This is the Outdoor Oklahoma Journal, where we're all about helping you pursue and engage in Oklahoma's vibrant outdoor lifestyle. Follow us for great hunting and fishing stories, wildlife features, insider information about unique opportunities, and tangible details on how to go out and be a hunter, angler, and conservationist. The outdoors are always open, so don't miss out!
Pond Habitat Improvement
Wintertime is a great time to improve shoreline habitat in your pond as water levels are typically at their lowest.
Explore Nature during Winter BioBlitz! OK
The Oklahoma Biological Survey is kicking off 2022 with their first ever Winter BioBlitz! OK, Jan. 28 - Feb. 4. The week-long event will be a great opportunity to get outside during winter and learn more about the plants and animals in your backyard, local park, or natural area.
Land is Grand
Landowners with stream frontage understand the value of owning land with a creek flowing through it. The pure aesthetics of clear flowing water and the sense of serenity it brings by sitting near it is value enough for many. For others, it’s the relaxation of swimming in the cool water on a hot summer day or casting to a native smallmouth and watching it devour a perfectly placed fly. Others rely on it for meeting the needs of livestock or crops. The one connection between all these activities is water and land.
RC Brown Named ODWC Landowner of the Year
RC (Rick) Brown is the Wildlife Department’s Landowner of the Year.
2021 Rut Report: Deer Moving as Gun Hunting Season Just Days Away
The most highly anticipated day of the year for many thousands of Oklahoma hunters arrives this Saturday, Nov. 20, as the state’s deer gun hunting season officially begins a half-hour before sunrise.
A White Bass Taco Recipe That You Don't Want to Miss
We think you need these beer-battered white bass tacos in your recipe book, for that day when you really bring home a mess of fish!
Technology Helps Budding Naturalist Develop Eye for Nature
Emily Thomer’s interest in nature has been growing for the past four years, but her discovery of the natural world comes with a modern spin.
Arts and Science
In the field of biology, arts and science have long gone hand-in-hand. Early naturalists often sketched their discoveries, field guides are typically built around illustrations, and science courses have occasionally incorporated sketching into the curricula.
New Black Bass Rules Proposed for 2022
Each year, the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) proposes changes in Title 800, the administrative rules that govern hunting, fishing and Wildlife Department operations. This year, the Wildlife Department’s Fisheries Division is proposing a rule change allowing anglers to keep smaller, more abundant largemouth and smallmouth bass, while limiting the harvest of larger bass. The proposal aims to remove the 14-inch minimum length limit from lakes and reservoirs, and would allow anglers to keep only one bass greater than 16 inches daily. If approved, biologists anticipate a positive impact on the overall quality of Oklahoma’s black bass populations.