Although the pandemic slowed many activities last fall, Oklahoma hunters set harvest and participation records during the 2020 deer hunting seasons.
Statistics about the 2020-21 deer seasons were announced May 3 at the regular May meeting of the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Chief of Wildlife Bill Dinkines said the state’s hunters increased antlerless harvest numbers for all deer seasons. Antlerless deer made up 42% of the harvest, the highest percentage since 2009, and the first time since 2015 that biologists’ antlerless harvest goal was met for a season.
Hunters reported taking 126,290 deer in 2020-21, smashing the previous total harvest record of 119,349 from 2006-07.
Also, more deer hunters than ever ventured out for archery and gun seasons. An estimated 141,472 hunters participated in archery deer season, taking 35,337 deer (a new record for archery harvest). Participation in deer gun season was estimated at 218,548, and gun season harvest set a record with 73,539 deer taken.