Oklahoma’s youth deer gun season is a chance for kids to go deer hunting for three days with adult supervision before all of the adult gun hunters head to the woods, and participation is easy. Think of this guide as a handbook to walk you through everything you need to know to have a successful youth deer gun season experience, whether you are a youth hoping to hunt or an adult interested in taking a youth on a deer hunt this year. The steps in this guide cover everything from where to go hunting and legal requirements to tips and advice for making your hunt fun and successful. First and foremost, mark your calendars for Oct. 16-18, 2020. These are the dates of the 2020 youth deer gun season, and you don’t want to miss out. It’s easy to participate in this affordable, safe and fun hunting opportunity. It’s also exclusive to youth hunters under 18 years of age. They just need an adult who can take them. Eligible youth and adults who plan to accompany a youth hunter don’t need any prior hunting experience, and there is plenty of time to make the necessary preparations.
Oklahoma’s youth deer gun season is a chance for kids to go deer hunting for three days with adult supervision before all of the adult gun hunters head to the woods, and participation is easy. Think of this guide as a handbook to walk you through everything you need to know to have a successful youth deer gun season experience, whether you are a youth hoping to hunt or an adult interested in taking a youth on a deer hunt this year. The steps in this guide cover everything from where to go hunting and legal requirements to tips and advice for making your hunt fun and successful. First and foremost, mark your calendars for Oct. 16-18, 2020. These are the dates of the 2020 youth deer gun season, and you don’t want to miss out. It’s easy to participate in this affordable, safe and fun hunting opportunity. It’s also exclusive to youth hunters under 18 years of age. They just need an adult who can take them. Eligible youth and adults who plan to accompany a youth hunter don’t need any prior hunting experience, and there is plenty of time to make the necessary preparations.
If going deer hunting during the youth deer gun season sounds fun but intimidating to you, then this guide is for you. We’ll walk you through everything you need to know to participate in this year’s youth deer gun season, whether you are a teenager or an adult hoping to take a youth hunting.
One of the biggest questions you may be asking about the youth deer gun season is, “Where can we go to hunt?”
The land in Oklahoma is mostly privately owned, and you may know somebody who will let you hunt deer on their property. But even if you do not, there are thousands of acres of public land available across the state where you can hunt. While most wildlife management areas are open to hunting during the youth deer gun season, some may have regulations that vary from statewide regulations. For example, some of them may only be open to hunting with shotguns or archery equipment, or some may only be open to antlerless deer harvest during the youth deer gun season. No worries. All you have to do to learn more is consult the current “Oklahoma Hunting Guide,” available free online at wildlifedepartment.com or in hardcopy anywhere hunting licenses are sold. Each WMA and its regulations are covered in detail. You can visit our website listed below for a list of WMA’s that have a youth gun season.
Additionally, the Oklahoma Wildlife Management Area Atlas is available for $25 and features page-by-page details on Oklahoma’s public hunting land. It features topographical maps of almost every WMA in the state. At over 100 pages, the high quality, spiralbound atlas depicts special features on each WMA such as roads, parking areas, designated campsites, food plots, ponds, wetland development units, non-ambulatory zones and more. You can also use the guide to find driving directions and acreage of each featured WMA. When you purchase an atlas, you also receive a one-year subscription to Outdoor Oklahoma magazine.
Hunter Orange
The safest color to wear while hunting is solid hunter orange. In Oklahoma, individuals hunting deer, elk, bear or antelope with any type of firearm must conspicuously wear both a head covering and an outer garment above the waistline both consisting of hunter orange color totaling at least 400 square inches. Camouflage hunter orange is legal as long as there are at least 400 square inches of hunter orange. All other hunters, except those hunting waterfowl, crow or crane, or while hunting furbearing animals at night, must wear either a head covering or upper garment of hunter orange clothing while hunting during any antelope, bear, deer, or elk firearms (muzzleloader or gun) season.
Unfilled resident and nonresident youth deer gun licenses are valid for deer gun and holiday antlerless deer gun seasons. Antlered youth deer gun licenses are not valid for holiday antlerless deer gun season.
So Who Can Go Hunting During Youth Deer Gun Season?
The youth deer gun season is for youth hunters under 18 years of age who have an accompanying adult who is 18 years old or older. The adult cannot hunt deer with a gun, but may archery hunt while accompanying the youth hunter. The adult hunter may not possess any firearms except under provisions of the Oklahoma Self-Defense Act and Oklahoma Firearms Act.
Okay, We Want to Participate. What Licenses Do We Need?
Hunters must be in possession of all appropriate licenses before harvesting a deer.
Youth Resident
– Resident youths under 16 years of age must possess a resident youth deer gun license for each deer hunted.
– Resident youths 16 and 17 years of age must possess a resident youth hunting license (unless exempt) and a resident youth deer gun license for each deer hunted.
Nonresident Youth
– Nonresident Youth Deer Gun Either Sex License (exempt from nonresident hunting license) for each deer hunted, or
– Nonresident Youth Deer Gun Antlerless License (exempt from nonresident hunting license) for each deer hunted, or
– Nonresident Deer Gun License (exempt from nonresident hunting license) or a resident lifetime hunting or combination hunting/fishing license. (Must have been purchased when the youth was a resident or qualified to purchase).
What Type of Deer Can We Hunt During the Youth Deer Gun Season?
The harvest limit for the youth deer gun season is two deer, only one of which may be antlered. An “antlered deer” is any deer, regardless of sex, with at least three inches of antler length above the natural hairline on either side. The harvest of antlerless mule deer is prohibited during the youth deer gun season. All deer taken during the youth deer gun season are included in the hunter’s combined season limit of six deer, but are not included as part of the hunter’s regular deer gun season limit of four deer. This means that as long as a youth has not already harvested his or her combined season limit of six deer (of which no more than two may be bucks), then they can participate in both the youth deer gun season as well as the regular gun season a few weeks later.
If a Youth Hunter Harvests a Deer During the Youth Deer Gun Season, Can that Same Youth Still Hunt During the Regular Gun Season?
Yes licenses and harvest deer during the regular deer gun season! Resident youth hunters who harvest a deer during the youth deer gun season may purchase additional youth deer gun season.
