How and when Oklahoma’s hunting season dates are set can get complicated. But for the most part, hunting seasons are either the same date or the same weekend every year. For example, deer muzzleloader season opens the fourth Saturday in Oct. and runs for nine days through Sunday. And rabbit season opens Oct. 1 and runs through March 28.
Why? The short answer is that is how it is written in Wildlife Commission resolution and Title 800 of Oklahoma State Statute (Wildlife agency rules). These are the rules that govern things like bag limits, legal methods of take and season dates.
All dates are subject to change so be sure to check the Oklahoma Fishing and Hunting Regulations which are updated annually in late summer.
Here are some of the common seasons with generally set dates:
- Deer Archery: Oct. 1 to Jan. 15
- Deer Muzzleloader: The fourth Saturday in Oct. continuing nine days through the first Sunday in November
- Youth Deer Gun*: The third Friday in Oct. and runs for three days through Sunday
- Deer Gun: The Saturday prior to Thanksgiving and runs for 16 consecutive days in management zones as designated by Commission resolution
- Holiday Antlerless Deer: Dec. 18 to Dec. 31
- Spring Turkey*: April 16 through May 16
- Youth Spring Turkey*: The Saturday and Sunday preceding the spring turkey season
- Archery Antelope*: Oct. 1 through Oct. 14
- Elk season* (only in open zones) follows deer season dates
- Elk Archery in Special SW Zone (All private lands in Caddo, Comanche, and Kiowa Counties): The first Saturday in Oct. for five consecutive days through Wednesday. And then again the second Saturday in Dec. for five consecutive days through Wednesday.
- Youth Elk Gun in Special SW Zone (All private lands in Caddo, Comanche, and Kiowa Counties): runs concurrent with the youth deer gun season
- Elk Gun in Special SW Zone (All private lands in Caddo, Comanche, and Kiowa Counties): The Thursday immediately following the Oct. elk archery season for four consecutive days through Sunday. And again the Thursday immediately following the Dec. elk archery season for four consecutive days through Sunday
- Additional Antlerless Elk in Special SW Zone (All private lands in Caddo, Comanche, and Kiowa Counties): The Saturday before Thanksgiving and running for sixteen (16) consecutive days, and Jan. 1 through Jan. 31
- Bear Archery: Oct. 1 through the third Sunday in Oct.
- Bear Muzzleloader: Runs concurrently with deer muzzleloader season
- Turkey Fall Archery: Runs concurrently with the deer archery season
- Turkey Fall Gun: The last Saturday of the deer primitive season through the Friday preceding deer gun season
- Quail: the second Saturday in November through Feb. 15
- Prairie Dog: Open year-round
- Squirrel: May 15 to Feb. 28
- Rabbit: Oct. 1 to March 15
- Pheasant: Dec. 1 through Jan. 31
- Bobcat, Badger, Gray Fox, Red Fox, Mink, Muskrat, Opossum, River Otter & Weasel: The first day of Dec. to the last day of Feb
- Raccoon, Beaver, Striped Skunk, Nutria and Coyote: Open year-round
*Season dates could set by either resolution or in regulations and are approved annually by the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission.
