Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge Oklahoma

[bossbowman]

Don't see much OK chatter, anyone here hunt there?

[sandbill]

Don't see much OK chatter, anyone here hunt there?

We spent three days at the refuge earlier in the week. Sure would like to get a hunt in there. Saw lots of nice bulls while on tours back in the 'special use area'.

[texan4ut]

My Mom has 160 acres 8 miles from there. She was born in Mt Park. Love going out there. Some of those elk have escaped the refuge so Kiowa county now has a Elk season. Her place is too much farm land but there are deer and turkeys within a couple of miles from her place.

[sandbill]

My Mom has 160 acres 8 miles from there. She was born in Mt Park. Love going out there. Some of those elk have escaped the refuge so Kiowa county now has a Elk season. Her place is too much farm land but there are deer and turkeys within a couple of miles from her place.

Great area for wildlife. Quite a bonus when you have elk in the neighborhood!

[texan4ut]

Great area for wildlife. Quite a bonus when you have elk in the neighborhood!

To draw a tag for the Elk hunt in the refuge is almost impossible, they draw 50 tags and last year they had over 5,000 applicants. Pretty country though. Me and my mom go up there several times a year as most of my relatives are up there. Duck hunting, and dove hunting on her place is really good.

[Horn chaser]

I drew a cow elk tag there two years ago and all I saw was bulls and some very big bulls at that. I never could find the heard of cows while I was there, but I did at least put 2 guys with bull tags on their bulls the second morning of the hunt. They both tagged out that second morning 10 minutes after legal shooting time. They didn't shoot the biggest bull I saw in that area as he was easily over 400. They also have some good bucks on that refuge too. Wichita Mtn refuge is all draw hunt and the elk tags are a once in a lifetime hunt. If you put in for Oklahoma controlled hunts it definitely worth putting in for a bull elk tag and see if you are ever lucky enough to actually draw it.

[sandbill]

An Oklahoma out-of-state elk hunting license costs $306, and you must purchase this just to apply for an elk hunt at the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. The WMWR web site states that there are upwards of 30,000 elk hunt applicants each year, for a 'limited' number of permits. And, it's my understanding that only 10% of those limited permits are reserved for the out-of-state hunters. So, it's a pricey and bad odds venture for sure. But, there are some BIG bulls back there, plus very high hunt success rates. Congrats on getting to hunt in there, Horn chaser!