Opportunity awaits 76 young Oklahomans, mentors
"Bonus" Youth Deer Hunt Drawing is a perfect chance to for mentors to step up
Deer hunter’s eyes get a little twinkle when I tell them I grew up in Iowa, and it immediately dulls when I tell them opportunities were somewhat limited in the 1970s. It was not the deer hunting Mecca then that it is today.
In fact, my first “deer” was a moose killed late on a frosty afternoon in central Alaska, when I was 24 years old. I sometimes wonder what kind of hunter I would have become had I stayed in the Lower 48.
Starting out young is important. Deer hunting simply is not instilled in me like duck hunting and upland hunting, and today I’m wishing for a better start for a pile of young Oklahomans.
Sign-up for a load of “bonus” antlerless deer hunts still is open through the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation and these hunts are especially good opportunities for first-timers and other relative newbies. The application period closes Friday, Aug. 20.
Let’s put out a call to all potential mentors, this is no small opportunity with 76 permits issued, and we need to seize upon this chance to give a lot of youngsters a good opportunity.
If you know of a first-timer or a kid who otherwise might have limited opportunity to take a deer this coming season, do what you can to get them into this drawing. It could be a neighbor or a member of a family you know at church or friends through school or scouting or other programs. Take a minute and consider who you know and take that leap to ask their parents about it today, this week, and get them signed up.
This should be a drawing loaded with names of those kinds of kids.
It may sound a little cold-hearted, but I think it’s almost a shame if a lot of these 76 chances go to kids who will take this bonus doe among several others they might kill this season across different parts of the state.
It should be a drawing for the kid looking for their first deer or one of their first, not their 21st.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s always great for kids and parents to take advantage of every opportunity and this might be a chance for someone with their own property to learn about how they can do it better at home. I can’t blame anyone for seizing upon an opportunity, and deer taken during this hunt don’t count against the hunter’s seasonal limit.
But this one is really is prime for newcomers and new mentors.
These hunts are offered by landowners who open their places out of the goodness of their hearts and in many cases with the added chance to increase the antlerless harvest on their property, according to Wildlife Department spokesman Micah Holmes.
“Each hunt is a little bit different, but for the most part the landowner will be out there,” he said. “Some are really all-in with feeding the kids and everything and others might send us out and say ‘get after it.’”
For the most part, landowners or department personnel set up blinds so the kids will have a place to go with a good opportunity to at least see plenty of deer if not take one, he said. The Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Foundation purchased blinds, chairs, and bi-pods for youth programs so those who go on these hunts really just need suitable clothing and a rifle.
Holmes said the point of the program is indeed to provide support for new young hunters and that making it a success is in large part on the shoulders of the adults.
“We really want to encourage people to take a kid that might not have been on a hunt or maybe just been on a couple of hunts, and who will have an accompanying adult with them that will provide that social support so it’s not just a one-time experience,” he said. “We want this to be a building block experience, whether it’s a first-timer or their fifth or sixth hunt on their way to becoming a lifelong hunter.”
About the hunt
The Wildlife Department lays out the following information about the hunt:
To be eligible, youths must have completed hunter education requirements prior to applying and must be age 12-17 at the time of their scheduled hunt. The scheduled hunts and locations are:
• Beckham County
Oct. 8-9, 2021
Oct. 15-16, 2021 (two hunts)
Dec. 10-11, 2021
Dec. 17-18, 2021
• Ellis County
Oct. 8-10, 2021
• Latimer County
Dec. 3-4, 2021
• Love/Carter Counties
Dec. 10-11, 2021 (mandatory orientation Dec. 10, 2021)
• Love County
Oct. 14-15, 2021
Dec. 3-4, 2021
• McClain County
Oct. 15-17, 2021
• Sequoyah County
Oct. 15-17, 2021
To apply for a hunt, youth applicants must create or login to their Go Outdoors Oklahoma license account at https://quotahunt.gooutdoorsoklahoma.com/Hunts/CustomerLookup.aspx (click on the View Hunt Opportunities button) and apply no later than 11:59 p.m. Friday, Aug. 20, 2021, with the following information:
Hunter’s last four digits of social security number (to sign up/login to account).
Hunter’s first and last name.
Hunter’s date of birth.
Hunter’s mailing address.
Hunter education certification number.
Accompanying adult’s first and last name.*
Accompanying adult’s telephone number.
Accompanying adult’s email address.
List of hunts by order of preference.**
* All youths participating in these hunts must have an adult (licensed or unlicensed) who is at least age 21 accompany them on their hunt.
** List the hunt(s) you wish to apply for by order of preference. Please do not list a hunt that you are not interested in or know in advance you cannot attend.
Antlerless deer taken by selected applicants during these youth hunts will be considered a bonus deer and will not count toward the hunter’s statewide season limit.
All applicants will receive an email notification on or before Sept. 1, 2021. Applicants that were successfully drawn will be provided specific information about their hunt and the deadline for purchasing the required license(s) through the Wildlife Department’s Go Outdoors Oklahoma license system. In general, each youth participant will be required to have a valid Oklahoma hunting license and a controlled hunt private lands youth antlerless deer license, unless exempt.
If you have any questions before applying, please call Private Lands Supervisor Josh Richardson at (405) 637-7324 or Private Lands Biologist Kyle Johnson at (405) 590-2584.