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Outdoor Oklahoma Journal

This is the Outdoor Oklahoma Journal, where we're all about helping you pursue and engage in Oklahoma's vibrant outdoor lifestyle. Follow us for great hunting and fishing stories, wildlife features, insider information about unique opportunities, and tangible details on how to go out and be a hunter, angler, and conservationist. The outdoors are always open, so don't miss out!

An image of a snake with barring on the face and an upturned snout in hand.
Taking State's Reptiles, Amphibians Requires License

As with other laws, regulations surrounding reptiles and amphibians have evolved through the years. Today, the license required for taking or attempting to take reptiles and amphibians depends on where the animal is collected or harvested.

Scouts pour concrete into a hole that will serve as the base of a bat box mounted on a pole.
Eagle Scout Prospect Builds Bat Boxes

A group of Scouts gathered to plan, build, and install three rocket-style bat boxes.

Catfish Angler Guide
Catfish Angler Guide: Top Tips & Area Highlights

A fish fry favorite, catfish are abundant across Oklahoma and easy to catch come summertime!

Girl with phone taking pictures of frog for iNaturalist app.
Wildlife Sightings: What to Share and How to Share It

Contribute to conservation by sharing the details of your wildlife sightings.

Two biologists look at a small turtle and record its location.
Conservation Efforts Soar with a Diverse Flock

Because the Wildlife Department is largely funded by the sale of these hunting and fishing licenses, much of its flock is dedicated to the conservation of game species. But a small wing of the agency, the Wildlife Diversity Program, concentrates its efforts on species that aren’t hunted or fished, with a special focus on species considered to be of greatest conservation need.

A corkboard with images of two large white birds in flight.
Wild Double Take: Whooping Crane and American White Pelican

Tips for identifying two Oklahoma look-alike birds, the whooping crane and American white pelican.

A woman in a blue coat leans over a GPS unit to document a plant growing on a rock ledge.
State’s Botanist Inventories Plants Growing at Arbuckle Springs WMA

Oklahoma’s state botanist will visit Arbuckle Springs WMA throughout the 2023 growing season to document the area’s plant diversity.

A semi-trailer truck leaves Cimarron Bluff WMA after cattle were unloaded as part of the area's grazing lease agreement.
Grazing Season Opens on WMAs to Maintain Wildlife Habitat

The Wildlife Department’s grazing lease program uses cattle to the benefit of Oklahoma’s wildlife. 

Two gray and yellow western kingbird hatchlings perched on a barbed wire with a search bar superimposed on the image with text "where can I share nature sightings".
Nature Sightings: Where to Share

We highlight four of our favorite sites for sharing nature sightings.

Girl with phone taking pictures of wildlife.
Naturally Curious: Nature Sightings App Helps One Mom Get Kids Outside

Mobile app gives youngsters fun way to learn, share their nature sightings, and contribute to science.