It's Hunting Season

Welcome back to the square.  The arrows have been flying in Oklahoma for several weeks, but deer season – the equivalent of Thanksgiving or Christmas for many state residents – is now gearing up for the blasting of muzzleloaders.

Oklahoma retains a rural and small town culture, and part of that culture is sport hunting, said Jim Shaw, professor of natural resource ecology and management with Oklahoma State University’s Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources.

“Deer hunting is an important part of wildlife management because it’s an inexpensive means of helping keep deer numbers below nuisance levels,” he said. “Most of the revenue to support wildlife management comes from license sale and federal aid from sport hunters.”

Archery season began on Oct. 1 and runs through Jan. 15, while muzzleloading season runs Oct. 24 through Nov. 1. The majority of harvested deer will come through Oklahoma’s gun season, which lasts just two weeks, Nov. 21 through Dec. 6.

According to figures compiled by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, there were nearly 112,000 deer harvested in 2006, with 95,891 and 105,269 in 2007 and 2008, respectively.

There is a long history of deer hunting in the state, with records going back to 1900, when there was unregulated harvest numbers that nearly eliminated all deer from the state. In 1917, the Oklahoma Legislature banned deer harvesting with an estimated population of 500 animals in the entire state.

In recent decades, the deer population has been restored through successful management practices.

“There are at least 500,000 deer in the state,” Shaw said. “Variation in total harvest between years is largely a result of weather. The best deer hunting is in cold, dry and windless weather.”

In an effort to get ready for a successful hunting season the Greer County OSU Extension Service has scheduled a Hunter Safety Education Class for Saturday, Oct. 31^st.  Registration will begin at 8:00 a.m.  Please be on time to get registered for the class.  There is no cost to this training and participants must attend the full 8 hours of training.  Lunch will be on your own from noon to 1:00 p.m.  The class will be offered at the Mangum High School Auditorium.  Parents of youth are encouraged to attend. Hunter safety is an important topic for all hunters and parents should be willing and able to reinforce safe hunting skills to their youth.

I hope you have enjoyed our visit this week and I’ll see you next week or most any other day On the SqUare.  The Greer County Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service offers its programs to all eligible persons regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, gender, age or disability and is an Equal Opportunity Employer.