This year, 71 youth deer hunters will have an opportunity to participate in one of 12 deer hunts on private lands in seven counties. The hunts are:
Beckham County
- Oct. 7-8
- Oct. 14-15
- Dec. 9-10
- Dec. 16-17
Beckham/Harmon Counties
- Oct. 28-29
Le Flore County
- Dec. 9-10
Love/Carter Counties
- Oct. 15 (mandatory orientation Oct. 14, 2022) – Beginning Hunters Only
- Nov. 5 (mandatory orientation Nov. 4, 2022)
- Dec. 10 (mandatory orientation Dec. 9, 2022) – Beginning Hunters Only
Love County
- Dec. 9-10
McClain County
- Oct. 7-8
Sequoyah County
- Oct. 14-16 – Beginning Hunters Only
New this year, some hunts are designated for Beginning Hunters Only, meaning hunters that have harvested no more than one deer previously. Also new this year is an antlered-only youth hunt opportunity in Love/Carter Counties (Oct. 15). This hunt has also been designated for beginning hunters. The antlered-only youth hunt will require the purchase of a Youth Deer Gun Antlered permit, unless exempt, and the antlered deer will count toward the hunter's combined season limit.
To be eligible for any of these private lands youth hunts, youths must have completed their Hunter Education requirements prior to applying and must be age 12-17 at the scheduled time of their hunt.
"These hunts are on private property and should provide young hunters a great opportunity to see some deer as well as a chance to potentially harvest one," said Bill Dinkines, Chief of Wildlife for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.
“The Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission has endorsed the youth hunt program, and we are thankful for these landowners' willingness to allow these kids the opportunity to hunt on their properties.”
To apply for a hunt, youth applicants must create and/or login to their Go Outdoors Oklahoma license account at https://license.gooutdoorsoklahoma.com/Licensing/CustomerLookup.aspx and apply no later than 11:59 p.m. Monday, Aug. 17, with the following information:
- Accompanying adult’s first and last name.*
- Accompanying adult’s telephone number.
- Accompanying adult’s email address.
- List of hunts by order of preference.**
*Every participant must have an adult (licensed or unlicensed) who is at least 21 years of age accompanying them on the hunt.
**Do not list any hunt that you are not interested in or know in advance you cannot attend.
All applicants will receive an email notification on or before Aug. 24. Successfully drawn applicants will need to log in to their Go Outdoors Oklahoma license account to purchase their required licenses and/or permits, unless exempt, and access their award letter that outlines specific information about their hunt.
Anyone with questions before applying should call Kyle Johnson at (405) 590-2584.