Dewey County Hunting

Dewey County deer, counted each fall

1,197 deer came off private and leased ground in Dewey County in 2025, the 51st highest county count. About 1.0% of the 124,050 county-row deer were taken here. Set against 2024 (1,248 deer), the newest season moved 4% down.

Missing from the chart: 2015 not published (no readable ODWC county table). ODWC lists WMA deer in a separate table.

2009 tops the county series at 1,264, while 2014 sits at the bottom with 551. Recent seasons (2016 onward, 10 with data) average near 1,024.

By method, 2025 split 187 archery, 93 muzzleloader and 917 gun deer; 40% were antlerless.

Recent Dewey County deer by season type

Dewey County before 2016:

• 1999934
• 20001,226
• 20011,004
• 20031,188
• 20041,027
• 20051,118
• 20061,129
• 20071,092
• 20081,231
• 20091,264
• 20101,211
• 2011893
• 2012844
• 2013650
• 2014551

Deer checked on Dewey County public areas

Beyond whitetails: Dewey County big game numbers

Earlier county tables for these species are images only.

All of Oklahoma produced 133,791 deer in 2025, WMA and walk-in land included.

County deer by year from the ODWC Big Game Harvest Reports (report index; 2025 2025-26 report, 2024 2024-25 report, 2016-2023 tables such as 2019-20 Table 1, 1999-2011 county PDFs); public-area deer from the 2025-26 public land table; statewide totals from the 2025-26 Big Game Report. OCR years keep only rows whose columns sum to the printed total. Checked November 3, 2026.

Elk, bear and CWD notes for Dewey County

Where Dewey County fits for elk

For elk, ODWC places Dewey County in the Special Northwest Zone, a private-land-only zone that needs written permission from the owner. The elk quota set for 2026-27 reads Special Northwest Zone 8; elk must be reported through E-Check within 24 hours.

Special Northwest Zone: All private lands in Woodward, Dewey and Ellis counties and Roger Mills County north of SH 33 and 47.

Some Dewey County hunters take mule deer, 1 (2021) and 2 (2022), under the same dates and combined limit as whitetails.

No CWD Selective Surveillance Area reaches Dewey County, so the on-site processing rule does not apply, but the statewide ban on importing whole cervid carcasses does.

A Cy Curtis top-ranked animal came from Dewey County: typical elk (377 6/8, gun, 2016).

Elk zones and quotas from the ODWC elk regulations; bear area from the ODWC bear page; pronghorn from the ODWC antelope page; CWD areas and rules from the ODWC SSA page and ODWC CWD page; harvest figures from the ODWC Big Game Harvest Reports; records from the Cy Curtis records. Checked November 3, 2026.

Open hunting ground in Dewey County

Dewey County counts 4 public hunting areas on our Oklahoma list; Canton Wildlife Management Area covers the most ground (14,877 acres). Roughly 8,038 acres (1.3%) of the county are public on the layers used.

Dewey County headline public tracts

• With 14,877 acres on the books, Canton WMA is the largest block for Dewey County hunters, and Blaine County share it. Quarry named for it: deer, doves, ducks and cranes. Also flagged: controlled hunts, nonresident check-in, non-ambulatory access. Hunting questions go to (580) 541-5319. It held 1 controlled hunt in the 2025 draw.
• Acreage for Canton Waterfowl Refuge Portion: 700; the area also lies in Blaine County. Game on the area list: deer, doves, ducks and cranes. Notes on the record: controlled hunts, nonresident check-in. ODWC lists (580) 541-5319 as the hunting line. 1 drawn hunt ran there in 2025.
• Dewey County WMA shows up on our list as a WMA measured at 212 acres. Game on the area list: deer, doves, ducks and cranes. Notes on the record: nonresident check-in. ODWC's area page and its GIS layer disagree on size; the page figure is shown, the layer says 154. The area page gives (580) 541-5319 for hunting.
• Canton Lake (Corps) is listed as a corps lake, and its boundary takes in Blaine County too. The Corps record carries no acreage; its district page could not be read.

Walk-in private land in Dewey County

Through OLAP, 550 acres of private land in Dewey County are open to walk-in hunting on 4 tracts. Most common cover: Grasses (1), Elms and plum thickets (1) and Native grassland (1). Bring a Land Access Permit ($100 resident / $200 nonresident) unless exempt by age; OLAP walk-in rules ban rifles and muzzleloaders.

• Dewey County H004160 ac
• Dewey County H006160 ac
• Dewey County H005150 ac
• Dewey County H00780 ac

Dewey County backup areas beyond the county

• Major County WMA28 miles straight-line, 210 acres in Major County
• Washita NWR29 miles straight-line, 8,088 acres in Custer County
• Sandhills WMA36 miles straight-line, 5,212 acres in Woods County
• Packsaddle WMA37 miles straight-line, 19,659 acres in Ellis County
• American Horse Lake (Department Lake)37 miles straight-line, 405 acres in Blaine County

Areas from our Oklahoma land list (ODWC where to hunt area pages, the ODWC OLAP rules and OLAP layer, USFS, USFWS, Corps and NPS records); acres by kind from the ODWC Public WMA Boundaries layer, USFS, USFWS, USACE Tulsa District and PAD-US layers (GIS measures, not official acreages, lake surfaces removed). Checked November 3, 2026.

Dewey County last checks before the truck is loaded

Near an antlerless zone road in Dewey County, the ODWC map decides which limit applies.

Sources: 2026-2027 Oklahoma Fishing & Hunting Regulations, ODWC hunting, Census and the sources in each section. Checked November 3, 2026.