A Look To The Past: Deer Hunting in Oklahoma

A buck killed during rifle season. November 1994.

Smoke rose into the air as the flickers of a campfire nestled in a clearing cast a shadow against the walls of surrounding timber. The sounds of conversation and laughter are heard among the occasional hoots of a great horned owl perched nearby in the darkness. The air is cold enough, it chills you to the bone but the warmth of the fire provides comfort. This is deer camp. Where tales of the past are told and stories of the future are born. Where hunters escape back to our primal roots close to the land.  While this scene remains relatively unchanged for lifetimes, the pursuits that bring us here have evolved drastically over the decades. 

My father and aunt about to head for the woods. November 1994.

The history of hunting dates back to the beginning of mankind. The early days are documented in bone and rock. As time went on, it transformed from the natural materials of the Earth to gunpowder and lead. Wildlife populations were decimated as hunting transitioned from a necessity into a profitable industry, even as a forms of biological warfare against the Native peoples who inhabited the land before European contact. There was a time where certain species reached points of near extinction.  I often hear stories from those that precede me in age about how deer populations have not always been what we know today. In fact, there was a time where deer numbers were almost non-existent, especially here in Oklahoma. Personally, that is almost impossible to comprehend. Even for those that do not hunt, I am sure that deer are believed to have always had a constant presence. While seeing a deer is exciting each time, it is not a rare occurrence. Some say, we're in the "good old days" of deer hunting. This got me thinking about just how far we have come and created intrigue to dive into the history of deer hunting in the Sooner State. What I've learned creates a vast appreciation for where we've come from and has me thinking about what is at stake in the future. While the destination is pleasant, it is the journey of how we got here that tells the story. As with all things, history will provide the answers. 

In 1900, market/subsistence hunting and unregulated harvest led to the unthinkable. The white-tailed deer population within the state was nearly eliminated entirely. By 1917, ten years after Oklahoma was deemed a state, the population was estimated to be roughly 500. Legislature banned all deer harvest. It wasn’t until 1933, that Oklahoma had its first regulated deer season which only consisted of five days. The season was restricted to six counties in the southeastern part of the state and Major County in the west. The 1933 season resulted in a harvest of 235 bucks. It also marked the beginning of safety regulations for hunting. Hunters were required to wear a red upper outerwear which later became what we know as “hunters orange” or "blaze orange". The following decade had a series of ups and downs for deer hunters. No season was held in 1934. From 1935 to 1937, there was a season each year which in turn, led to 1,053 deer harvested (1935; 331, 1936; 375, 1937; 347) in a three-year span. Keep in mind, the season was only being held in the southeast part of the state which had been expanded to seven total counties. There was not a season authorized for 1938.

In 1941, all deer hunting was closed as the United States entered World War II. This halt lasted until 1943. As the war surged overseas, a deer restoration program was happening in the Sooner State. The program started with 22 deer being trapped and transplanted to other areas in hopes the population would increase statewide. This tactic has been used multiple times to restore populations of wildlife to other areas. Some succeed while others have failed. The 1944 season produced a harvest of 379 deer and restoration efforts continued in the years ahead. Most of the deer were trapped from either the Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge or Fort Sill in Lawton, OK. Approximately 50 deer were captured from Aransas Pass Wildlife Refuge that is along the Gulf Coast in Texas. After the war ended in 1945, participation in the 1946 deer gun season exploded to more than 7,000. This was largely attributed to the American GI’s that returned home after years of fighting. No longer were the days spent in the woods with rifles hunting the enemy but rather chasing and hunting deer. It felt natural for those that served. 1946 also introduced Oklahoma’s first archery season. It was a one-day season held in the seven southeast counties. As you can imagine, a one-day archery season did not warrant any harvest. It did, however, pave the way for the archery season that we know and love today. It took three years before a deer was harvested with a bow and arrow. In 1949, a special archery season was held at Camp Gruber where Roland Barber arrowed a fallow deer buck weighing 120 lbs. A whitetail was still to be harvested with stick and string. 

My great-grandfather with a filled tag. December 1965.

Two years later on November 11, 1951, Larry Embry, Jr., a thirteen-year-old from Muskogee, shot and killed the first white-tailed deer with a bow and arrow since the days of sustenance hunting by the Native Americans. According to The Daily Oklahoman, Embry’s father shot and missed the buck. Embry Jr. then assured his dad that he would get the buck and followed up with a shot of his own. His 46-pound bow pushed an arrow through the buck. The shot was estimated to be over forty yards. The buck went down a short way as the shot proved lethal and the rest is history. The buck ended up being a 3-point buck, weighing in at 100 lbs. Additionally, the buck was taken off of Camp Gruber. In 1954, the state held its first statewide gun season which consisted of five days. The season resulted in 1,487 bucks harvested. Years later in 1969, Oklahoma introduced its primitive firearms (black powder) season in part of LeFlore County. Two deer total were harvested. 

As time went on, Oklahoma’s deer numbers grew and so did the season harvests. In 1986, the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) ceased trap and transplant efforts as the state had reached a sufficient population to naturally repopulate all suitable habitat statewide. By 1990, the deer population in Oklahoma was estimated to be roughly 250,000. Harvest numbers were nearing 50,000 and that number was reached in 1992. That same year, a state record buck was taken in Oklahoma County. The buck scored 179 6/8 inches, showing hunters across the state that deer quality could be found anywhere. 

While the world prepared for Y2K, Oklahoma’s harvest exceeded 100,000. With populations on the rise, the ODWC introduced its first special antlerless season and expanded archery season into January. This was done in 2001. 2003 introduced the state's first youth season. Young Okie’s generated a harvest of 2,285 deer. By 2004, the population reached an estimated 475,000. The annual harvest that year was 94,689; 14,639 of which were taken by bowhunters (record). Of the 94,689 deer harvested, 40% were does. That 40% has since been the baseline goal the ODWC hopes to reach each year. 

Throughout the 2000’s and 2010’s Oklahoma began to rise as a better-known deer hunting state. Populations continued to increase and mature bucks were taken year after year. In 2013, the “Hunters in the Know Let Young Bucks Grow” campaign was started by the ODWC in hopes that deer maturity among bucks would increase. 2013 also introduced the E-Check system allowing hunters to electronically check deer rather than have physical check stations across the state. 2020 was a record setting year, resulting in 126,290 deer harvested as well as the doe harvest meeting the 40% threshold. This was the first time since 2010 that the doe harvest surpassed 40%. Thus, the “Hunters in The Know, Take A Doe” campaign was revived. 

First buck taken with a rifle. November 2016.

From the early plains where Native Americans stalked bison herds to today’s hunters spending hours upon hours sitting in a tree, a lot has changed for the hunter. Much like everything, hunting has gone through its own ups and downs. History teaches us in many ways. How to avoid mistakes but also how to better ourselves for the future. The hunting we know and love would not be what it is today without those that had the foresight to see a change that was desperately needed. Theodore Roosevelt, Aldo Leopold and Fred Bear are just a few names that contributed to how hunting and conservation are practiced. These men saw the issues and implemented a vision that we continue to follow in current times. Praise should also be given to state fish and game departments as they continue playing a pivotal role in wildlife conservation. After all, hunting and conservation go hand in hand. Without hunting, conservation would cease to exist. I challenge that thought to anyone who disagrees. Conservation is an endless battle. It’s a fight we still are tackling to this day and I expect it to continue to be a fight for generations to come. Next time you're sitting in camp, take a look around and really think about how fortunate we are for the opportunities we have right now and how we must continue to protect them. Nationwide and here in our great State, conservation has and will always lead the way. We must never forget that. 

Until next time...stay wild.

Brock

Sources: Oklahoma Wildlife Department, https://www.wildlifedepartment.com/hunting/resources/deer/timeline