Texas County Hunting

Texas County deer, counted each fall

168 deer came off private and leased ground in Texas County in 2025, the 76th highest county count. About 0.1% of the 124,050 county-row deer were taken here. Set against 2024 (129 deer), the newest season moved 30% up.

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 373, while 2023 sits at the bottom with 82. Recent seasons (2016 onward, 10 with data) average near 142.

By method, 2025 split 18 archery, 15 muzzleloader and 135 gun deer; 18% were antlerless.

Recent Texas County deer by season type

Texas County before 2016:

• 1999204
• 2000301
• 2001258
• 2003189
• 2004277
• 2005363
• 2006373
• 2007317
• 2008282
• 2009313
• 2010269
• 2011211
• 2012184
• 2013123
• 201492

Deer checked on Texas County public areas

Beyond whitetails: Texas 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 Texas County

Where Texas County fits for elk

For elk, ODWC places Texas County in the Panhandle Zone, a private-land-only zone that needs written permission from the owner. The elk quota set for 2026-27 reads Panhandle Zone 80; elk must be reported through E-Check within 24 hours.

Panhandle Zone: All private lands in Beaver, Cimarron and Texas counties.

Texas County pronghorn seasons

Texas County is one of the two pronghorn counties, limited to the land west of SH 136. Archery pronghorn needs only the license; the gun hunts are permit-only. Pronghorn checked in Texas County: 43 in 2022, 21 in 2023, 33 in 2024 and 25 in 2025.

Some Texas County hunters take mule deer, 37 (2023), 40 (2024) and 65 (2025), under the same dates and combined limit as whitetails.

Texas County and chronic wasting disease

ODWC drew the Texas County SSA into Texas County for CWD surveillance; process any deer or elk inside it. Leave the spine and head behind; antlers, meat off the bone, teeth, hides and mounts are allowed out. SSA freezer results for Texas County: 21 samples, 0 detected, 2023 through 2025.

Texas County SSA: Road-bounded area around Hardesty, Hooker, Guymon, Goodwell and Texhoma (expanded Oct. 2026 after the Sept. 28, 2026 Optima case). Testing: Guymon, Goodwell, Hooker, Texhoma, Hardesty.

A wild deer from Texas County has tested positive for CWD. 2023-06-06: First CWD case in a free-ranging wild deer in Oklahoma. 2026-09-28: White-tailed deer about two miles south of Optima tested positive; Texas County SSA expanded.

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 Texas County

Texas County counts 5 public hunting areas on our Oklahoma list; Optima Wildlife Management Area covers the most ground (8,062 acres). Roughly 14,023 acres (1.1%) of the county are public on the layers used.

Texas County headline public tracts

• With 8,062 acres on the books, Optima WMA is the largest block for Texas County hunters. Quarry named for it: deer, doves, ducks and cranes. Also flagged: nonresident check-in, CWD SSA. Hunting questions go to (806) 339-5175.
• Acreage for Optima NWR: 4,383; all of it is in Texas County. Game on the area list: doves, rabbits, quail and pheasants. Notes on the record: CWD SSA. ODWC lists (580) 664-2205 as the hunting line.
• Schultz WMA shows up on our list as a WMA measured at 306 acres. Game on the area list: deer, doves, turkey and woodcock. Notes on the record: nonresident check-in. The area page gives (806) 339-5175 for hunting.
• Shorb WMA is listed as a WMA of about 160 acres. Seasons on it cover deer, doves, ducks and cranes. Watch for nonresident check-in. ODWC lists (806) 339-5175 as the hunting line.

Walk-in private land in Texas County

Through OLAP, 5,799 acres of private land in Texas County are open to walk-in hunting on 19 tracts. Most common cover: CRP Grassland (8), CRP (4) and Cropland (3). Bring a Land Access Permit ($100 resident / $200 nonresident) unless exempt by age; OLAP walk-in rules ban rifles and muzzleloaders.

• Texas County H0121,600 ac
• Texas County H001551 ac
• Texas County H033480 ac
• Texas County H032320 ac
• Texas County H034320 ac
• Texas County H037320 ac
• Texas County H051320 ac
• Texas County H011160 ac

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.

Texas County last checks before the truck is loaded

Near an antlerless zone road in Texas 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.