The most highly anticipated day of the year for roughly 160,000 hunters in Oklahoma arrives this Saturday with the opening of deer gun season. And we’ve got the Wildlife Department‘s annual Rut Report to give you the latest on deer activity.

Here’s a hint: things are looking good for hunters!

Field reports indicate good habitat and plenty of activity ahead of the deer gun season’s opening Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025.

NORTHEAST REGION 

Reported by Curt Allen, Wildlife Senior Biologist, OK Department of Wildlife Conservation 

• Current Buck Rutting Activity: Lots of chasing and movement throughout the day has been reported. Rutting activity was definitely peaking out in the northeast last week.
• Habitat Conditions: Reports indicate the acorn crop is rather varied across the region, with most reports ranging from fair to good. Despite areas of drought, overall habitat reports indicate good late-summer growth, providing ample cover and forage for deer. A warmer start to fall, with just one quick cold snap, has helped cool-season plant growth. As long as fall food plots received some precipitation, they should be in good shape.
• Hunter and Landowner Reports: Bucks have been seen on their feet chasing and cruising throughout the day.
• Public Land Best Bets: It’s hard to go wrong visiting a proven large WMA like Hulah or Camp Gruber with thousands of acres of great habitat and plenty of area for hunters to spread out. But don’t discount smaller WMAs, like Ozark Plateau, that may fly under most people’s radar because of their size. Be sure to read the WMA-specific regulations to find out if there are any special restrictions well before you visit the property.
• Advice for Deer Hunters: Go! You won’t find this rifle season’s big buck in the house. Be patient and prepared for long sits. Consider taking a lunch so that you can hunt midday. Use other hunter positions to your advantage, if you can. Sight in your gun and read the WMA rules and regulations before arriving. Always be courteous to other hunters.
• Biggest Mistakes to Avoid: Phones help pass the time, but look up! Shot opportunities are often a matter of seconds, and the game or video can wait. Not paying attention to thermal winds that may run contrary to the primary direction. Not making time to scout an area leaves you with no good information on if and how deer are using the area you plan to hunt.
• Opening Morning Expectations: Current weather forecasts show rain moving out just in time for the weekend, leaving cool and moist fall hunting weather! This should get a lot of hunters motivated to get into the woods, so expect pressure, but don’t be discouraged. As the peak rut falls away, bucks should start working scrape lines again.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Deer should be moving this coming Saturday, Nov. 22, when the state’s deer gun hunting season officially opens a half-hour before sunrise. It’s the most highly anticipated day of the year for roughly 160,000 hunters in Oklahoma.

This year’s annual Rut Report should give hunters a great deal of optimism about their chances this year. See below for the latest status reports from the field. 

Oklahoma residents 18 and older will need a base hunting license ($36) and a deer gun season license ($36), unless exempt. No longer are separate licenses required for each deer hunted. Instead, hunters may harvest the entire gun season limit of four deer (one can be antlered) along with two bonus antlerless deer during the holiday antlerless deer season. 

Residents younger than 18 require only the annual youth super hunting license ($26), which allows participation in the 2025-26 deer, elk, pronghorn, black bear, turkey, waterfowl, furbearer and trapping seasons.

Nonresidents older than 17 will need an annual base hunting license ($209) unless exempt, and a nonresident deer gun license ($501), which allows the hunter to take the entire regular deer gun and holiday antlerless season bag limits ­— a total of six deer. Nonresidents younger than 18 require either an annual youth super hunting license ($151) or a five-day youth super hunting license ($76) to hunt in Oklahoma’s deer gun season. 

Oklahoma’s deer gun season is a great time to maybe tag a wall-hanger but also to stock the freezer with tasty, nutritious and healthy venison. And remember that “Hunters in the Know … Take a Doe!” when they are wanting to fill their freezer.

Wildlife Biologist Dallas Barber with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation reminds deer hunters again that harvesting antlerless deer remains an important part of the state’s deer herd management strategy. 

Last year, state hunters set a record, with antlerless deer making up 48% of the deer gun harvest. Barber said a doe harvest of at least 40% is the target for maintaining optimum buck-to-doe ratios for herd health. This isn’t the time for hunters to “take their foot off the pedal” but instead to keep the state’s doe harvest goal in mind.

To encourage doe harvest, ODWC allows each hunter to take as many as eight antlerless deer combined over the various hunting seasons. Hunters who were drawn for this year’s controlled hunts may take even more antlerless deer, as controlled hunt deer harvests do not count toward a hunter’s overall season limit. 

NORTHWEST REGION

Reported by Eddie Wilson, Wildlife Senior Biologist, OK Department of Wildlife Conservation  

• Current Buck Rutting Activity: Rut is currently in full swing throughout the northwestern counties and the Panhandle. Mature bucks are being seen chasing does, and some bucks are locked down with does.
• Habitat Conditions: Habitat conditions are good to excellent. Cover is heavy this year. Native cool-season grasses and forbs are available for forage. Most winter wheat crops are up and in good condition.
• Hunter and Landowner Reports: Hunters and landowners are currently seeing a lot of deer activity. Mature bucks are on the move, and some are being seen bedded with does.  
• Public Land Best Bets: Canton, Fort Supply and Cooper WMAs are all good places to deer gun hunt in the northwest. Canton WMA is closed opening weekend for controlled hunts. Fort Supply and Cooper are open to buck-only hunting for the first nine days of deer gun season. Hunting regulations vary on Wildlife Management Areas, so be sure to check the regulations for the specific WMA you choose to hunt.
• Advice for Deer Hunters: Be prepared for your hunt before you go. Make sure your rifle is sighted in and your equipment is in good shape. Know your shooting limits regarding distance. Bring a rangefinder and binoculars if you have them. Many of the WMAs in the northwest provide open country and the opportunity for longer shots. Bring a deer cart or backpack to retrieve your deer.
• Biggest Mistakes to Avoid: One of the biggest mistakes made on WMAs is hunting too close to public roads. Get out into the landscape to avoid contact with other hunters. Be prepared; make sure your flashlight and phone are charged and you have everything you will need for a successful hunt. Be sure to use the wind to your advantage when deer hunting. Take your time; move slowly. Try to hunt throughout the day to improve your success. Don’t forget your orange clothing and hat!
• Opening Morning Expectations: Opening day should provide for great deer hunting. The weather forecast is for cooler temperatures, so deer should be on the move. Expect high numbers of hunters on public lands open to deer gun hunting. Good luck and hunt safely!

CENTRAL REGION 

Reported by Jay Rouk, Wildlife Biologist, OK Department of Wildlife Conservation  

• Current Buck Rutting Activity: Bucks started scraping a few days earlier this year, and the rut has continued to progress. Bucks are on the move and showing up on trail cameras, especially during the recent cold snap. Many bucks are now locked down with or searching for does. Certainly, many does have become receptive and breeding has begun as mid-November is peak breeding time.
• Habitat Conditions: The acorn mast crop is spotty this year. An oak tree dropping good acorns may be a great spot as deer will seek out any available acorns. Substantial summer rains promoted the growth of plants, so most areas will display heavier vegetation than usual. Food plots should be in good shape, but some sunny plots may have suffered from late September’s dry conditions. The “endless summer” has kept plants green and growing for longer than most years.
• Hunter and Landowner Reports: Hunters have reported early successes during archery and muzzleloader seasons. Continued warm weather has suppressed daytime activity. Trail cam pictures reveal that rut activity is ongoing during the night. The forecast indicates slightly cooler weather is coming. This will help trigger an increase in daytime activity. Hunters would certainly benefit from a moderate cold snap.
• Public Land Best Bets: Kaw WMA is a consistent producer in the north.
  Deep Fork WMA is an hour’s drive from either Oklahoma City or Tulsa.
  Love Valley and Texoma/Washita Arm, found near Lake Texoma, are the best choices for southern hunters.
• Advice for Deer Hunters: If you can find an oak tree dropping good acorns, you may have a hot spot as acorns seem to be less abundant this year. Without acorns, the deer may visit green food plots more readily. Fresh tracks and droppings found near food sources are sure signs of recent deer activity. Now is the time to hunt forest bottlenecks, ridge saddles, or other travel corridors. Antler rattling with some calling can be good way to bring some action to the hunt.
• Biggest Mistakes to Avoid: (1.) Lack of proper preparation: pre-scouting, checking equipment, having stands/blinds set and in good condition, checking their rifle/ammo.
  (2.) Losing confidence: this will cause the hunter to go home or start walking, which will decrease chances of success.
  (3.) Distracted hunting: modern phones can be entertaining but also cause a hunter to be distracted and miss an opportunity for a shot.
• Opening Morning Expectations: A long streak of warm weather has set the stage for a great “comeback” of cooler temperatures. Cooler temperatures should have the deer up and moving. The deer gun opener is the most anticipated hunting day of the year. Please remember that we all share the common goal to enjoy the hunt and harvest a deer. Be kind to other hunters. Public land hunters should be considerate of others and cooperate when seeking stand locations. And finally, take the time to meet with other folks wearing blaze orange to share some stories and maybe some venison chili. 

SOUTHEAST REGION 

Reported by Matt Hensley, Southeast Senior Biologist, OK Department of Wildlife Conservation  

• Current Buck Rutting Activity: Field reports indicate that rut activity was on the rise throughout the first two weeks of November. Recent moon phases and unseasonably warm temperatures have contributed to heavy nighttime deer movement during the early stages of the rut. However, temperatures are finally starting to drop, and hunters are reporting more mature deer sightings in daylight hours.
• Habitat Conditions: With a massive acorn crop in the southeast this fall, food availability is not an issue for deer in areas with mast-producing oak timber. The abundance of food has significantly reduced deer feeding movement overall. Nevertheless, the rut momentum has deer up and going, and daytime movement is on the rise.
• Hunter and Landowner Reports: There have been many reports of hunters seeing and taking good quality deer. It seems that the herd’s health is in good shape overall and deer numbers are high in the region.
• Public Land Best Bets: Top wildlife management areas in the region for deer gun season include Honobia Creek WMA, Three Rivers WMA and Ouachita WMA. Honobia Creek and Three Rivers WMAs require an additional Land Access Permit that must be purchased before your trip ($100 residents, $200 nonresidents). Also available, for the first time this season (to Oklahoma residents), is the new Herron Family WMA. Please check your hunting regulations and the area-specific regulations for additional information on these and other wildlife management areas. Some management areas may be open for archery hunting activities but closed for deer gun season. Some may also be closed while conducting draw-awarded controlled hunts on the area.
• Advice for Deer Hunters: On heavy mast crop years such as this, deer aren’t spending as much time looking for food, which can change typical deer movement patterns. Food plots and feeders aren’t as attractive when there’s a buffet of acorns in the timber. Take some time to find that one preferred white oak tree they’re filling up under, water hole they like, or ridgeline the ol’ big one is cruising as he scouts for does.
• Biggest Mistakes to Avoid: The biggest mistake that we are all occasionally guilty of is neglecting to plan. Know the regulations in your area, double check your gear so that you can enjoy a worry-free, safe hunt. Do some scouting so that you have some knowledge of how deer are using your area and if/where you might encounter other hunters that you should be mindful of. Plan for weather changes. Its been said “If you don’t like the weather in Oklahoma, just wait a minute.” So, even if the forecast is sunny and warm, toss the rain jacket and extra layer in the truck, just in case. Another mistake often made is only hunting an hour or two at sunrise or sunset. During the rut, deer often move all day long, and hunters that leave too early might miss out on seeing a midday chase.
• Opening Morning Expectations: With the dropping temperatures and falling leaves, opening weekend should be a great time to be in the woods. If you are going to public land, expect plenty of other hunters, but also expect plenty of opportunities to harvest a deer this season.

SOUTHWEST REGION 

Reported by Marcus Thibodeau, Southwest Senior Biologist, OK Department of Wildlife Conservation  

• Current Buck Rutting Activity: Bucks are definitely cruising and being seen pushing does, a clear sign that we are entering the heart of the rut.
• Habitat Conditions: Heavy summer rains have set the stage for excellent habitat across a majority of the region. Native grasses and forbs responded well, providing abundant natural forage and thicker than usual cover. Food plots vary across the region but mostly look to be in great shape. With so much available food and cover, deer are well-distributed across the landscape. Hunters may need to spend extra time scouting to locate active travel routes and feeding areas.
• Hunter and Landowner Reports: Field reports indicate that mature bucks are on the move, especially during the early morning and late evening hours. Many hunters and landowners are seeing bucks actively cruising with does, signaling the development of peak rut activity in several areas across the region. This increase in movement will continue as rut activity progresses and hunters should be ready for opportunities throughout the day.
• Public Land Best Bets: Black Kettle WMA, Packsaddle WMA and Ellis County WMA are only open the first nine days of deer gun season, and each have specific area regulations. The Department offers free maps on its website. Mapping apps on phones do not show closed roads, and there are several that do not have accurate boundaries.
• Advice for Deer Hunters: Hunt all day, introduce someone to hunting this season, and be sure to check area regulations and maps.
• Biggest Mistakes to Avoid: Be sure to field tag deer. And keep weather and wind in mind.
• Opening Morning Expectations: Opening-day hunters should expect to have some success.

Hunters should carefully read about license requirements, hunting hours, bag limits, field tagging and online E-check rules in the 2024-25 Oklahoma Fishing and Hunting Regulations online at wildlifedepartment.com, in the free Go Outdoors Oklahoma mobile app for Apple and Android, or in print across the state wherever hunting and fishing licenses are sold.