THE Place

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OKRev

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OK guys (pun intended), if you could hunt just one place in the state where would it be and why? I'm selfishly trying to get some ideas for myself and also help to educate some other Oklahoma hunters on some available options, so while "My best friend Bob's farm" might be your go to (and I'd love to hear why) I'd prefer to hear about public land or even paid preserves that offer opportunities for our bird hunting community to enjoy the sport. I don't want you to give away your honey holes so you don't have to be super specific, but some ideas would be nice.

A little background for this thread, the info on the websites for our state WMAs is a little misleading. Some of them are quite large and spread out, and may have a quail population as the sites say, but where in the world do you start? Or for example there is a small 480 acre WMA near me that according to the web has a "Good population in most years", what does that even mean? I have personally walked in every block of this WMA, literally setting foot on probably 280 of the 480 acres and have yet to bump a single bird (btw the majority of this WMA is marshy grassland with no cover, I've worked every edge and treeline on the property). I would think a "good population" would mean there would be at least 10 coveys here. And good luck getting in touch with the area biologists! Sorry for the rant, I just wish they'd update these things better.
 
The big WMAs out west all have good populations of birds this year, but the word is definitely out. Pressure has been steady. I don't hunt any of the ones on the east side of the state anymore. Kaw used to be good. Haven't hunted it in years.
 
I know EXACTLY which WMA you're talking about because I've had the exact same experience there! LOL. Wish there was more public ground in NC OK because that would be my location of choice. Easy walking and ample food (grain) sources. If you find any decent cover that direction, chances are good that you'll kick up quail or pheasant. I've had some outstanding mixed bag hunts on private land in Garfield, Grant, Noble, and Kay Counties over the past several years.
 
akp said:
The big WMAs out west all have good populations of birds this year, but the word is definitely out. Pressure has been steady. I don't hunt any of the ones on the east side of the state anymore. Kaw used to be good. Haven't hunted it in years.
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I went up to Kaw a couple of weekends ago east of Newkirk on the Arkansas. From the habitat, thought I would see tons of birds, but all I got was a goose-egg. Even the wing box was empty and very clean.
 
Kaw was outstanding last season but I think the floods really hurt them this summer. I really struggled on my one trip up there this year.
 
Kaw can be tricky when it comes to flooding. So much of that habitat is close to the lake. The turkeys really took a major hit there back in 08.
 
twoodrow12 said:
Kaw was outstanding last season but I think the floods really hurt them this summer. I really struggled on my one trip up there this year.
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Makes sense. I hunted both sides of the Arkansas including some great bean fields on the west side that looked like they'd hold lots of quail and I wouldn't have been surprised to put a couple of pheasants up. I know they really set their habitats up for deer and waterfowl management, but I'm still bewildered at the low numbers of quail.

Have any of you guys been out to Drummond Flats? I've heard they have a small population of pheasants there. It would be almost a two hour drive for me, would it be worth the trip?
 
What's wrong with having a mixed bag of both wild quail and wild pheasants all over Oklahoma.

I have been keeping up with the slow south and eastward expansion of the wild pheasant range in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas for over forty years.

In the early 70's the wild pheasant range played out just south of Enid now over 40 years later a few truly wild pheasants are seen around Kingfisher and areas west of there, and a few around Stillwater and Cushing. Along the Arkansas River wild pheasants slowly expanding southward. Bird watchers frequently see pheasants around Lake Texoma.

On the Kansas side wild pheasant have expanded their range slowly over the last twenty years into the counties east of the Arkansas River around Dexter and a few wild pheasants are seen (not on roads) but in the back lakes water areas as far east as Havana.

In Texas wild pheasant are seen around Lubbock and in small wild pockets as far south and east as Knox City and Munday.

Main point, since state wildlife officials in the three states talked about are not trying to expand the wild pheasant range.

Why don't the private citizen hunters take the initiative and start a program to stock wilder strains of pen raised pheasants below or south of the present wild pheasant range.

If a concentrated effort was started to stock thousands wilder strains of pen raise pheasants alert and wary of predators (like the Manchurian ringneck or the White-Winged (Bianchi) pheasant) not the fat tame low flying pen raised pheasants.

This would fortify and speed up the slow southward expansion of the wild pheasant range.

If it worked 50 to 60 years ago to establish a wild reproducing population of pheasants, it should also work today. See article below and note the part about the "gene pool of the High Plains":

http://amarillo.com/stories/2001/12/02/whe_legionsofspo.shtml#.VpcRbmA6q5Z
 
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Love DF. It's really the only place I day trip anymore. Birds are PhDs and are very good at avoiding you but they are there. It gets actively
Managed so it's a little different every year but for the most part I know a general area and timing of where to find birds. This year is tough due to all the water and the roads Are damn near impassible with mud. It's kind of funny, even with all the pressure it gets, you rarely hear anyone shooting. Steel shot requirement is also kind of a bummer
 
Preston1 said:
What's wrong with having a mixed bag of both wild quail and wild pheasants all over Oklahoma.
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If I remember correctly, the Wildlife Dept. tried stocking pheasants around the Keystone Lake management area back in the early 80's. Unfortunately they didn't close the stocked areas to hunting and the birds were promptly eliminated from the gene pool.

cr
 
Tried Kaw again last week. Found two nice coveys within 400 yards of each other. There is also a VERY healthy population of armadillos there, which my dog loves to chase.:mad::mad::mad:
 
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