For those of you who put in for the Oklahoma Controlled Hunts, you’d better get over to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife’s website and enter before the May 15th deadline.
Starting this year, applications will only be taken online. So don’t be looking for the booklets at Wal-Mart or your favorite Sporting Goods stores because they won’t be there.
Is it me, or does it seem there are fewer and fewer hunts each year? Especially in the Deer Category.
One hunt that I did not find on the Application is the Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge Deer hunt. What gives?
I only put in for that hunt the first year it was offered. If you’ve been through Sequoyah NWR, then you know they still have quite a few deer out there.
Don’t confuse the Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge for the Sequoyah Park Resort. These are two different hunts and I’ve already heard people saying “Hey, they opened Sequoyah NWR up to Buck hunting.”
Wrong!
Sequoyah Resort Park is on Fort Gibson Lakejust East of Wagoner. Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge is in Sequoyah County on the McClellan Kerr Navigation Channel (Arkansas River).
My Picks For the 2008 Oklahoma Controlled Deer Hunts
If I were only looking to kill a big buck in the Oklahoma Controlled Hunts, my choices would be as follows, in this order.
- The last two weekends at McAlester AAP
- Cookson,t he last weekend – The last weekend because it is prime Pre-Rut/Rut. I know the area well and there are some brutes walking around those mountain sides and valleys.
- Wichita Mountains– A big buck haven and very hard to get drawn for. I believe last year there were over 7000 applications for 35 tags. Cookson is also hard to get drawn into. Last year they had nearly 1800 applicants trying for 25 either sex tags.
- Salt Plains, the last weekend – Another hard to draw hunt. Last year, the last weekend had something like 800 hunters trying for 10 either sex tags.
Now, if you’re just after any ole deer, your chances are much better by putting in for Anterless only hunts.
My top picks for a skin head would be:
- Fort Gibson WRP. Lots of deer there, lots of Does!
- Cherokee GMA. Consistent producer of fat Does year after year
- Salt Plains. Yeah, there’s a lot of Deer there!
What ever hunt you choose, I wish you the best luck. I’ve been fortunate to have been drawn on many hunts over the years and these are some of the best that Oklahoma has to offer.
I enjoy putting in for a new area each year until drawn. For the last several years, I’ve been putting in for Beaver River simply because I figure anything that close to the Kansas line has to have a few big bucks running around!
By the way, save on of those Elk Tags for me! I haven’t been drawn yet in my lifetime and I’m due one!