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Landowner Programs
Deer Management Assistance Program
DMAP is a program aimed at intensively managing deer herds on private lands. It is designed to give cooperators -- whether landowners, hunt clubs or lease operators -- extra assistance in managing deer. Under the program, cooperators set their own management goals ranging from producing maximum numbers of harvestable deer to producing trophy bucks.
If biologists believe the cooperator’s objectives cannot be met within the current antlerless regulations for the area, a recommended number of DMAP hunting permits will be made available to the cooperator. Each permit allows the holder of a DMAP antlerless tag to harvest an antlerless deer any day during the archery, primitive firearms or deer gun seasons, not just on designated antlerless days. These permits are bonus tags and in addition, allows cooperators to harvest antlerless deer throughout the entire month of December.
DMAP cooperators collect detailed biological information on deer they harvest. Wildlife Department biologists analyze the data and provide recommendations necessary for cooperators to make informed management decisions. Because it is very difficult to manage deer and achieve realistic goals on small parcels of land, a minimum of 1,000 acres is required. Potential applicants with less than 1,000 acres may combine lands with adjoining landowners to meet the required minimum.
Eligibility
For DMAP to work effectively a minimum of 1,000 acres is required. Potential applicants with less than 1,000 acres may combine lands with adjoining landowners to meet the required minimum.
Who To Contact
For additional information on the DMAP, contact Dallas Barber at (405) 385-1791 or dallas.barber@odwc.ok.gov.
How to Enroll
Landowners must submit to the Wildlife Department a completed application, a legal description of the property, a map showing general location and boundaries of the property by May 15th and a nonrefundable enrollment fee of $200 for lands 1,000 to 4,999 acres and $400 for lands 5,000 acres and over.
All approved cooperators will be notified by August 15.
Additional Information
Wildlife Habitat Improvement Program
Under Wildlife Habitat Improvement Program, landowners enter into 10-year contracts with the Wildlife Department for approved projects to develop, preserve, restore and manage wildlife habitat on private lands. The Department shares part of the cost of habitat improvement work. In exchange, the landowner agrees to maintain the habitat for a period of 10 years.
Examples of approved projects include, but are not limited to, some fencing projects, the creation of small openings in stands of timber and certain types of tree planting. Short-term habitat improvements like food plots and disking are encouraged but cannot be considered for cost sharing.
If you are interested in participating in this program please read the WHIP Bulletin for complete details before applying.
Eligibility
Any landowner in Oklahoma is eligible to apply, regardless of property size.
Who To Contact
For an application or additional information contact Wildlife Division at (405) 590-2584. A biologist will then arrange to make an on-site evaluation of the property.
How to Enroll
Area Wildlife Biologists are available for Technical Assistance and to answer questions landowners may have for their property.
The applicant's objectives must address one or more of the following primary target species: fish, deer, turkey, pheasant, dove, quail or waterfowl.
Lesser Prairie Chicken Initiative
The Lesser Prairie Chicken Initiative is a program that is made available to landowners of Oklahoma through cooperative efforts between the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), and the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC). Efforts funded through the initiative are hoped to restore and increase the amount of suitable habitat for the lesser prairie chicken, and simultaneously, benefit farmers and ranchers who are interested in the program.
The initiative will provide assistance to help with the cost of selected practices. Counties offering signups through the initiative include the following: Alfalfa, Beaver, Beckham, Cimarron, Custer, Dewey, Ellis, Harper, Major, Roger Mills, Texas, Washita, Woods, and Woodward.
Benefits
Brush management, prescribed grazing, upland wildlife habitat management, range planting, prescribed burning, firebreaks, and watering facilities are some of the practices that will be administered through this program and are eligible for cost-share assistance.
Although the lesser prairie chicken is the primary focus of this program, farmers and ranchers benefit in that, “What’s good for the chicken is good for the cow,” which is a common phrase used to highlight the fact that management strategies used to benefit lesser prairie chickens will benefit diverse species.
Lesser prairie chickens thrive in areas with a patchy grazing pattern and grazing at a low to moderate rate allows some of last year’s grasses to be carried into the following year providing prairie chickens with suitable amounts of cover for nesting structure. Grazing in this manner will yield a higher amount of quality grasses, increase the odds of making it through a drought, and require ranchers to use less supplemental feeding.
How to Participate
Counties offering signups through the initiative include the following: Alfalfa, Beaver, Beckham, Cimarron, Custer, Dewey, Ellis, Harper, Major, Roger Mills, Texas, Washita, Woods, and Woodward.
Through a contribution agreement with NRCS the ODWC will assist with LPCI by providing outreach and technical expertise, preparing habitat management plans and assisting in the monitoring efforts. For more information on LPCI contact Matt Fullerton with the Wildlife Department at (580) 571-5820 or visit the NRCS’ website.
Links
Partners for Wildlife
Partners for Wildlife is a program for Oklahoma's private landowners who are interested in alternative wetlands management opportunities. It is a cooperative effort between the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, the U .S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the OSU Cooperative Extension Service to conserve, enhance, and restore wetland habitat through technical and financial assistance.
Partners for Wildlife is designed to form alliances between landowners and government agencies through opportunities, such as cost sharing projects that significantly improve fish and wildlife resources, while promoting compatibility between agriculture and other land uses.
Eligibility
Any private landowner in Oklahoma who is interested in alternative wetlands management opportunities.
Who To Contact
For an application or additional information, contact the Wildlife Department's Wildlife Division at (405) 521-2739 or Jontie Aldrich, USFWS biologist, at
(918 ) 581-7458.
How to Enroll
Contact one of the cooperating agencies to receive details on how to become involved in alternative wetlands conservation.
Additional Information
Quail Enhancement Program
The Quail Enhancement Program focuses on improving quail habitat and increasing the public’s knowledge of bobwhite biology, habitat requirements and management. Technical assistance to improve habitat is available to landowners free of charge by Department biologists statewide, including on-site visits and management recommendations.
A booklet entitled Bobwhite Quail in Oklahoma is available for download. The booklet discusses all aspects of quail biology and habitat requirements as well as management techniques landowners can use to improve quail populations on their property.
Comprehensive Quail Habitat Booklet
Bobwhite Habitat Requirements & Evaluation Guide
Eligibility
Any landowner in the state of Oklahoma is eligible for technical assistance, regardless of property size.
Who To Contact
For more information on the quail enhancement program, contact the Department’s Upland Game Biologist Tell Judkins at (405) 301-9945 or tell.judkins@odwc.ok.gov. According to your location in the state, a local biologist will then arrange to visit with you in person.