Youth deer gun season kicks off Oct. 17-19

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) - The Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation is gearing up to kick off Youth deer gun season beginning October 17-19.

Hunters under 18 will need to apply for the state's youth annual super hunting license. The license is valid for the entire combined season bag limit (6), Wildlife officials say.

During youth gun season hunters must be accompanied by an adult 18 years of age or older. According to Wildlife officials, no prior hunting experience is required.

Details on hunting licenses:

• What Licenses Do We Need?

Hunters must be in possession of all appropriate licenses before harvesting a deer.

What Type of Deer Can We Hunt During the Youth Deer Gun Season?

• The harvest limit for the youth deer gun season is two deer, only one of which may be antlered. An “antlered deer” is any deer, regardless of sex, with at least three inches of antler length above the natural hairline on either side. The harvest of antlerless mule deer is prohibited during the youth deer gun season. All deer taken during the youth deer gun season are included in the hunter’s combined season limit of six deer, but are not included as part of the hunter’s regular deer gun season limit of four deer. This means that as long as a youth has not already harvested his or her combined season limit of six deer (of which no more than two may be bucks), then they can participate in both the youth deer gun season as well as the regular gun season a few weeks later.

Who is Exempt from Hunter Education?

• Anyone 31 years of age or older.
• Anyone honorably discharged from the U.S. Armed Forces.
• Anyone currently on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces.
• Anyone who is a member of the National Guard.

If your hunter education card is lost or destroyed click here. Wildlife officials say, certification is recognized and honored in all 50 states and all provinces in Canada.

You can find a list of game processors online here and license information here.