Oklahoma's new license structure continues to benefit hunters as the holiday antlerless deer gun season approaches. Namely, deer hunters with an annual hunting license and deer gun license - even if purchased for the regular deer gun season that has now passed - already have what they need to cruise right into the holiday antlerless season. Even if hunters already harvested their limit of does for the regular deer gun season, they can still participate. In previous years, hunters had to purchase an additional, designated holiday antlerless license for each deer hunted.
Additionally, youth under 18 years old need only a youth annual super hunting license to hunt the holiday antlerless season.
The change is part of a larger hunting and fishing license overhaul known as the Oklahoma Wildlife License Modernization Act, a bill that condenses some 50 hunting and fishing licenses down to about 14. Before the bill went into effect July 1, there hadn’t been any notable changes to the state’s fishing and hunting licenses or fee structure in over 20 years.
The holiday antlerless deer gun season is Dec. 18-31. Hunters can harvest up to two antlerless deer, which don't count toward their regular combined season limit. Not only that, but several Wildlife Management Areas are open to the holiday antlerless season.
Holders of lifetime hunting, lifetime combination, senior citizen hunting, senior citizen combination or lifetime disabled veteran combination licenses are exempt from the purchase of annual deer licenses. Nonresident deer hunters participating in any Oklahoma deer season this fall are required to have a nonresident annual hunting license in addition to a deer license for each method they hunt. This includes those hunters who had already purchased a nonresident deer license prior to July 1. The 5-day nonresident hunting license is not valid for big game.
Resources for Antlerless Deer Hunters
Harvesting a doe during the holiday antlerless season can help improve what's called the buck-to-doe ratio in the deer herd. Improving the buck-to-doe ratio increases total nutrients available for deer; condenses the rut period for healthier bucks; leads to fawns dropping within a tighter time period, reducing the risk of predation; and makes for fewer late-born fawns, which face the risk of developmental challenges. What's more, even if you've harvested the maximum combined limit of six deer for the year’s regular deer seasons, you may still take two antlerless deer during the 14-day holiday antlerless season, as they are considered bonus deer. Unfilled resident youth deer gun season antlerless licenses are valid for the holiday season.
HUNTERS IN THE KNOW ANTLERLESS ZONE MAP HOLIDAY ANTLERLESS OPPORTUNITIES
After the Harvest
Stacking pound upon pound of high-quality venison in the freezer ensures your adventure can be relived for months to come. A 120-pound, field-dressed deer can provide 168 servings of healthy protein for your family (or hungry families across Oklahoma). But first things first, you'll need to take care of tagging, checking and field dressing your animal. Upon harvesting a deer, hunters must immediately attach a "field tag" securely to the carcass that includes their name, customer ID or lifetime license number, and date and time of harvest. This field tag can be any item - so long as it displays the required information. Next, it's time to field dress and prepare the deer for processing, either at a commercial facility or at home. Check out this Beginners Guide to Butchering Deer series from our partners at Bowhunting 360 for great how-to videos on field-dressing and home-processing your deer. And finally, help prevent the spread of chronic wasting disease with these carcass disposal tips.
BIG GAME PROCESSORS HUNTERS AGAINST HUNGER