Although the mid-December morning was quite cold, excitement easily overcame the chill as Natalee Heck and her dad geared up in blaze orange and headed for the deer woods in nervous anticipation. It was a 2018 private lands youth antlerless deer hunt and the only question was whether the deer would be on the move that morning or not?
Sure enough, bucks and does began appearing from the woods shortly after sunrise and by 10 a.m. Natalee had harvested her first deer – a doe weighing 112 pounds. Not only was it her first ever deer, it was the first deer hunt she had ever been on. The smiles were endless and the memories priceless for all involved.
More than 50 young hunters age 12 to 17 had similar experiences during 2018, all feeling the excitement and thrill of what Oklahoma’s private lands youth antlerless deer hunt program is all about – creating lifelong memories between landowners, young deer hunters, and the family member or friend along to help. The program may be administered through the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, but the achievement, success, and appreciation of the program is a result of generous Oklahoma landowners opening their land to create these youth hunt opportunities.
The great news is that the Wildlife Department enrolls willing landowners each year and the need has never been greater. More than 200 youths applied for private lands youth hunts last year and while the odds of getting randomly drawn for a hunt are around 25 percent, three out of four young hunters remain without a spot within one of the hunts each year. Like Natalee, many youths experience deer hunting for the first time through the private lands youth hunt program, and it’s all a result of generous landowners.
Enrolling within the program is free and easy and a Wildlife Department biologist will be there to assist the landowner each step of the way, including through the hunt. Landowners simply choose the date(s) they’d like to host a youth hunt on their property and the biologist and landowner work together to determine the number of youth hunters eligible for the size of the property. There is a 1,000-acre minimum acreage requirement, but multiple landowners can combine their acreage to meet the minimum. While lodging and/or meals are offered by some landowners for the youth participants and their accompanying adult, this is not a requirement for the program. Additionally, the Wildlife Department handles the administrative side of the hunts including the collecting of the youth hunt applications, licensing, and safety orientation. However when it comes to the hunt, enrolled landowners take the lead in assisting youth participants and their accompanied adult to their pre-determined hunt locations.
Whether you are a landowner interested in the program or a family member interested in applying a young hunter for one of the fall 2019 private lands youth deer hunt spots, more information is available by contacting our private lands staff.