ODWC - The deer mating season, known as the rut, is well underway in most of Oklahoma, as the bucks have been scrambling after the does in all areas of the state.

Deer should be moving this coming Saturday, Nov. 22, when the state’s deer gun hunting season officially opens a half-hour before sunrise. It’s the most highly anticipated day of the year for roughly 160,000 hunters in Oklahoma.

This year’s annual Rut Report should give hunters a great deal of optimism about their chances this year. See below for the latest status reports from the field.

Oklahoma residents 18 and older will need a base hunting license ($36) and a deer gun season license ($36), unless exempt. No longer are separate licenses required for each deer hunted. Instead, hunters may harvest the entire gun season limit of four deer (one can be antlered) along with two bonus antlerless deer during the holiday antlerless deer season.

Residents younger than 18 require only the annual youth super hunting license ($26), which allows participation in the 2025-26 deer, elk, pronghorn, black bear, turkey, waterfowl, furbearer and trapping seasons.

Nonresidents older than 17 will need an annual base hunting license ($209) unless exempt, and a nonresident deer gun license ($501), which allows the hunter to take the entire regular deer gun and holiday antlerless season bag limits — a total of six deer. Nonresidents younger than 18 require either an annual youth super hunting license ($151) or a five-day youth super hunting license ($76) to hunt in Oklahoma’s deer gun season.

Oklahoma’s deer gun season is a great time to maybe tag a wall-hanger but also to stock the freezer with tasty, nutritious and healthy venison. And remember that “Hunters in the Know … Take a Doe!” when they are wanting to fill their freezer.

Wildlife Biologist Dallas Barber with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation reminds deer hunters again that harvesting antlerless deer remains an important part of the state’s deer herd management strategy.

Last year, state hunters set a record, with antlerless deer making up 48% of the deer gun harvest. Barber said a doe harvest of at least 40% is the target for maintaining optimum buck-to-doe ratios for herd health. This isn’t the time for hunters to “take their foot off the pedal” but instead to keep the state’s doe harvest goal in mind.

To encourage doe harvest, ODWC allows each hunter to take as many as eight antlerless deer combined over the various hunting seasons. Hunters who were drawn for this year’s controlled hunts may take even more antlerless deer, as controlled hunt deer harvests do not count toward a hunter’s overall season limit.

To help deer hunters plan for opening day, here are the most recent field reports from ODWC personnel.

CENTRAL REGION

Current Buck Rutting Activity: Bucks started scraping a few days earlier this year, and the rut has continued to progress. Bucks are on the move and showing up on trail cameras, especially during the recent cold snap. Many bucks are now locked down with or searching for does. Certainly, many does have become receptive and breeding has begun as mid-November is peak breeding time.

Habitat Conditions : The acorn mast crop is spotty this year. An oak tree dropping good acorns may be a great spot as deer will seek out any available acorns. Substantial summer rains promoted the growth of plants, so most areas will display heavier vegetation than usual. Food plots should be in good shape, but some sunny plots may have suffered from late September’s dry conditions. The “endless summer” has kept plants green and growing for longer than most years.

Hunter and Landowner Reports: Hunters have reported early successes during archery and muzzleloader seasons. Continued warm weather has suppressed daytime activity. Trail cam pictures reveal that rut activity is ongoing during the night. The forecast indicates slightly cooler weather is coming. This will help trigger an increase in daytime activity. Hunters would certainly benefit from a moderate cold snap.

Public Land Best Bets : Kaw WMA is a consistent producer in the north.

Deep Fork WMA is an hour’s drive from either Oklahoma City or Tulsa.

Love Valley and Texoma/ Washita Arm, found near Lake Texoma, are the best choices for southern hunters.

Advice for Deer Hunters : If you can find an oak tree dropping good acorns, you may have a hot spot as acorns seem to be less abundant this year. Without acorns, the deer may visit green food plots more readily. Fresh tracks and droppings found near food sources are sure signs of recent deer activity. Now is the time to hunt forest bottlenecks, ridge saddles, or other travel corridors. Antler rattling with some calling can be good way to bring some action to the hunt.

Biggest Mistakes to Avoid: (1.) Lack of proper preparation: pre-scouting, checking equipment, having stands/blinds set and in good condition, checking their rifle/ammo.

(2.) Losing confidence: this will cause the hunter to go home or start walking, which will decrease chances of success.

(3.) Distracted hunting: modern phones can be entertaining but also cause a hunter to be distracted and miss an opportunity for a shot.

Opening Morning Expectations : A long streak of warm weather has set the stage for a great “comeback” of cooler temperatures. Cooler temperatures should have the deer up and moving. The deer gun opener is the most anticipated hunting day of the year. Please remember that we all share the common goal to enjoy the hunt and harvest a deer. Be kind to other hunters. Public land hunters should be considerate of others and cooperate when seeking stand locations. And finally, take the time to meet with other folks wearing blaze orange to share some stories and maybe some venison chili.

Hunters should carefully read about license requirements, hunting hours, bag limits, field tagging and online E-check rules in the 2024-25 Oklahoma Fishing and Hunting Regulations online at wildlifedepartment. com, in the free Go Outdoors Oklahoma mobile app for Apple and Android, or in print across the state wherever hunting and fishing licenses are sold.