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!
Siren Song of the Slough
For avid wildlife watchers and salamander enthusiasts, the swampy habitat and opportunity for adventure are reasons enough to visit Red Slough Wildlife Management Area.
Winter Bird Surveys with OKC Zoo
Longtime conservation partners, the OKC Zoo and Wildlife Department joined forces to conduct surveys of the winter birds of Deep Fork and Okmulgee WMAs.
Lopping Redcedars for Wildlife Habitat
Lopping young redcedars below the lowest growing branch is one way to rid your wildscape of a native but encroaching tree.
Surveying Three Ozark Highland Rivers
The Wildlife Department has documented 61 species of fish and freshwater mussels while surveying three Ozark Highland rivers; 11 of which are considered species of greatest conservation need.
Look Who's Croaking: Meet the Frogs of Red Slough WMA
Each spring, ponds, wetlands and lakes across the state boom with the peeping, snoring and laughing calls of breeding frogs and toads.
Warm up with These Winter Hikes
Though our state does endure a few blustery, brutal winter days, there are also several mild reprieves when Oklahomans can stretch their legs and enjoy the landscape with winter hikes.
Wildscaping with Winterberry
A dual-purpose wildlife plant, winterberry offers a late season treat to many species of wildlife during winter and is a great hiding spot for bird nests in the spring.
Christmas Birds Counted at Red Slough WMA
Bird watchers covered nearly 180 square miles from the Idabel area south to the Red River, documenting 111 species of birds.
2016-2017 Big Game Report
Oklahoma continues to enjoy some of the best deer hunting in North America as our habitat and herds continue to recover from the severe drought a few years ago. The overall harvest increased by nearly 12 percent from 2015-16, with a total of 99,023 deer taken in 2016-17. Figure 1 depicts deer harvest from 1972 through this past season. A breakdown of the past 10 years by bucks (including button bucks) and does appears in Figure 2. Does account for 37 percent of the total deer harvest, below the 40 percent to 45 percent target rate but acceptable for a herd recovering from the lower reproduction encountered during the drought. A total of 189 mule deer were checked from the westernmost areas of the state.