How to hunt Public Land in OK

[garret01]

Sorry, I should have clarified. We had about six different stands/blinds set up. Only about three guys were in the field at a time.

This is all great info by the way. Much Thanks! I have read through the Hunting Guide and you are right, it had alot of good info. I plan on taking the hunters safety course in September.

In the meantime, can I go to a WMA now and do a walkthrough the land to scope out some spots? Any restrictions on that?

Thanks again. Keep the replies coming!

 

[Droberts]

see
http://www.eregulations.com/oklahoma/hunting/pageFlip/
for individual WMA regulations.

get a bow & you can hunt quite a bit more freely on public land.

 

[fishfurlife]

For the most part, you are really over thinking it.

You hit on some concerns of public land hunting and they are all concerns that you just learn to cope with. it is like an added element to figuring out a mature buck.

If you hunt on public land long enough, you will see another hunter/hunters, you will walk across another hunter, other hunters will walk across you, you will feel like your hunts have been ruined.

I hunt public 99% of the time and have dealt with all of the above, so does nearly every other public land hunter. My point is that the better part of public land hunters are out there just like you and are concerned about their own safety just as much as you are.

Don't worry about how much space you can share before A) Your hunt is compromised B) Your safety is compromised. Just be safe yourself. Hunting accidents on public land are very few and far between.

Treat it just like hunting the 40 acres with several stand sites to choose from in the sense that you will always need to have a back up plan if and when needed.

Most WMA's are open to the public to venture around at your own free will. Just be sure to have a hunting license on hand as it is required, or you can purchase the conservation passport. You need one or the other and I would suggest buying the hunting license as you will actually use it.

As an added bonus, Unlike popular belief in most areas, I would guess that every WMA has mature bucks running around that most guys would love to shoot. I only figure this because I am yet to hunt a WMA that I have not stumbled on to a great buck worth chasing.

 

[clintbailey]

There are also some pretty good aerial maps on the wildlife departments website, I've used them when planning out coyote calling trips before. Like some others have said, if you get a bow/crossbow, you can have a lot more unpressured hunting than just rifle season. I live right beside one of the bigger WMA's in the state, and bowhunt it a lot, but have about quit rifle hunting it for deer. Just too crowded for me, but I do hunt prdators before and after deer season.

 

[Super_soph198]

There are also some pretty good aerial maps on the wildlife departments website, I've used them when planning out coyote calling trips before. Like some others have said, if you get a bow/crossbow, you can have a lot more unpressured hunting than just rifle season. I live right beside one of the bigger WMA's in the state, and bowhunt it a lot, but have about quit rifle hunting it for deer. Just too crowded for me, but I do hunt prdators before and after deer season.

Do you predator hunt with a bow? I usually use my AR but I am interested in using a bow for predator hunting.

 

[clintbailey]

No I meant I don't like going on the public land during deer rifle season. I do rifle hunt predators on public land when seasons allow, but I did take a coyote last year with my bow on public land on opening weekend of archery season.

 

[Super_soph198]

Anyone know about the wildlife managment area near Broken Bow. My uncle keeps saying stay out and that it's full of pot plantations and claymore mines. It's 20,000 acres so I am sure there is someone out there with a meth lab, but anyone have any insight to this area on if it's worth hunting outside of Deer season. I watched a show on the hunting channel where these guys walked through there with a gps and fished pond to pond in the WMA. Seemed pretty cool.

 

[clintbailey]

I know a guy that used to hunt on some Wayerhaser (sp) timer company land down around Broken Bow, said you had to pay for a permit yearly to use it for hunting, fishing, etc. Lots of acreage if I remember right.

 

[meatGrinder]

I believe you're thinking of Three rivers WMA. It was featured on Outdoor Oklahoma last week. There's turkeys, deer, bears, squirrels, rabbits, all kinds of critters out there.
That fishing looks fun there. Hopping from pond to pond and all.....my kind of day.

 

[Super_soph198]

Yes on the WMA fee. It's I believe 45 dollars a year, but 20,000 acres. But I keep hearing stories of meth labs, pot farms, etc out in that area. Not too much fun to go traping through the wilderness if you get killed by the cartel in the process.