As the fall hunting seasons near, the outlook seems bright for most species from what area game wardens indicate.
State Game Wardens Mike France and Jacob Harriet both seem optimistic about the upcoming dove season that opens next Tuesday, Sept. 1.
The season remains open through Oct. 31 and reopens Dec. 1 and runs through Dec. 29.
Shooting hours are from one-half hour before official sunrise to official sunset.
Daily bag limit is 15 and there is no bag limit on Eurasian collard doves provided the head or one fully feathered wing is attached to the carcass while being transported to its final destination.
France is assigned to Pottawatomie County, Harriet to Lincoln County, but both consistently interact in both counties.
France said, “Doves are looking pretty good. If we can just get the corn cut, that always helps. They are starting to concentrate, especially in the bottom land where the crops are plentiful.”
Free Hunting Days are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 5 and 6, he noted, stressing, “For Oklahoma residents only.”
Harriet echoed France’s comments on the doves.
“It’s looking really good,” he said. “I think it will be a good one. At least a pretty good start to the season.”
He said in the evenings he’s noticed them on the grain fields.
“I think pond hunting and around gravel pits will be good, too,” he said. “After they feed, they’ll be thirsty and looking for gravel.”
Harriet said crops are really good in Lincoln County for farmers. He pointed to “good moisture and they’re pretty well done cutting the millet and they are cutting hay fields right now,” he said recently.
Their thoughts on the fall turkey season weren’t nearly as optimistic as they were on doves.
Harriet said, “I haven’t seen a single turkey poult. Of course the grass is really tall. I saw 20 or so hens the other day and not a single poult,” he added.
France’s comments were similar. “Turkeys haven’t had any reproduction in about three years now. I’ve seen three poults in Pottawatomie County. The turkey population is way down statewide.
“The undergrowth is really good and there are plenty of grasshoppers,” France stated.
Both say the wild hog population remains healthy. France pointed to the Salt Creek, Little River and the South Canadian as having quite a few in Pottawatomie County.
“They started showing up about three years ago in the Panhandle area of the county, but I haven’t had many complaints,” he said.
He commented people can go online to obtain permits for hunting the hogs at night, adding, “So we don’t have to sign off on those anymore. There are quite a few hunting them at night.”
France noted wild hogs are in about every county except the northwest and Panhandle sections of the state.
Harriet mentioned wild hogs are thick along the Deep Fork River in Lincoln County and in areas north of there.
“There are some on the Quapaw near Sparks and Prague, too,” he said.
“They are pretty much anywhere there is water and thick cover,” he continued.
Both game wardens said there are lots of deer everywhere.
With that, opportunities to harvest deer, especially does, have been expanded.
Harriet believes “does are out of control. They need to be harvested. The holiday antlerless season has been expanded four days and you can shoot two does in that season.”
He further explained, “Through the archery, muzzleloader and rifle seasons, you can shoot a total of six deer, but only two of those can be antlered. Add the antlerless holiday season where you can shoot two does, you can harvest a total of eight deer, only two of which are antlered.”
France said during the muzzleloader and rifle deer seasons the antlerless harvest has been expanded by zone areas. He advises deer hunters to check the hunting regulations to see the various zones.
In efforts to prevent Chronic Wasting in the state’s deer population, there is a new regulation regarding importation of Cervid Carcasses or Carcass parts into Oklahoma.
“If it’s a deer skull, all tissue and brain matter must be removed before bringing it across state lines,”
France explained, “and no spinal cord is permitted at all. Read Page 52 of the regulations or call your local game warden,” he suggests.
France said this is the first time for Oklahoma to have such a regulation.
“The western states have been doing this for years,” he added.
Both indicate they believe waterfowl season will be good. Each indicated the resident Canadian Geese populations are plentiful.
France pointed to one of the changes in the waterfowl season.
“Waterfowl Zones 1 and 2 will have the same season. The first part of each opens Nov. 14 and runs through Nov. 29, then reopens Dec. 5 and continues through Jan. 31, 2021,” he said.
The Panhandle season opens Oct. 10 and closes Jan. 6, 2021.
The game wardens pointed out there have been a considerable number of hunting regulation changes and said hunters can check those on Page 42 of the new hunting regulations.
Raccoons, opossums, skunks, may be taken year around and the same is true for coyotes, the two game wardens said.