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Hunting from Osage County
Hunting land and seasons near Bowring, OK
Public hunting land measured from Bowring, the antlerless deer zone and elk zone of Osage County, controlled hunts within reach, legal light and the processors and shops nearby.
Photo: Two-track road across golden tallgrass prairie under big clouds in Osage County; elsewhere in Osage County, a nearby stand-in. Jack Gray (CC BY 2.0)
Out in the Cross Timbers, Oklahoma City and the post oak and blackjack country between the Canadian rivers, the Census-designated place of Bowring belongs to Osage County. This page is here for Osage Wildlife Management Area – Rock Creek Unit, whose edge is within 5 miles of Bowring. Of all towns near Osage Wildlife Management Area – Western Wall Unit, Bowring came out closest, with the line 8.9 miles out. Population for Bowring, a designated place without a charter, is missing from the 2024 series. 6 listed areas sit within 10 miles of Bowring: about 24,418 mapped public acres. Within 25 miles the map holds 9 listed areas, roughly 43,925 public acres in all. ODWC, federal and Corps polygons cover about 59,496 acres of Osage County, with 39,393 acres of ODWC area land and 44,582 acres of Corps fee land among them. The straight line from Bowring meets Hulah Lake (Corps), with its closest edge 1.7 miles out first.
Town point and land area from the Census 2024 Gazetteer; public acreage and boundary miles within 10 and 25 miles are a GIS measure over the ODWC WMA layer and USFS, USFWS, Corps and NPS boundaries (places.json; area counts are within 25 miles); OLAP tract acres from the ODWC OLAP layer. ODWC region from the ODWC administrative boundaries layer. Checked November 3, 2026.
Bowring public land ranked by miles
Rows run by nearest boundary, then by mapped-point miles; each land page carries the special regulations, contacts and zones.
| Name | How far | Land type | Manager | What it takes | Size (ac) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hulah Lake (Corps) | 1.7 mi N | Corps lake | Corps | Corps hunting areas | – | No acreage given |
| Hulah WMA | 2.1 mi NW | WMA | ODWC | Area rules | 16,162 | Nonresident check-in |
| Osage WMA – Rock Creek Unit core area | 5.0 mi SW | WMA unit | ODWC | Area rules | 3,722 | Nonresident check-in |
| Copan Lake (Corps) | 7.9 mi E | Corps lake | Corps | Corps hunting areas | – | No acreage given |
| Osage WMA – Western Wall Unit core area | 8.9 mi W | WMA unit | ODWC | Area rules | 7,329 | Nonresident check-in |
| Copan WMA | 9.2 mi NE | WMA | ODWC | Area rules | 7,532 | Nonresident check-in |
| Osage WMA | 11 mi W | WMA | ODWC | – | 11,051 | Nonresident check-in |
| John Dahl WMA | 23 mi W | WMA | ODWC | Area rules | 480 | Nonresident check-in |
| Candy Creek WMA | 24 mi S | WMA | ODWC | Area rules | 605 | Nonresident check-in |
| Osage County OLAP walk-in H002 | 30 mi S | OLAP walk-in | ODWC lease | Land Access Permit | 162 | – |
| Skiatook WMA | 35 mi S | WMA | ODWC | Area rules | 5,085 | Non-amb. acres odd |
| Osage County OLAP walk-in H006 | 35 mi W | OLAP walk-in | ODWC lease | Land Access Permit | 90 | Native Range with a Po |
| Oologah WMA | 35 mi SE | WMA | ODWC | Area rules | 14,086 | Nonresident check-in |
| Skiatook Lake (Corps) | 35 mi S | Corps lake | Corps | Corps hunting areas | – | No acreage given |
The biggest single piece of ground here is Hulah WMA: 16,162 acres. Within 25 miles there are 7 ODWC-managed areas and 2 lake or park areas. On Hulah WMA, ODWC allows camping for up to 16 straight days, keeps vehicles to open roads and limits target shooting to designated ranges. ODWC lists (918) 629-5108 for hunting questions there. Nonresidents must check in before hunting Hulah WMA. 2 OLAP walk-in or limited access tracts sit within reach; Osage County OLAP walk-in H002 comes first. Hulah Lake (Corps) land open to hunting follows the Oklahoma seasons, away from parks, dams and other structures. On Hulah WMA, the Wetland Development Units are nontoxic-shot only with a 1 p.m. close.
Six nearest areas from Bowring
- Hulah WMA: 16,162 acres; motor-vehicle access acres 1,087; seasons for deer, dove, turkey, quail, rabbit; 2025 deer taken 261; 12 designated primitive camp sites are located throughout the area (map PDF)
- Osage WMA – Rock Creek Unit: 3,722 acres; motor-vehicle access acres 423; open for deer, dove, waterfowl, turkey, quail; one primitive camp ground is located on the Rock Creek unit (ODWC area map)
- Osage WMA – Western Wall Unit: 7,329 acres; acres for non-ambulatory permits 423; hunted for turkey, deer, dove, waterfowl, quail; one primitive camp ground is located on the Rock Creek unit (area map)
- Copan WMA: 7,532 acres; drive-in acres (permit) 402; seasons for deer, dove, turkey, quail, rabbit; 2025 deer taken 171; limited to Corps of Engineers sites only (ODWC area map)
Lands from ODWC area pages, Public Hunting Areas special regulations and the OLAP layer, USFWS, USFS, NPS, Corps and installation records (lands.json; each land page cites its own source); 2025 deer harvest by area from the ODWC 2025-26 big game harvest report. Boundary miles from places.json, other miles to each mapped point. Area rules from the Department-Managed Area Rules. Checked November 3, 2026.
ODWC harvest counts for Bowring
The 2025 county deer harvest for Osage County came to 5,062, private and non-WMA land only. That is up 7% from 4,739 in 2024. Rifles and shotguns: 3,309; archery: 1,287. The busiest nearby area for deer in 2025 was Hulah WMA: 261 checked. Osage County also reported 1 elk in 2025. County turkey harvest is not published; statewide spring 2025 came to an estimated 11,232.
| Season | Deer | Gun | Muzzleloader | Archery | Antlered |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | 4,055 | 2,708 | 338 | 1,009 | 2,436 |
| 2022-23 | 5,409 | 3,506 | 383 | 1,520 | 2,963 |
| 2023-24 | 4,379 | 2,967 | 410 | 1,002 | 2,466 |
| 2024-25 | 4,739 | 3,222 | 263 | 1,254 | 2,526 |
| 2025-26 | 5,062 | 3,309 | 466 | 1,287 | 2,877 |
| Nearby area | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Hulah WMA | 279 | 261 |
| Copan WMA | 139 | 171 |
| Candy Creek WMA | 27 | 28 |
County deer harvest from the ODWC big game reports (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025); area harvest and 2025 elk, bear, mule deer and pronghorn from the 2025-26 big game harvest report; turkey from the ODWC Game Harvest Survey. Checked November 3, 2026.
What changes at the county line near Bowring
Before hunting out of Bowring, find the county and zone you will stand in; its row sets the limits.
| County | Doe zone | Antlerless limit | Elk | Fall turkey gun | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Osage County this county | 2 | 4/4 | Northeast | Open | Pheasant |
| Washington County | 3, 2 | 2/2; 4/4 | Northeast | Open | – |
Antlerless deer in Osage County follow Zone 2; zone lines are drawn along roads, so look at the map near the edge. (Zone 2; antlerless deer zone map.) The zone sets the doe count: Zone 2: 4 antlerless by muzzleloader and 4 by gun. The six-deer combined limit (two antlered) leaves holiday antlerless and controlled-hunt deer outside the count. Youth gun days fall on October 16 to October 18, before the muzzleloader opener on October 24. Osage County lies in the Northeast Zone for elk, open on private land with written landowner permission (a zone quota of 20 in the Northeast Zone). (Northeast Zone.) Osage County keeps a fall gun turkey season this year, October 31 to November 20. ODWC lists Osage County among the 13 full pheasant counties. Duck season near Bowring uses the Zones 1 and 2 calendar, opening November 14, 2026. Jackrabbit and crane hunting stop at I-35, so not in Osage County. Bait rules: none on ODWC areas, none near turkey hunting, and federal migratory bird baiting rules for ducks and doves.
Zones from the ODWC antlerless deer zone map (county shares are a GIS overlay; the legal line is the road), ODWC elk zones, the bear area, fall turkey counties, the pheasant area, waterfowl zones, the crane area and the CWD surveillance areas; limits and baiting from the 2026-2027 Oklahoma Fishing and Hunting Regulations and ODWC turkey regulations. Checked November 3, 2026.
Bowring game processors, taxidermists and shops
ODWC licenses commercial hunting areas but keeps no hunting guide list, so the guide rows are preserves and directory listings. To give venison to food banks, Peck's Custom Butchering (12 mi) is a Hunters Against Hunger processor. Lakeside Taxidermy (Copan) is the taxidermy listing closest to Bowring. For gear, the first store listed is Bartlesville Shooting Supply in Bartlesville. For a fee hunt, Big Game Hunting Lodge & Leather at Ramona is the first listing.
| Kind | 15 mi | 35 mi | Closest listing | Distance | In |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer cutting | 1 | 4 | Peck's Custom Butchering | 12 mi SE | Dewey |
| Taxidermists | 1 | 2 | Lakeside Taxidermy | 11 mi E | Copan |
| Hunting retailers | 6 | 7 | Bartlesville Shooting Supply | 11 mi SE | Bartlesville |
| Licensed hunting areas | 0 | 2 | Big Game Hunting Lodge & Leather | 27 mi SE | Ramona |
Deer cutting
Taxidermists
Hunting retailers
Licensed hunting areas
Processors from the ODWC game processor list (Hunters Against Hunger column) and Yellow Pages; commercial hunting areas from the ODWC commercial hunt area list; taxidermists and shops from Yellow Pages and chain store locators (services.json). Listings without coordinates are placed at their town. Checked November 3, 2026; hours were not checked.
Bowring controlled hunt areas
From Bowring, the closest controlled-hunt ground is Copan Lake (Corps), 9.7 mi out. Missed it? The 2026 controlled hunt deadline was May 20, 2026. Half of elk and pronghorn permits go to applicants with 20 or more preference points, the other half to everyone.
| Area | Miles off | Kind | What was drawn | Permits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Copan Lake (Corps) | 9.7 mi | Corps lake | Motor vehicle or non-ambulatory permit deer | 5 |
| Osage WMA – Western Wall Unit | 11 mi | WMA unit | Deer, Youth deer | 30 |
| Candy Creek WMA | 27 mi | WMA | Deer | 24 |
| Skiatook Lake (Corps) | 35 mi | Corps lake | Youth deer | 4 |
| Oologah Lake (Corps) | 37 mi | Corps lake | Motor vehicle or non-ambulatory permit deer | 9 |
| Kaw Lake (Corps) | 43 mi | Corps lake | Youth deer | 6 |
2025 controlled hunt results per area from the ODWC controlled hunts results (lands.json, controlled_hunts_2025); rules and dates from the ODWC controlled hunts page. Checked November 3, 2026.
Seasons open near Bowring
Elk, bear, pronghorn, pheasant and sandhill crane seasons only cover part of the state, so the area column tells you whether a row reaches Osage County.
| Game | Season | Area | Opens | Closes | Today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White-tailed deer | Archery | Zone 2, 7, 8 | Oct 1, 2026 | Jan 15, 2027 | |
| White-tailed deer | Youth gun | Zone 2, 7, 8 | Oct 16, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Muzzleloader | Zone 2, 7, 8 | Oct 24, 2026 | Nov 1, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Gun | Zone 2, 7, 8 | Nov 21, 2026 | Dec 6, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Holiday antlerless | Zone 2, 7, 8 | Dec 18, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 | |
| Mule deer | All deer seasons | Statewide | Oct 1, 2026 | Jan 15, 2027 | |
| Elk | Archery | Northeast elk zone | Oct 1, 2026 | Jan 15, 2027 | |
| Elk | Youth elk gun | Northeast elk zone | Oct 16, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 | |
| Elk | Muzzleloader | Northeast elk zone | Oct 24, 2026 | Nov 1, 2026 | |
| Elk | Gun | Northeast elk zone | Nov 21, 2026 | Dec 6, 2026 | |
| Elk | Holiday antlerless elk | Northeast elk zone | Dec 18, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 | |
| Wild turkey | Youth fall turkey | Open counties | Oct 16, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 | |
| Wild turkey | Fall Gun | Open counties | Oct 31, 2026 | Nov 20, 2026 | |
| Wild turkey | Fall Archery | Statewide | Oct 1, 2026 | Jan 15, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Youth Spring | Statewide | Apr 10, 2027 | Apr 11, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring | Statewide | Apr 16, 2027 | May 16, 2027 | |
| Feral hogs | Private land | Private land | Jul 1, 2026 | Jun 30, 2027 | |
| Quail | Season | Statewide | Nov 14, 2026 | Feb 15, 2027 | |
| Pheasant | Season | Pheasant counties | Dec 1, 2026 | Jan 31, 2027 | |
| Rabbits | Season | Statewide | Oct 1, 2026 | Mar 15, 2027 | |
| Squirrels | Season | Statewide | May 15, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| Doves | Segment 1 | Statewide | Sep 1, 2026 | Oct 31, 2026 | |
| Doves | Segment 2 | Statewide | Dec 1, 2026 | Dec 29, 2026 | |
| Teal | September Teal | Statewide | Sep 12, 2026 | Sep 20, 2026 | |
| Ducks | Youth and veteran day | Zones 1 and 2 | Nov 7, 2026 | Nov 7, 2026 | |
| Ducks | Regular segment 1 | Zones 1 and 2 | Nov 14, 2026 | Dec 6, 2026 | |
| Ducks | Regular segment 2 | Zones 1 and 2 | Dec 12, 2026 | Jan 31, 2027 | |
| Ducks | Youth and veteran day | Zones 1 and 2 | Feb 6, 2027 | Feb 6, 2027 | |
| Canada geese | September Canada goose | Statewide | Sep 12, 2026 | Sep 21, 2026 | |
| Dark geese | Segment 1 | Statewide | Nov 7, 2026 | Dec 6, 2026 | |
| Dark geese | Segment 2 | Statewide | Dec 12, 2026 | Feb 14, 2027 | |
| Specklebellies | Segment 1 | Statewide | Nov 7, 2026 | Dec 6, 2026 | |
| Specklebellies | Segment 2 | Statewide | Dec 12, 2026 | Feb 7, 2027 | |
| Light geese | Segment 1 | Statewide | Nov 7, 2026 | Dec 6, 2026 | |
| Light geese | Segment 2 | Statewide | Dec 12, 2026 | Feb 14, 2027 | |
| Light geese | Conservation order | Statewide | Feb 15, 2027 | Mar 30, 2027 | |
| Woodcock | Season | Statewide | Nov 7, 2026 | Dec 21, 2026 | |
| Coyote | Year-round | Statewide | Jul 1, 2026 | Jun 30, 2027 | |
| Bobcat | Furbearer season | Statewide | Dec 1, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| Gray fox | Furbearer season | Statewide | Dec 1, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| Red fox | Furbearer season | Statewide | Dec 1, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| Raccoon | Year-round | Statewide | Jul 1, 2026 | Jun 30, 2027 | |
| Prairie dog | Year-round | Statewide | Jul 1, 2026 | Jun 30, 2027 | |
| Beaver | Year-round | Statewide | Jul 1, 2026 | Jun 30, 2027 | |
| Nutria | Year-round | Statewide | Jul 1, 2026 | Jun 30, 2027 | |
| Striped skunk | Year-round | Statewide | Jul 1, 2026 | Jun 30, 2027 | |
| Bullfrogs | Year-round | Statewide | Jul 1, 2026 | Jun 30, 2027 | |
| Rails | Season | Statewide | Sep 1, 2026 | Nov 9, 2026 | |
| Gallinules | Season | Statewide | Sep 1, 2026 | Nov 9, 2026 | |
| Snipe | Season | Statewide | Sep 26, 2026 | Jan 10, 2027 | |
| Crows | Segment 1 | Statewide | Oct 10, 2026 | Nov 16, 2026 | |
| River otter | Furbearer season | Statewide | Dec 1, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| Badger | Furbearer season | Statewide | Dec 1, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| Mink | Furbearer season | Statewide | Dec 1, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| Muskrat | Furbearer season | Statewide | Dec 1, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| Opossum | Furbearer season | Statewide | Dec 1, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| Weasel | Furbearer season | Statewide | Dec 1, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| Crows | Segment 2 | Statewide | Dec 9, 2026 | Mar 4, 2027 | |
| Rattlesnakes | Season | Statewide | Mar 1, 2027 | Jun 30, 2027 |
From the ODWC hunting regulations and the 2026-2027 Oklahoma Fishing and Hunting Regulations (Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation), checked November 3, 2026.
Dates a short trip from Bowring
The 30-mile radius around Bowring catches 4 upcoming listings; the kinds are DU chapter dinner, ODWC controlled hunt and ODWC youth draw. Entry to the 3 controlled hunts came through the spring draw on Go Outdoors Oklahoma.
Coming up
| When | Listing | How far | Area or venue | Next step | Read at |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 6–17, 2026 | Osage-Western Wall WMA deer controlled hunt | 11 | Event details | Source | |
| Nov 18–23, 2026 | Osage WMA youth deer hunt | 11 | Event details | Source | |
| Dec 4–6, 2026 | Copan COE Parks motor vehicle deer controlled hunt | 10 | Event details | Source | |
| Aug 21, 2027 | Bartlesville Dinner · DU chapter dinner | 14 | Bartlesville: Hilton Garden Inn | Buy tickets | Source |
Bowring hunters: clubs and WMA benches close by
Every card gives the access rule for Bowring shooters.
Straight-line miles from the town centre; ranges checked November 3, 2026.
Bowring: ODWC office, supervisor and wardens
ODWC Northeast Region Office (Miami), 61091 E. 120 Road, Miami, is the nearest ODWC office. Osage County is in the ODWC Central Region, whose wildlife supervisor is Jeff Pennington, phone (405) 650-0149. Hank Jenks captains the game wardens of District 1, Osage County among them. The Osage County warden phones on ODWC area pages are (918) 440-9880, (580) 761-4097 and (918) 381-4099. On the Wildlife Conservation Commission map, Osage County is District 1.
ODWC office, Miami
ODWC at Porter
Offices from the ODWC offices list, game warden districts and captains from the ODWC game warden directory, region supervisors from the ODWC administrative boundaries layer, county warden phones from ODWC area pages (counties.json, services.json, lands.json). Offices without a geocoded address are measured to their town. Checked November 3, 2026.
Bowring legal shooting light
Quail and pheasant hours are sunrise to sunset, shorter than the big game window, and OLAP walk-in land closes to them at 4:30 p.m.
| Date | Season point | Sunrise | Sunset | Big game | Waterfowl | Quail |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 1, 2026 | Archery deer opens | 7:20 a.m. | 7:11 p.m. | 6:50 a.m.–7:41 p.m. | 6:50 a.m.–7:11 p.m. | 7:20 a.m.–7:11 p.m. |
| Oct 24, 2026 | Muzzleloader opens | 7:40 a.m. | 6:39 p.m. | 7:10 a.m.–7:09 p.m. | 7:10 a.m.–6:39 p.m. | 7:40 a.m.–6:39 p.m. |
| Nov 21, 2026 | Gun deer opens | 7:09 a.m. | 5:14 p.m. | 6:39 a.m.–5:44 p.m. | 6:39 a.m.–5:14 p.m. | 7:09 a.m.–5:14 p.m. |
| Dec 6, 2026 | Gun deer closes | 7:24 a.m. | 5:10 p.m. | 6:54 a.m.–5:40 p.m. | 6:54 a.m.–5:10 p.m. | 7:24 a.m.–5:10 p.m. |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | 7:34 a.m. | 5:13 p.m. | 7:04 a.m.–5:43 p.m. | 7:04 a.m.–5:13 p.m. | 7:34 a.m.–5:13 p.m. |
| Jan 15, 2027 | Archery closes | 7:37 a.m. | 5:32 p.m. | 7:07 a.m.–6:02 p.m. | 7:07 a.m.–5:32 p.m. | 7:37 a.m.–5:32 p.m. |
| Apr 16, 2027 | Spring turkey | 6:52 a.m. | 7:59 p.m. | 6:22 a.m.–8:29 p.m. | 6:22 a.m.–7:59 p.m. | 6:52 a.m.–7:59 p.m. |
Hours rules from the ODWC big game regulations and the 2026-2027 Oklahoma Fishing and Hunting Regulations; sunrise and sunset worked out for this location with the NOAA solar formula (Central Time); checked November 3, 2026. Legal hours for every county.
Asked about Bowring
What are the closest town pages to Bowring?
Whippoorwill, Copan, Bartlesville and Pawhuska, nearest first.
Driving out of Bowring, what is the first public hunting area I come to?
By straight line it is Hulah Lake (Corps), with its closest edge 1.7 miles out. The runner-up by distance is Hulah WMA, with its closest edge 2.1 miles out.
How many listed hunting areas lie within 10 miles of Bowring?
6 areas inside 10 miles, 9 areas inside 25.
Does an antlerless zone line cross Osage County?
No. The GIS overlay shows Zone 2 in Osage County.
What date does rifle season for deer open around Bowring?
November 21, 2026.
What are the elk rules for Osage County?
Private land with written permission in the Northeast Zone, E-Check within 24 hours, and check the quota first.
Do archers near Bowring need orange during gun season?
Yes, an orange head covering or outer garment above the waist during any open firearm season for big game.
What evidence of sex must stay on an Oklahoma deer?
It stays naturally attached until the animal is reported; quartered deer keep the head and sex organs.
Is hunting deer over bait legal on private land in Osage County?
The regulations read found no statewide private-land deer bait ban; check any lease rules.
Are Oklahoma seasons open seven days a week?
Yes, seasons run every day of the week.
What is OLAP, and is there any near Bowring?
The Oklahoma Land Access Program leases private land for walk-in hunting; 2 tracts lie within reach, the nearest Osage County OLAP walk-in H002.
Where is the nearest game processor to Bowring?
Peck's Custom Butchering, Dewey, about 12 mi from Bowring.
Which ODWC law enforcement district includes Bowring?
District 1, under Captain Hank Jenks.
Answers from places.json, lands.json, counties.json, services.json and the 2026-2027 Oklahoma Fishing and Hunting Regulations; reporting from ODWC, hunter orange from the ODWC big game regulations, baiting from ODWC, Sunday hunting from ODWC seasons, the Land Access Permit from the ODWC license fees, CWD from ODWC. Checked November 3, 2026.
Bowring trip checklist
Before leaving Bowring, confirm the county and antlerless zone of the land you picked and whether it needs a Land Access Permit or a check-in.
Other photos on this page: Lane Pearman (CC BY 2.0); U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Southwest Region (Public Domain Mark 1.0); Pondfishfarmer (CC BY-SA 4.0); Shiva Shenoy (CC BY 4.0); Kool Cats Photography (CC BY 2.0); Jack Gray (CC BY 2.0); Guy Teague (CC BY-SA 2.0); Thesagemarmot (CC BY-SA 3.0).