HELPFUL TIPS

Applicants have the chance to buy extra hunt choices at $3 apiece, which will be in addition to the basic application fee of $10 for residents and nonresidents. This increases your overall odds of being drawn simply by putting your name into more of the drawings. 

You might consider adding PointGuard to your application as a safety net just incase something unexpected comes up and you won’t be able to attend your hunt. This “insurance” option is designed to protect your preference points in the event you are drawn but for some reason you cannot go on your hunt. PointGuard costs an additional $10 over the basic application fee for residents, and an additional $50 over the basic application fee for nonresidents.

Each preference point you earn acts like an extra application for the next year. But if you know you cannot hunt this year and still want to earn a preference point, you can now choose to mark your application as Preference Point Only. This allows you to earn a point this year that carries over to next year. As the name implies, your name will not be in the hunt drawings this year. The PPO option is available as an optional choice and is included in the applicant’s $10 basic application fee.

Although preference points increase your odds of selection, they do not guarantee that applicants with the most points will get drawn. What is guaranteed is that their odds of being drawn improve. First-time applicants with no preference points can and do get drawn for popular hunts, while hunters who have many preference points can miss out being drawn. The pool size related to the number of hunt permits also affects one’s chances of being drawn.

The pool size related to the number of hunt permits also affects one’s chances of being drawn.

Continuing this year, applicants who hold 20 or more preference points in the once-in-a lifetime elk and pronghorn hunt categories will have a higher likelihood of winning a permit, as the drawing procedure has been enhanced for those categories. A first drawing for half of the elk hunt permits and half of the antelope hunt permits will be conducted from a pool of only those applicants with 20 or more preference points in the category. The winners of the remaining half of hunt permits in each category will be drawn from the pool of all applicants (excluding those who were selected for hunts in the first drawing).

In some categories, hunters may apply in groups of up to four people. An average of the total preference points of all hunters is used for each hunter in the group. If not drawn in that category, each applicant in the group will earn a single preference point that carries forward with the rest of their points to future drawings. Once you are drawn for a hunt, all preference points that you have built up in that hunt category are cleared. You can begin building preference points again with your application
next year in the deer and turkey categories. (Elk and pronghorn controlled hunts are once-in-a-lifetime draws, and previous winners are not allowed to apply again.)

Here are some other tips for increasing your chances of winning a controlled hunt:

• By designating additional hunt choices, you increase your overall odds of being selected for at least one of the choices, so make as many selections as a category allows (five in the deer category, for example), rather than just three, two or
  one. Then consider adding even more hunt choices at $3 each, no limit.
• Consider the ratio of permits to applicants to help you decide which hunts might give you the best chance of selection. A selection ratio of 1-in-25 is better odds than a ratio of 1-in-80.
• You can increase your odds of being drawn when you apply for hunts that happen on key dates of the regular statewide seasons, such as the opening weekend of muzzleloader or gun season. Many hunters may skip those dates because of already-planned hunts.
• For those locations that offer multiple hunts in the same category, the second or third hunts (the later hunts) are often easier to get selected for than the earliest hunts.
• Hunts that are considered by some to be less desirable, such as antlerless deer hunts, may be just the right choice for a meat hunter looking to raise his chances of getting to hunt at a premier location. 

2024-25 DEER HUNTS

• Total applicants (includes first, second, third, fourth, and fifth choice preferences): 65,540.
• Total permits available: 3,694.
• Overall odds of getting drawn for any one permit: 1 in 17.7.
• NOTE: For better odds of being drawn, avoid putting in for the most popular hunts, including those at the McAlester Army Ammunition Plant, the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge buck gun hunt, the Sandy Sanders buck gun hunt, and Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge Either Sex hunts.

2024 DEER HUNTS FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

• Total applicants (includes first, second, and third choice preferences): 320.
• Total permits available: 111.
• Overall odds of getting drawn for any one permit: 1 in 2.9.
• NOTE: Northeastern Oklahoma areas including Cherokee, Cookson Hills, Gruber, and Spavinaw WMAs generally get the most applications in this category. Try for hunts in other parts of the state to raise your chances.

2024 YOUTH DEER HUNTS

• Total applicants (includes first, second, and third choice preferences): 3,790.
• Total permits available: 811.
• Overall odds of getting drawn for any one permit: 1 in 4.7.
• NOTE: Controlled hunts held outside the regular muzzleloader and gun seasons typically draw more applications. Increase your chances by choosing hunt dates that are within those regular statewide seasons, especially those that fall on opening weekends when most hunter already have other plans.

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR PREFERENCE POINTS

Controlled hunts applicants have two ways to protect their valuable preference points so they continue to count for them in future years.

The PointGuard and Preference Point Only options are available when hunters apply online for controlled hunt drawings from early April through mid-May. These options are not available after the controlled hunt application period closes.

POINTGUARD

This insurance protects a winning hunter’s preference points and eligibility for controlled hunt drawings in future years in case the hunter cannot attend the hunt he or she wins. For example, a hunter submits applications for controlled hunts in the categories of deer, youth deer, and elk. The hunter pays the basic $10 fee total to apply in all three categories. When applying, the hunter is given the chance to add PointGuard insurance ($10 for residents; $50 for nonresident). If the hunter is unable to attend the hunt, the insurance will preserve his preference points in that hunt category that normally would have been cleared. PointGuard allows the hunter to remain eligible for future drawings for once-in-a-lifetime controlled hunts since the hunter wasn’t able to attend the current year’s hunt. Each hunter applying in a group will be given the option to buy PointGuard individually.

PREFERENCE POINT ONLY (PPO)

This option is for hunters who don’t want to put their name in a hunt drawing but still want to obtain an additional preference point for future drawings. It is only available during the online controlled hunt application period from April 1 to mid-May. To choose the PPO option, the hunter will begin submitting an application as he or she normally would for the standard $10 fee. The hunter will then see an option for Preference Point Only in each category. In lieu of the hunter’s name going into the drawings, the hunter will get one additional preference point in that hunt category, and all of their preference points will carry over for next year’s drawing.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Who can apply?

Any resident or nonresident who possesses a valid hunting license or who is otherwise exempt may apply for controlled hunts. A list of which hunting licenses are valid is available at wildlifedepartment.com. Applicants must buy a license prior to applying for controlled hunts. Applicants who are eligible for, and possess, apprentice-designated hunting licenses may also apply (although some hunts require hunter education certification by the date of the hunt.) Check the website for more information.

Am I guaranteed a hunt if I apply long enough?

No; drawings are random from the specified pool of applicants. But your odds get better every year you submit an application because you earn (or buy) preference points for future drawings.

How do I pay my application fees?

You may pay the one-time application fee ($10 for residents or $50 for nonresidents) plus any additional add-on selections using a Visa or MasterCard credit or debit card online at GoOutdoorsOklahoma.com. If your name is drawn, additional license and user fees may be required for specific hunt areas, such as federal refuges.

Do my preference points stay with me forever?

Points remain with you, in each category, until your name is drawn, or when you don’t submit any applications for five consecutive years.

What if my address changes after I applied?

Notify the Wildlife Department’s License Section by calling (405) 521-3852. 

I was drawn but now I can’t go hunting; do I get my preference points back?

If you bought PointGuard insurance during the application period, you will regain your preference points for that hunt category. You can claim your PointGuard insurance any time before the day of your hunt. If you didn’t buy PointGuard, your preference points for that hunt category will be lost.
 

DEER HUNTS

DEER HUNTS (NONAMBULATORY, VEHICLE)

YOUTH DEER HUNTS