Oklahoma is the Fastest Growing Duck Hunting State in the Nation

If you haven't lived here long enough to know already, Oklahoma has evolved to become a sportsmans paradise over the last fifty years.

I've listened to old-timers talk about hunting in Oklahoma my entire life. Back in their day, the only things to hunt were quail, pheasant, turkey, antelope, and the occasional mule deer that strayed far enough out of the Texas panhandle.

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Since the first statewide whitetail deer hunting season in the 1970s until now, Oklahoma has become a best-kept wildlife secret across America. We grow large deer, are overrun with wild turkey and hogs, offer ample opportunities for furbearer hunting and trapping, it's only natural duck hunting shall join the conservation conversation.

I know what you're going to say. Duck hunting? In Oklahoma? Really? I had the exact same reaction. Oklahoma was once the land of rivers with a perfect zero natural lakes, but after a hundred years of building reservoirs and managing public lands, the Sooner State is one of the top ducking destinations in the country as of 2023.

Ducks? In Oklahoma?

The reason this probably sounds so strange to Oklahoma hunters and outdoorsmen is duck hunting has never been popular here. We've long been an upland bird and turkey state to the early generations.

Boomers and Gen-X developed deer hunting. Millennials discovered wild hog and coyote hunting, and the Zoomers are here just in time for the duck renaissance.

What makes Oklahoma a prime destination for duck hunting?

Well, put simply, all of that wide-open space that makes the Sooner State a "flyover" state is what makes it appealing for duck hunting.

It also doesn't hurt that Oklahoma has so much public hunting land, including 27 state Wildlife Management Areas that are specifically tailored to attract ducks.

I remember thinking it was weird that the Army Corps of Engineers drilled crops like millet and milo around my local state reservoir growing up, but it was all about attracting wildlife to the area. Twenty years later, it all makes sense.

If you've been looking for a new way to extend your hunting season, duck season stretches on through January for all and early February for some across the state.

Click here to get started on your new hunting obsession.