Mayes County Hunting

Mayes County deer, counted each fall

1,734 deer came off private and leased ground in Mayes County in 2025, the 31st highest county count. About 1.4% of the 124,050 county-row deer were taken here. Set against 2024 (1,821 deer), the newest season moved 5% down.

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

2006 tops the county series at 2,192, while 2021 sits at the bottom with 1,333. Recent seasons (2016 onward, 10 with data) average near 1,735.

By method, 2025 split 531 archery, 276 muzzleloader and 927 gun deer; 46% were antlerless.

Recent Mayes County deer by season type

Mayes County before 2016:

• 19991,620
• 20001,743
• 20011,867
• 20031,712
• 20041,798
• 20051,716
• 20062,192
• 20071,916
• 20081,996
• 20092,118
• 20101,603
• 20111,917
• 20121,887
• 20131,494
• 20141,636

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 Mayes County

Where Mayes County fits for elk

For elk, ODWC places Mayes County in the Northeast Zone, a private-land-only zone that needs written permission from the owner. The elk quota set for 2026-27 reads Northeast Zone 20; elk must be reported through E-Check within 24 hours.

Northeast Zone: Private lands north of I-40 and east of I-35.

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

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. Checked November 3, 2026.

Open hunting ground in Mayes County

Mayes County counts 4 public hunting areas on our Oklahoma list; Fort Gibson Wildlife Management Area covers the most ground (25,298 acres). Roughly 24,341 acres (5.8%) of the county are public on the layers used. State parks and military land are excluded from the public figure.

Mayes County headline public tracts

• With 25,298 acres on the books, Fort Gibson WMA is the largest block for Mayes County hunters, and Cherokee County and Wagoner County share it. Quarry named for it: deer, doves, turkey and ducks. Also flagged: controlled hunts, nonresident check-in.
• Acreage for Fort Gibson PHA: 21,798; the area also lies in Cherokee County and Wagoner County. Game on the area list: deer, doves, turkey and ducks. Notes on the record: wetland units, nonresident check-in, non-ambulatory access. ODWC lists (918) 625-3910 as the hunting line.
• Spavinaw WMA shows up on our list as a WMA measured at 14,316 acres that spills into Delaware County. Game on the area list: deer, turkey, doves and quail. Notes on the record: controlled hunts, nonresident check-in.
• Spavinaw Game Management Area is listed as a game management area of about 11,986 acres, and its boundary takes in Delaware County too. Seasons on it cover deer, turkey, doves and quail. Watch for controlled hunts, nonresident check-in, non-ambulatory access. ODWC lists (918) 629-5286 as the hunting line. In 2025, 3 controlled hunts were drawn for it.

Mayes County backup areas beyond the county

• Spavinaw PHA15 miles straight-line, 2,330 acres in Delaware County
• Fort Gibson Lake (Corps)24 miles straight-line, Wagoner County and Cherokee County
• Oologah Lake (Corps)26 miles straight-line, Rogers County and Nowata County
• Fort Gibson Waterfowl Refuge Portion27 miles straight-line, 3,500 acres in Wagoner County
• Sparrowhawk WMA30 miles straight-line, 566 acres in Cherokee County
• Oologah WMA30 miles straight-line, 14,086 acres in Nowata County and Rogers County

* Outside the public sum.

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.

Listings tied to Mayes County

Within the county line: 1 upcoming listing (NWTF banquet), checked November 3, 2026.

Next on the list

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Mayes County last checks before the truck is loaded

Near an antlerless zone road in Mayes 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.