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Hunting seasons
Oklahoma Elk Zones
Eight private-land elk zones: quotas, boundaries, every elk season row, county harvest and the public controlled hunts.
Photo: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Southwest Region (Public Domain Mark 1.0)
Eight elk zones, their quotas and boundaries
Oklahoma elk seasons are private-land seasons. A hunter needs written landowner permission on hand, an elk license for each elk, and a zone whose quota is not yet met; Department lands are closed to elk except controlled hunts, and OLAP walk-in land is closed to elk hunting. Interstates 40 and 35 cut the state into quadrants, and five special or Panhandle zones sit inside them. Seven zones share the statewide deer dates; the Special Southwest Zone of Caddo, Comanche and Kiowa counties has its own dates, no quota and a five-point rule for bulls.
| Elk zone | Quota | Counties | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Panhandle Zone | 80 | 3 | All private lands in Beaver, Cimarron and Texas counties. |
| Special Northwest Zone | 8 | 4 | All private lands in Woodward, Dewey and Ellis counties and Roger Mills County north of SH 33 and 47. |
| Northwest Zone | 8 | 17 | Private lands north of I-40 and west of I-35, excluding the Panhandle and Special Northwest zones. |
| Northeast Zone | 20 | 27 | Private lands north of I-40 and east of I-35. |
| Southeast Zone | 5 | 24 | Private lands south of I-40 and east of I-35 (Carter/Murray east of I-35 are the Special Southeast Zone). |
| Southwest Zone | 30 | 19 | Private lands south of I-40 and west of I-35, excluding Caddo, Comanche and Kiowa (Special Southwest Zone). |
| Special Southeast Zone | 8 | 2 | All private lands east of I-35 in Carter and Murray counties; dates same as the statewide deer seasons. |
| Special Southwest Zone | No quota | 3 | All private lands in Caddo, Comanche and Kiowa counties; these dates replace the open-zone dates. Legal bull must have 5+ points on at least one antler. No quota. |
Statewide limit: Combined two (either sex) subject to zone limits; antlered = 6 in.+ antler (Special Southwest: 5+ points on one side).
From the ODWC elk season page, the 2026 elk zone map and the 2026-2027 regulations guide p. 40, checked November 3, 2026.
All 43 elk season rows by zone
| Season | Where | Opens | Closes | Today | Bag |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archery | Panhandle Zone | Oct 1, 2026 | Jan 15, 2027 | Two elk, one of which must be antlerless;… | |
| Youth elk gun | Panhandle Zone | Oct 16, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 | Past | Two elk, one of which must be antlerless;… |
| Muzzleloader | Panhandle Zone | Oct 24, 2026 | Nov 1, 2026 | Past | Two elk, one of which must be antlerless;… |
| Gun | Panhandle Zone | Nov 21, 2026 | Dec 6, 2026 | Two elk, one of which must be antlerless;… | |
| Holiday antlerless elk | Panhandle Zone | Dec 18, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 | Two elk, one of which must be antlerless;… | |
| Archery | Special Northwest Zone | Oct 1, 2026 | Jan 15, 2027 | One elk, either sex; zone quota 8 (no more… | |
| Youth elk gun | Special Northwest Zone | Oct 16, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 | Past | One elk, either sex; zone quota 8 (no more… |
| Muzzleloader | Special Northwest Zone | Oct 24, 2026 | Nov 1, 2026 | Past | One elk, either sex; zone quota 8 (no more… |
| Gun | Special Northwest Zone | Nov 21, 2026 | Dec 6, 2026 | One elk, either sex; zone quota 8 (no more… | |
| Holiday antlerless elk | Special Northwest Zone | Dec 18, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 | One elk, either sex; zone quota 8 (no more… | |
| Archery | Northwest Zone | Oct 1, 2026 | Jan 15, 2027 | One elk, either sex; zone quota 8. Statewide… | |
| Youth elk gun | Northwest Zone | Oct 16, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 | Past | One elk, either sex; zone quota 8. Statewide… |
| Muzzleloader | Northwest Zone | Oct 24, 2026 | Nov 1, 2026 | Past | One elk, either sex; zone quota 8. Statewide… |
| Gun | Northwest Zone | Nov 21, 2026 | Dec 6, 2026 | One elk, either sex; zone quota 8. Statewide… | |
| Holiday antlerless elk | Northwest Zone | Dec 18, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 | One elk, either sex; zone quota 8. Statewide… | |
| Archery | Northeast Zone | Oct 1, 2026 | Jan 15, 2027 | One elk, either sex; zone quota 20. Statewide… | |
| Youth elk gun | Northeast Zone | Oct 16, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 | Past | One elk, either sex; zone quota 20. Statewide… |
| Muzzleloader | Northeast Zone | Oct 24, 2026 | Nov 1, 2026 | Past | One elk, either sex; zone quota 20. Statewide… |
| Gun | Northeast Zone | Nov 21, 2026 | Dec 6, 2026 | One elk, either sex; zone quota 20. Statewide… | |
| Holiday antlerless elk | Northeast Zone | Dec 18, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 | One elk, either sex; zone quota 20. Statewide… | |
| Archery | Southeast Zone | Oct 1, 2026 | Jan 15, 2027 | One elk, either sex; zone quota 5. Statewide… | |
| Youth elk gun | Southeast Zone | Oct 16, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 | Past | One elk, either sex; zone quota 5. Statewide… |
| Muzzleloader | Southeast Zone | Oct 24, 2026 | Nov 1, 2026 | Past | One elk, either sex; zone quota 5. Statewide… |
| Gun | Southeast Zone | Nov 21, 2026 | Dec 6, 2026 | One elk, either sex; zone quota 5. Statewide… | |
| Holiday antlerless elk | Southeast Zone | Dec 18, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 | One elk, either sex; zone quota 5. Statewide… | |
| Archery | Southwest Zone | Oct 1, 2026 | Jan 15, 2027 | One elk, either sex; zone quota 30. Statewide… | |
| Youth elk gun | Southwest Zone | Oct 16, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 | Past | One elk, either sex; zone quota 30. Statewide… |
| Muzzleloader | Southwest Zone | Oct 24, 2026 | Nov 1, 2026 | Past | One elk, either sex; zone quota 30. Statewide… |
| Gun | Southwest Zone | Nov 21, 2026 | Dec 6, 2026 | One elk, either sex; zone quota 30. Statewide… | |
| Holiday antlerless elk | Southwest Zone | Dec 18, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 | One elk, either sex; zone quota 30. Statewide… | |
| Archery | Special Southeast Zone | Oct 1, 2026 | Jan 15, 2027 | One elk, either sex; zone quota 8 (no more… | |
| Youth elk gun | Special Southeast Zone | Oct 16, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 | Past | One elk, either sex; zone quota 8 (no more… |
| Muzzleloader | Special Southeast Zone | Oct 24, 2026 | Nov 1, 2026 | Past | One elk, either sex; zone quota 8 (no more… |
| Gun | Special Southeast Zone | Nov 21, 2026 | Dec 6, 2026 | One elk, either sex; zone quota 8 (no more… | |
| Holiday antlerless elk | Special Southeast Zone | Dec 18, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 | One elk, either sex; zone quota 8 (no more… | |
| Archery | Special Southwest Zone | Oct 1, 2026 | Oct 7, 2026 | Past | Two elk, either sex, one of which must be… |
| Archery | Special Southwest Zone | Dec 12, 2026 | Dec 16, 2026 | Two elk, either sex, one of which must be… | |
| Gun | Special Southwest Zone | Oct 8, 2026 | Oct 14, 2026 | Past | Two elk, either sex, one of which must be… |
| Gun | Special Southwest Zone | Dec 17, 2026 | Dec 20, 2026 | Two elk, either sex, one of which must be… | |
| Youth elk gun | Special Southwest Zone | Oct 16, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 | Past | Two elk, either sex, one of which must be… |
| Additional Antlerless Gun | Special Southwest Zone | Nov 21, 2026 | Dec 6, 2026 | Two elk, either sex, one of which must be… | |
| Additional Antlerless Gun | Special Southwest Zone | Jan 1, 2027 | Jan 31, 2027 | Two elk, either sex, one of which must be… | |
| Muzzleloader | Special Southwest Zone | No season | None. |
From the ODWC elk season page, checked November 3, 2026.
Elk harvest by county and year
| County | Elk zones | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Comanche County | Special Southwest | 475 | 382 | 444 | 579 | 594 |
| Kiowa County | Special Southwest | 59 | 56 | 76 | 104 | 94 |
| Caddo County | Special Southwest | 15 | 51 | 23 | 44 | 53 |
| Cimarron County | Panhandle | 25 | 25 | 34 | 43 | 45 |
| Texas County | Panhandle | 3 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 15 |
| Beckham County | Northwest, Southwest | 4 | 3 | 11 | 4 | 14 |
| Carter County | Southwest, Special Southeast | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 5 |
| Muskogee County | Northeast, Southeast | 5 | 7 | 2 | 7 | 5 |
| Cherokee County | Northeast | 9 | 3 | 9 | 7 | 3 |
| Greer County | Southwest | 1 | – | 2 | 3 | 3 |
Statewide = private-land seasons plus controlled hunts as tabulated by ODWC. 2023 rows come from OCR of Table 4 image (kept only when columns sum to row total); 2021 from the "22 23 BGR Table 4.pdf" linked from the 2021-22 report. Sources use Cow/Bull (elk), Doe/Buck or Female/Male (pronghorn) and Male/Female (bear); elk Cow/Bull mapped to antlerless/antlered.
From the 2025-26 Big Game Harvest Report and earlier report tables, checked November 3, 2026.
Public-land elk: the 2025 controlled hunts
| Area | Hunt | Permits | Hunters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Camp Gruber Training Center | Gruber CGTC/Cherokee WMA | 1 Either-sex | 1 |
| Cherokee GMA | Gruber CGTC/Cherokee WMA | 1 Either-sex | 1 |
| Cookson WMA | Cookson WMA | 1 Either-sex | 1 |
| Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge | Wichita Mts. NWR | 40 Bull Only | 40 |
| Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge | Wichita Mts. NWR | 70 Cow Only | 52 |
| Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge | Wichita Mts. NWR (Walk-in only) | 100 Either-sex | 95 |
| Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge | Wichita Mts. NWR (Walk-in only) | 225 Cow Only | 194 |
Elk controlled hunts are once in a lifetime; half of the elk permits are drawn from applicants with 20 or more preference points. elk $50, deer $20 is the Wichita Mountains NWR user fee.
From the ODWC 2025 controlled hunt results and the ODWC controlled hunts page, checked November 3, 2026.
Bull elk silhouetted against a golden sunset. Photo: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Southwest Region (Public Domain Mark 1.0)
Bull elk and cows silhouetted along a ridge against a deep blue sky. Photo: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Southwest Region (Public Domain Mark 1.0)
Bull elk with heavy antlers standing in a lily pond. Photo: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Southwest Region (Public Domain Mark 1.0)
Oklahoma Elk Zones in questions
Is there an elk quota in the Special Southwest Zone?
No. The Special Southwest Zone (Caddo, Comanche and Kiowa) has no quota, but a legal bull needs 5 or more points on at least one antler.
Which elk dates apply outside the Special Southwest Zone?
In most zones archery October 1, 2026 to January 15, 2027, youth gun October 16-18, muzzleloader October 24 to November 1, gun November 21 to December 6 and holiday antlerless December 18-31; the Special Southwest Zone has its own dates.
How many elk were taken in 2025?
844 statewide, private-land seasons plus controlled hunts; Comanche 594, Kiowa 94 and Caddo 53 led the counties.
How many elk can one hunter take?
Combined two (either sex) subject to zone limits; antlered = 6 in.+ antler (Special Southwest: 5+ points on one side).
How do I know if an elk zone is still open?
Check the zone quota online before every hunt (Go Outdoors Oklahoma hunter toolbox); a zone closes when its quota is met. E-Check elk within 24 hours; check zone quota before hunting.
Why do some counties appear in two elk zones?
Quadrant zones split by I-40 and I-35; county lists read from the 2026 elk zone map, so counties crossed by an interstate appear in two zones.
Can I hunt elk on public land in Oklahoma?
Only by controlled hunt. Elk seasons are private land only with written permission; Department lands are closed except controlled hunts, and OLAP prohibits elk hunting.
Which elk zone has the biggest quota?
The Panhandle Zone, 80; the Southwest Zone follows with 30.
Other photos on this page: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Southwest Region (Public Domain Mark 1.0); U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Southwest Region (Public Domain Mark 1.0); U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Southwest Region (Public Domain Mark 1.0).