Holidays Mean Additional Antlerless Deer Hunting Opportunities For Sportsmen Throughout Oklahoma

Hunters having withdrawals now that deer gun season is over will be happy to know that, for the seventh year in a row, they will have an additional six days of antlerless deer gun hunting during the holidays.

The season dates will be right before the Christmas and New Year’s Day holidays — Dec. 19-21 and Dec. 26-28. Most of the state will be open to antlerless hunting those days, excluding most of the panhandle and portions of southeast Oklahoma. For a map of Oklahoma’s antlerless deer hunt zones and to see which counties will be open for the holiday antlerless deer gun season, consult page 21 of the “2008-09 Oklahoma Hunting Guide.”

“The holiday antlerless deer season is a good chance to get more venison in the freezer as well as have a good time with family during the holidays,” said Jerry Shaw, big game biologist for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. “Additionally, it helps the Wildlife Department accomplish some important deer harvest objectives.”

Shaw said the cool weather the state has been experiencing may increase deer use of agricultural fields during the antlerless season, which could help hunters see more deer while afield.

With deer muzzleloader and deer gun season behind them and archery season open through Jan. 15, hunters have been having a successful season both on public and private land across the state. Following deer gun season, preliminary harvest numbers were up 16 percent from last year.

To participate in the holiday antlerless deer gun season, resident hunters must possess a valid hunting license and a fishing and hunting legacy permit, unless exempt, as well as a holiday antlerless deer gun license. Resident lifetime hunting or combination license holders are exempt from purchasing these licenses. Resident youth hunters 16 or 17 years old must purchase a hunting license, and a $10 youth holiday antlerless deer gun license is available for all youth under 18 years of age.

Nonresident deer hunters are exempt from a hunting license, but they must possess a nonresident holiday antlerless deer gun license and a fishing and hunting legacy permit or proof of exemption. Nonresident lifetime license holders are not exempt from purchasing deer licenses.

In addition, hunters participating in the holiday antlerless deer season must comply with the hunter orange requirements for the regular deer gun season. Archery hunters and those hunting most other species in open holiday antlerless zones must wear either a hunter orange hat or upper garment while hunting.

To learn more about this year’s antlerless deer season, refer to the “2007-08 Oklahoma Hunting Guide” or log on to wildlifedepartment.com.

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Deer Archery Hunting Season Opens September 15 in Maryland

Annapolis —  Maryland’s annual deer archery hunting season opens September 15, 2008 and continues through January 31, 2009.

“Archery hunters continue to be an integral part of our comprehensive deer management strategy,” says Wildlife and Heritage Service Deer Project Leader Brian Eyler.

Last season a total of 22,064 deer (8,342 antlered bucks, 11,700 does, 2,022 button bucks) were taken with archery equipment, up from 21,991 in the 2006-2007 season.

Maryland’s deer hunting regulations vary in the two deer management regions. In Region A (Garrett and Allegany Counties) the white-tailed deer archery bag limit is two deer, one antlered and one antlerless. Additionally, no more than two antlerless deer may be taken on public lands in Region A with any combination of bow, muzzleloader and firearm bag limits, excluding the Junior Hunt Day.

In most of Deer Management Region B (Maryland’s 21 other counties), archers may take two antlered and ten antlerless white-tailed deer. However, a second antlered deer may not be harvested until two antlerless deer have been taken. Archers in the Suburban Deer Archery Zone (Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Howard, Montgomery and Prince George’s counties) may take an unlimited number of antlerless deer.

The sika deer archery season opens September 15, 2008 and runs through January 31, 2009 in Caroline, Dorchester, Somerset, Talbot, Wicomico and Worcester Counties. The sika deer bag limit is one antlered and one antlerless sika deer. An antlered sika deer is a deer with at least one antler visible above the hairline.

Crossbow deer hunting will be permitted statewide from Oct. 1 through Oct.15, 2008 and from Jan. 15 to Jan. 31, 2009. Any deer taken with a crossbow will count toward the hunter’s appropriate regional bow bag limit. Crossbows are also legal for all hunters during the firearm and muzzleloader seasons. In the Region B Suburban Deer Archery Zone (Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Howard, Montgomery and Prince George’s counties), bowhunters may use a crossbow for the entire bow season.

Successful Maryland deer hunters must register their deer either by calling 1-888-800-0121 or online at www.gamecheck.dnr.state.md.us. Hunters must immediately place a “field tag” on the deer’s head and complete the Maryland Big Game Harvest Record. When registering each deer, hunters will receive a confirmation number that must also be recorded on the hunter’s Big Game Harvest Record.

Deer taken with a straight limb bow, recurve bow or compound bow should be registered as taken with a vertical bow. Deer taken with a crossbow should be recorded as taken with a crossbow. These records enable DNR biologists to continue to monitor any influence of crossbows on Maryland’s deer management program.

A limited number of Sundays will be open to bow hunting during the 2008-2009 hunting season. Bow hunting opportunities on Sundays vary by county. For a complete listing of Sunday bow hunting opportunities, please refer to the 2008-2009 Guide to Hunting and Trapping.

Complete bag limits, season dates, deer registration procedures and bow hunting regulations are also online at www.dnr.maryland.gov/huntersguide. The 2008-2009 Guide to Hunting & Trapping, issued with each hunting license, also contains detailed information about all of Maryland’s hunting seasons.

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Tips For A Safe Archery Hunt

Stay safe this year by following a few, simple rules.

Utah’s general archery buck deer hunt and the state’s general archery elk hunt kick off Aug. 16.

“Every year we receive reports of archery hunters injuring themselves,” says Gary Cook, hunter education coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources.

Two practices lead to most of the accidents: being unsafe in tree stands or having arrows out of your quiver when you shouldn’t.

Cook provides the following advice to help you avoid these accidents:

• Tree stands: Before you climb a tree, make sure it’s large enough to hold your weight. To lessen the chance that you’ll fall while climbing the tree, attach a hauling line to your bow, arrows and other equipment, and leave them on the ground. After you’ve climbed into your tree stand, attach your safety harness. Then use your hauling line to lift your gear to you. Cook also recommends using a portable tree stand, rather than building a “permanent” one. “Permanent tree stands can deteriorate and become unsafe,” he says. “They’re unsightly, too. And you can damage the tree by putting nails in it.”
• “Until you’re ready to shoot, keep your arrows in a hooded quiver that covers the broadheads,” Cook says. “One of the most common accidents we see is archers jabbing themselves or other hunters while carrying arrows in their hand that should be in their quiver.” State law requires that arrows be in a case while the arrows are in or on a vehicle. When you’re outside your vehicle, it’s up to you to protect yourself.

More tips

In addition to the safety tips, Cook provides tips on getting prepared for the season, safety items to remember while you’re in the field and tips on tracking animals and preserving their meat.

• Preparation
  • Equipment checks: Make sure the laminations on your bow are not flaking or separating and that the strings on your bow are not fraying. And if you have a compound bow, make sure the pulleys and cables are in good working order. Also, make sure that your equipment is matched, that your arrow’s spline (the stiffness of the arrow’s shaft) matches your bow’s draw weight. If your bow’s draw weight produces more force than your arrow can handle, your arrow will probably fly off target when you shoot.
  • Broadhead sharpening: Sharpen your broadheads carefully. Your broadheads should be razor sharp, but don’t cut yourself while sharpening them.
  • Practice your shooting as much as possible.
  • Obtain written permission from private landowners before hunting on their property or using their property to access public land.
  • Know the boundaries of limited-entry units and other restricted areas in the area you’ll be hunting.
• Never take a shot at a deer or elk that is beyond the maximum, effective range you’re comfortable shooting at. Also, before releasing your arrow, make sure of your target and what’s beyond it.
• After the shot
  • Watch the animal and determine the direction it took. Then go to the spot where you last saw the animal and find your arrow. If there’s blood on it, and if you have a compass, take a reading of the direction the animal went. Then wait 30 minutes before tracking it. If you track the animal too soon, you can spook it into running. If you wait 30 minutes before tracking it, you’ll find most of the deer and elk you shoot dead within a reasonable distance of your starting point. 
  • When you track an animal, look for blood not only on the ground but on the brush too. If you begin to lose the animal’s trail, tie a piece of biodegradable paper near the last blood spot. Then search for the animal’s trail by walking a circular pattern out from the paper. The paper will serve as a marker and will let you know where you started. Also, tying paper at the locations of the last three or four spots you see, and then stand away from the paper and looking at the paper trail, can help you visualize the direction the animal took.
  • Once you’ve found the animal, check to see if its eyes are open. If they’re not, the animal probably isn’t dead. If its eyes are open, touch one of the eyes with a long stick. That will keep you out of harm’s way if the animal is still alive. Once the animal is dead, field dress and cool its meat immediately. It’s usually warm during the archery hunt, and the warm temperatures can cause the meat to spoil quickly.

Cook also provides tips for reducing conflicts with homeowners and those who don’t hunt:

• Find access points to your hunting area well in advance of the season.
• If access requires crossing private land, you must obtain written permission from the landowner. If you can’t obtain written permission, find another access point.
• Before you start hunting, make sure you’re well beyond the minimum distances you must maintain from roads and dwellings. If you’re going to hunt in Salt Lake County, please remember that the county’s hunting restrictions are more restrictive than the rest of Utah. Read the 2008 Big Game Guidebook closely for more information.
• Avoid hunting in areas that a lot of people use. Also, whenever possible, avoid hunting near heavily used trails.

“Most of the people in Utah choose not to hunt. But they support hunting as long as hunters are safe, legal and ethical,” Cook says. “When hunters don’t behave that way, the way people feel about hunting can take a turn for the worse.”

Extended archery areas

If you want to hunt the Wasatch Front, Ogden, Unitah Basin or Sanpete Valley extended archery areas, please remember the following:

• Before hunting any of these areas, you must complete the DWR’s Extended Archery Ethics Course. The free course is available online at wildlife.utah.gov/huntereducation.
• While hunting in an extended archery area, you must carry two items with you: your 2008 statewide general archery buck deer permit and your Extended Archery Ethics Course certificate. If you’re a member of the Dedicated Hunter program, you must also carry your Dedicated Hunter certificate of registration.

For more information, call the nearest Division of Wildlife Resources office or the DWR’s Salt Lake City office at (801) 538-4700.

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