Your heart is racing, adrenaline is flowing, all because a nice 8~point buck has stepped into view. You slowly pull back on your bow as your target finally draws close enough for you to pull off a shot. Your hands are shaking as you try to steady your bow to release for the shot. Finally you feel confident enough that you have the bow aimed and with the release of the string from your fingers you fire your shot.
From the second you heard the leaves crunching on its approach until the release of your shot, your heart is pounding. Archery hunting, just like any other type of hunting, can get any hunter's heart racing. With archery comes the intense moment when your prey is so close to you that even the smallest movement can result in a failed attempt at getting a shot off.
What makes archery so special is the time spent outdoors. You may see multiple deer, but getting a shot off depends on having enough patience for the deer of your choice to get close enough for you to pull a shot off. Compared to rifle hunting, archery is much more primitive, and presents a challenge to both new and experienced hunters.
One of today's challenges for any hunter is finding a nice secluded place to hunt. Unless you have permission to hunt on private land or own some private land yourself, finding a secluded area to hunt can be difficult. Covering 14,316 acres in west~ ern Delaware and eastern Mayes counties, Spavinaw WMA (Wildlife Management Area) offers some excellent hunting ground for avid archers. Spavinaw GMA (Game Management Area) specifically offers some of the best archery hunting in the area since it is more closely regulated.
Spavinaw area biologist says, "The rough mountainous terrain gives any archery hunter the feel that they are the only hunter on the 14,316-acre area." This area is highly sought out by archery hunters for the experience and enjoyment of bowhunting.
Time is limited on the GMA because although the area is open for archery hunting for most of the archery season, it is closed on certain days in October and in November for deer controlled hunts. However, the Spavinaw PHA (Public Hunting Area) is open for the entire archery season.
Archery isn't the only reason to be interested in Spavinaw. Four controlled deer hunts are drawn for on Spavinaw's GMA. An either-sex primitive for youth, either-sex youth gun, either-sex adult gun, antlerless adult gun, are the four controlled hunts offered on the area each year. Additionally, spring turkey is also a favorite of those who come to Spavinaw WMA to hunt. Patient hunters could have a chance at a big tom on the rolling hills of the area.
Every year a prescribed burn management program is implemented by Wildlife Department employees to help improve the area's habitat. Each year from 3,000 to 12,000 acres are burned on the area. Burning is one of the major management tools used on the area to help manage the wildlife habitat. Of course, in order to burn conditions have to be just right; otherwise the fire could get out of control and burn more than what's expected. By maintaining fireguards, which can be anything from a dirt road to a disked-up field, they not only create a way to stop the fire, but also an edge, which creates diversity in the habitat. By burning in late winter just before spring, and hoping for the normal spring rains, the burned areas will provide lush nutrient-filled vegetation for all types of wildlife. Also, prescribed burns done in late summer set back succession of woody growth and promote new vegetation for the upcoming winter months. The National Wild Turkey Federation has provided support for some prescribed burn projects and other habitat improvement projects on the area.
Although quail populations on the area have been low, the current prescribed burn management program and forestry mastication of timber openings look to increase the quail population by providing better quality habitat.
With its diversity of habitat from oak-hickory forest, short-leafed pine, to scattered mixed-grass prairie (originally a Pine-Oak Savanah) through mountainous terrain, the Spavinaw WMA provides many opportunities not only for hunters but for non-hunters also. Sightseeing, horseback riding, bird watching, mountain biking, and trail hiking are some of the non-hunting activities that go on at Spavinaw. The area is closed though for non-hunting activities from October 1 to January 31 and for spring turkey season.
Although Spavinaw WMA may not offer any fishing opportunities on the area, Spavinaw and Eucha lakes are north and east, respectively, of the WMA. Spavinaw State Park is also just north and east of Spavinaw WMA below the Spavinaw Lake dam and offers many camping facilities. Around Eucha Lake there are primitive campgrounds maintained by City of Tulsa personnel. The property surrounding these two lakes is owned by the City of Tulsa and also provides additional hunting opportunities (consult with the City of Tulsa personnel on Spavinaw & Eucha lakes for regulations). Also, Lake Hudson is just west of the WMA near the town of Salina for anyone interested in some good bass fishing.
Spavinaw WMA offers a large variety of species for wildlife watchers wanting to catch a glimpse of a variety of animals. With around 35 species of songbirds in the area, over 30 species of mammals, 20 species of reptiles, and 15 species of amphibians, the area is covered with a diversity of wildlife to please just about anyone seeking wildlife to view.
With all the opportunities available at Spavinaw it can truly grab the attention of any avid outdoorsman. With its beautiful mountainous terrain and mix of vegetation, the area is truly a wonderful sight to see. Whether it be archery hunting during deer season or spring turkey season, Spavinaw offers a little bit of everything.
Spavinaw History
Acquired by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation back in the early 30’s, Spavinaw WMA was purchased with the intent to re-establish deer populations in the eastern part of the state. It was purchased along with four other areas, which included Cookson, Okmulgee, Cherokee, and Pushmataha, to not only re-introduce deer into eastern Oklahoma, but to help department biologists get a better understanding of deer biology. Before being purchased, Spavinaw WMA served as a homestead during Oklahoma's introduction into statehood, a commercial logging and cattle grazing area.
At the time, McAlester Army Ammunition Plant was one of the only areas in the east that had a good source of deer to capture and relocate to these new areas since it was a protected area. After relocating almost 9,000 deer from 1947 to 1972 across the state, along with management techniques on these areas, department biologists began to see the fruits of their labor- a growing and healthy whitetail deer population.
Current management practices on the WMA are specialized to help manage the area's deer, turkey, and quail populations. The use of yearly prescribed burns, forestry mastication and controlled hunts are the primary tools of management on the area.
If it weren't for the intense conservative management practices that were used and studied on these areas by Department employees today's hunters would probably not be benefiting from the current deer population. Thanks largely to Spavinaw WMA and the other areas that were purchased, along with the hard work of Department employees, today's whitetail deer population flourishes.
PHA vs. GMA
Spavinaw WMA consists of 14,316 acres which is broken up into two areas. The Public Hunting Area (PHA) consists of little over 2,100 acres, while the Game Management Area (GMA) consists of 12,200 acres. The PHA is an area where most forms of wildlife harvest are permitted under statewide hunting, fishing, and furbearer regulations unless specific regulations for the area indicate otherwise. The GMA is an area where hunting and public use are more closely regulated. For information regarding regulations on each of these areas be sure to check the latest Oklahoma Hunting Guide.
Who pays for Spavinaw WMA?
Hunters and anglers funded the purchase of Spavinaw WMA by buying hunting and fishing licenses, as well as purchasing sporting goods. Sporting goods manufacturers pay a federal excise tax for items such as firearms and fishing lures. These revenues go into the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program, which distributes millions of dollars to worthy conservation projects throughout the nation.