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On the eve of the opening of this year's deer hunting season, the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife & Conservation (ODWC) has issued an analysis of the deer population and their predictions for the season's bag amounts. You can read a full report of their survey for all counties at their website -- www.wildlifedepartment.com.

In general, the Wildlife Department is optomistic that this year's deer hunters will be able to bag their limit of eight. The Northeast region has a particularly high count of deer so Big Game Biologist Dallas Barber says it is important that local hunters do their part in helping the state's overall deer herd health by harvesting antler-less deer. Barber also reminded hunters who applied for controlled hunts can take more than the allotted eight.

According to a report by Colby Farquahar of the Northeast Region, deer are increasingly moving about during daylight hours and entering roadways and residential areas in search of food. At night, mature bucks can be seen outside the usual forest areas crusing, chasing, and breeding. Farquahar suggests that you pre-scout your hunting area and look for patterns of movement before attempting to actually hunt. He says thinking outside the box on standard mating patterns and migration movements will help find deer more efficiently. Short bursts of hunting on weekdays may prove a better choice than an all-day sit-in on weekends.

Deer hunting seasons officially begins 30 minutes before sunrise on Saturday, November 19 and runs through December 4 for a total of 16 days.

(Photo courtesy of OWDC)