Fall Hunting Season Approaches With Exciting Opportunities Ahead

If you are the type of person who lives for the fall hunting season, then we have good news. The most wonderful time of the year is almost here!

Colin Berg, with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, joined News On 6 to highlight the many opportunities available this fall.

Tess: So deer archery season starts October 1. It's going to be here before we know it.

Berg: It's just coming fast. As you said, this is the most wonderful time of the year for hunters, and folks like me. September 1 opened up Dove season, [we're] starting to get ready already for archery season, October 1 opener. A lot of folks get out and start practicing. Make sure you practice. Shoot from an elevated position if you can, if you hunt out of a tree stand, or if you're hunting out of a blind shoot practice how you're going to hunt. So that's what I recommend to folks. But the biggest thing that a lot of people need to do, because they leave their stands up year-round, not supposed to, but they do, go check those stands before you ever step on the platform or you climb up the ladder, attachments, making sure that everything's securely still attached to the tree. A lot of tree stands come with straps that are meant to be replaced every few years, even if they're not used and kept outside. But for sure, if they're kept outside in a tree, check those. You know that is the most common accident that we have, is people falling out of a treestand, going up the end of the treestand early season. A lot of folks, just, they get lax about it, and so it's really something that they need to check. Check your harnesses, and make sure that they're still doing okay. They actually have a date of, usually three to five years at the manufacturer will say when you should just take it out of whether you've used it or not. Thing deteriorate.

Tess: Kind of like your ratchet straps And, you know, with the straps for your tree stand, a lot of times, little critters like to chew on them if you leave them up.

Berg: They do.

Tess: Safety is a big thing if you're going to want to get into a treestand. I always say you must have that safety harness on. It is so important. And now they have the lifeline that really helps too.

Hey, talk about WMAs. You know, wildlife management areas. That's public hunting land that people can go hunt.

Berg: Yeah, more and more people are using our public hunting land. So I encourage folks to get on the website, go underneath the deer app, or if you're going rabbit hunting, as we talked about, you can look at it and go, Okay, what's, what's WMAs are open number one, because not all of them are open for all of our seasons. So make sure that it says that it's open. Go spend some time on that. WMA, doing a little bit of research yourself will help you succeed. Got lots of great hunting opportunities. Rabbit season also opens on October 1. A lot of folks wait until a little bit later after the frost to go. But some people go right away. It's a very social, fun experience. Dogs. I love watching dogs work, whether it's beagles or pointers, whatever it may be. So encourage folks to take somebody with them and introduce them. You don't have to have a dog to go rabbit hunting. It increases your success. You don't have to have a dog.

Tess: You've got hunter safety courses that are still going on. Fort Gibson High School has a class going on September 7, and then Jenks High School, that's where the location is. You all are doing the course is October 12, and another on November 9.

Berg:. So get online, and sign up for those courses. The last thing that people should think about is fishing gets really good in the fall, just like it is in the springtime. And this last weekend is really the last time that the lake is covered up with a lot of recreational boaters as well as anglers. So I encourage folks to get on our website, get under the fishing tips, and go fishing this fall, because it's