the summer sun relaxes and the hardwoods begin to blush with glowing hues. For thousands of Oklahoma sportsmen and women, this time of year signals the start of something they’ve been dreaming about for months on end: the onset of fall and beginning of the deer seasons in our state.

Back in the early part of the last century, seeing a white-tailed deer was a rare event...in fact, sometimes a sighting would make the local paper! The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation took up the call to once again have healthy deer populations across the state. Part of this conservation effort began with the historic deer trap and transplant projects in the mid-40's 1950s and ‘60s and these projects were very successful. Now, in the 2000s, Oklahoma can boast of having deer in every county and a whitetail population of nearly 500,000 animals.

Deer hunting is the most popular hunting season in Oklahoma. The overall economic impact on our state is over $600,000,000. More than 82,000 archers, nearly 102,000 primitive firearms hunters and over 197,000 gun hunters combined harvested 119,348 deer in 2006.  The statewide management goal continues to place emphasis on reducing harvests pressure on the young buck segment of the herd and increasing the harvest of does. With the continued fine tuning of hunting regulations and increasing public awareness of proper deer management practices, our state's deer herd will continue to flourish.

The white-tailed deer may stand three-and-a-half feet at the shoulder and weigh from 50 to 250 pounds as an adult. Most adult deer weigh from 85-150, with bucks being larger than does. Body coloration ranges from grayish-brown in winter to reddish-brown in summer along with a white throat, underparts and, of course, the tail for which this species is named. Generally, only bucks have antlers, which sweep forward with single tines rising vertically from each main beam. These antlers are replaced each season. A statistically insignificant number of female deer have antlers.

Whitetails are creatures of the woodland edge, utilizing forest or dense thickets for cover but feeding on browse and forbs along the edges of clearings. The best habitat is a patchwork of woodlands and openings. White-tailed deer may consume more than 600 types of plants and plant products, but mast producing trees, browse and cool season forage are considered some of the most important assets of quality deer habitat.

Hunting the white-tailed deer is part of our rich outdoor heritage. When the heat of summer starts to break and the woods are alive with the colors and smells of autumn, the celebration of the successes of past wildlife managers and hunters begins.