Whether large or small regardless of methods of take, harvest that animal, catch that fish, snap those pictures, and show them off at The Tailgate and The Dock with pride! Have you ever considered sharing your impressive hunting harvest or trophy fish to the world? Curious to see what other wildlife enthusiasts are getting their hands on state-wide? We have just the thing! The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation is here as an outlet for you, family, friends, and community to showcase your proudest bag of the season. There are two ways to flaunt your fishing skill or humble brag on your harvest: The Tailgate and The Dock. Found on the department’s main website, it is a simple click and upload to submit your photos. Any game species harvested in Oklahoma are eligible for being highlighted through The Tailgate and, for fish species, The Dock.
Since 2021 (The Dock) and 2023 (The Tailgate), people across the state have proudly shown off their best catches and hunts for the public to see and admire. To look at the trends and enhance the awareness of these two platforms, we analyzed the data to see what has been shared.
How many people are submitting photos?
For year 2021 up to July 2025 (fig. 1), I recorded the engagement in public submissions in The Dock. There was an increase in photo submissions since 2021, peaking in 2023 with over 800 uploads to the platform, and a gradual slight decrease in numbers the following years (remainder of 2025 is still in progress, last updated with 586 submissions and a 2021-2025 total of 2062 individuals that submitted). The Tailgate kicked off in 2023 with 191 total submissions, then had a steeper decrease in years 2024 and 2025 (total of 255 individual that submitted photos, fig. 1).
In what areas of Oklahoma is the photo action happening the most?
Looking at The Dock, I analyzed the number of submissions per county in Oklahoma to determine the top five most photographed areas. These were Canadian County, the Texoma region (including Bryan, Johnston, Love, and Marshall Counties), Comanche County, Cleveland County, and Oklahoma County. Of these, Oklahoma County accountedfor the highest percentage of submissions—40%—greatly surpassing the other four. As for the most visited wildlife management areas (WMA) with fish photo submissions, Blue River PFHA rose above the rest in numbers with Oologah WMA and Fort Cobb WMA following after. An impressive difference in public versus private land usage for photo records over the years with public land taking over a staggering 84.4% of total photo captures. The top 11 WMAs with the most submissions for The Tailgate (fig. 2) are shown with Oklahoma county exhibiting similarly higher submissions as The Dock. Regionally, central Oklahoma had the most photo submissions at 38% compared to the other regions (fig. 3). In contrast to The Dock, private land is more for game species captures (78.1%) than public land.
What fish and wildlife are hunters and anglers snapping photos of the most?
I documented the large varieties of fish species, with black bass taking the spotlight by appearing in the highest numbers (n=1144, majority largemouth bass n=1005) among the rest of the species (fig. 4). There was a high number of harvested animal species (fig. 5) in the white-tailed deer category (n=189) as well as turkey (n=68).
Species with lower submission numbers—like alligator gar, sauger, pheasant, and pronghorn—could benefit from more photo submissions. Promoting these underrepresented species may inspire more interest and participation in hunting or fishing for them. The same applies to low to no count counties like Adair and Garvin that had no submissions, highlighting an opportunity to increase engagement and improve data collection across the state.