Cherokee County, Oklahoma: deer harvest, public land and seasons
Hunters took 2,452 deer in Cherokee County in 2025-26, 9th of Oklahoma's 77 counties, by ODWC's Big Game Harvest Report (1,347 antlered, 1,105 antlerless). That count leaves out deer taken on wildlife management areas and OLAP land. Cherokee County's harvest went from 2,646 in 2020-21 to 2,452 in 2025-26 (down 7%). The county holds 44,042 acres of WMA land in 5 areas.
Data updated October 2026. Harvest: ODWC's Big Game Harvest Reports, 2020-21 to 2025-26. Public land: ODWC's WMA and OLAP maps, 2026.
Wildlife management areaOLAP walk-in tractCounty lineLake or riverHighway
| Deer harvested, 2025-26 | 2,452 (9th of 77 counties) |
|---|---|
| Antlered and antlerless, 2025-26 | 1,347 and 1,105 |
| Highest of six seasons | 2,730 in 2023-24 |
| Size | 749 square miles of land |
| Wildlife management areas | Cherokee WMA, Cookson WMA, Fort Gibson WMA, Tenkiller WMA, Sparrowhawk WMA |
| OLAP walk-in hunting | None in ODWC's 2026 layer |
| Towns | Tahlequah and Hulbert |
How many deer are harvested in Cherokee County?
ODWC's yearly count for Cherokee County, every deer checked in the county outside wildlife management areas and OLAP land. Cherokee County's harvest went from 2,646 in 2020-21 to 2,452 in 2025-26 (down 7%).
| Season | Deer harvested | Antlered | Antlerless | Archery | Gun | Muzzleloader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 2,452 | 1,347 | 1,105 | 756 | 1,293 | 403 |
| 2024-25 | 2,225 | 1,106 | 1,119 | 757 | 1,188 | 280 |
| 2023-24 | 2,730 | 1,506 | 1,224 | 835 | 1,411 | 484 |
| 2022-23 | 2,400 | 1,303 | 1,097 | 825 | 1,319 | 256 |
| 2021-22 | 2,327 | 1,353 | 974 | 748 | 1,264 | 315 |
| 2020-21 | 2,646 | 1,396 | 1,250 | 690 | 1,399 | 557 |
Source: ODWC Big Game Harvest Reports (2025-26, 2024-25, 2023-24, 2022-23, 2021-22, 2020-21), Table 1, harvest by county, sex and method. The 2020-21 report labels the columns female and male. Each table was checked against its printed totals.
Cherokee County deer by method and sex, 2025-26
| Method | Antlerless | Antlered | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Archery | 352 | 404 | 756 |
| Gun | 637 | 656 | 1,293 |
| Muzzleloader | 116 | 287 | 403 |
Mule deer, elk, pronghorn and bear in Cherokee County
ODWC's county tables for its other big game, in the seasons whose tables reconcile:
| Species | 2025-26 | 2024-25 | 2023-24 | 2022-23 | 2021-22 | 2020-21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elk | 3 | 7 | 3 | 9 |
Blank means the county had no row that season or that season's table did not reconcile (mule deer in 2025-26 and 2023-24, elk in 2023-24 and 2020-21).
Where can you hunt public land in Cherokee County?
Cherokee County holds 44,042 acres of ODWC wildlife management area land, 8.9% of the county:
| Area | Acres in the county | Deer harvested on the whole area, 2025-26 |
|---|---|---|
| Cherokee WMA | 31,561 | 257 |
| Cookson WMA | 8,144 | 58 |
| Fort Gibson WMA | 2,177 | 425 |
| Tenkiller WMA | 1,599 | 11 |
| Sparrowhawk WMA | 561 | 7 |
What is Cherokee County like?
Cherokee County covers 749 square miles of land. Its towns include Tahlequah and Hulbert. Highways: OK 82 (46 miles in the county), OK 10 (43 miles in the county), OK 51 (39 miles in the county), US 62 (35 miles in the county) and OK 80 (18 miles in the county). Water: Tenkiller Ferry Lake and Illinois River.
How does Cherokee County compare with its neighbors?
| County | Deer harvested, 2025-26 | Rank of 77 |
|---|---|---|
| Cherokee | 2,452 | 9 |
| Adair | 1,199 | 50 |
| Delaware | 2,085 | 22 |
| Mayes | 1,734 | 31 |
| Muskogee | 1,687 | 33 |
| Sequoyah | 2,143 | 19 |
| Wagoner | 1,812 | 27 |
When are Oklahoma's 2026 deer seasons?
Deer seasons are statewide; antlerless days and limits are set by zone, and ODWC draws its antlerless zones along highways, so check ODWC's antlerless zone map for Cherokee County. The combined season limit is six deer, no more than two antlered.
| Season | 2026-27 dates |
|---|---|
| Deer archery | Oct. 1, 2026 to Jan. 15, 2027 |
| Youth deer gun | Oct. 16-18, 2026 |
| Deer muzzleloader | Oct. 24 to Nov. 1, 2026 |
| Deer gun | Nov. 21 to Dec. 6, 2026 |
| Holiday antlerless deer gun | Dec. 18-31, 2026 |
Source: ODWC 2026-27 deer seasons. Wildlife management areas can close or shorten a season; each WMA's page lists its own.
Questions hunters ask
How many deer are harvested in Cherokee County, Oklahoma?
ODWC counts 2,452 deer taken in Cherokee County in 2025-26, leaving out WMA and OLAP land. Over the six seasons from 2020-21 the county ranged from 2,225 (2024-25) to 2,730 (2023-24).
Is there public hunting land in Cherokee County?
Yes: Cherokee WMA (31,561 acres in the county), Cookson WMA (8,144 acres in the county), Fort Gibson WMA (2,177 acres in the county), Tenkiller WMA (1,599 acres in the county) and Sparrowhawk WMA (561 acres in the county).
When is deer gun season in Cherokee County in 2026?
Statewide: Nov. 21 to Dec. 6, 2026, with muzzleloader Oct. 24 to Nov. 1 and archery Oct. 1, 2026 to Jan. 15, 2027. How many antlerless deer you may take depends on the antlerless zone, which ODWC maps by highways rather than county lines. WMAs set their own rules.
Which method takes the most deer in Cherokee County?
In 2025-26: gun 1,293, archery 756, muzzleloader 403, by ODWC's table.
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Where these numbers come from
- Harvest by county: ODWC Big Game Harvest Reports, 2025-26, 2024-25, 2023-24, 2022-23, 2021-22, 2020-21. The 2023-24 and 2020-21 tables are pictures, read by OCR and kept only where they match ODWC's printed totals.
- Wildlife management areas: ODWC Public WMA Boundaries. OLAP: ODWC OLAP layer. Acres measured by FilledTag.
- Seasons: ODWC 2026-27 hunting regulations. County, towns and highways: U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line 2024.
FilledTag is not part of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. Nothing on this page is estimated by FilledTag.
Oklahoma hunting Adair County Delaware County Mayes County Muskogee County Sequoyah County Wagoner County