Cotton County, Oklahoma: deer harvest, public land and seasons
Hunters took 601 deer in Cotton County in 2025-26, 71st of Oklahoma's 77 counties, by ODWC's Big Game Harvest Report (312 antlered, 289 antlerless). That count leaves out deer taken on wildlife management areas and OLAP land. Cotton County's harvest went from 563 in 2020-21 to 601 in 2025-26 (up 7%). The county holds 4,642 acres of WMA land in 1 area and 1 OLAP walk-in hunting tract (135 acres).
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 | 601 (71st of 77 counties) |
|---|---|
| Antlered and antlerless, 2025-26 | 312 and 289 |
| Highest of six seasons | 621 in 2023-24 |
| Size | 633 square miles of land |
| Wildlife management areas | Waurika WMA |
| OLAP walk-in hunting | 1 tracts, 135 acres |
| Towns | Walters, Temple, Randlett and Devol |
How many deer are harvested in Cotton County?
ODWC's yearly count for Cotton County, every deer checked in the county outside wildlife management areas and OLAP land. Cotton County's harvest went from 563 in 2020-21 to 601 in 2025-26 (up 7%).
| Season | Deer harvested | Antlered | Antlerless | Archery | Gun | Muzzleloader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 601 | 312 | 289 | 171 | 388 | 42 |
| 2024-25 | 620 | 336 | 284 | 177 | 401 | 42 |
| 2023-24 | 621 | 361 | 260 | 149 | 431 | 41 |
| 2022-23 | 592 | 336 | 256 | 140 | 421 | 31 |
| 2021-22 | 541 | 290 | 251 | 142 | 367 | 32 |
| 2020-21 | 563 | 341 | 222 | 119 | 396 | 48 |
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.
Cotton County deer by method and sex, 2025-26
| Method | Antlerless | Antlered | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Archery | 85 | 86 | 171 |
| Gun | 191 | 197 | 388 |
| Muzzleloader | 13 | 29 | 42 |
Mule deer, elk, pronghorn and bear in Cotton 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 | 1 |
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 Cotton County?
Cotton County holds 4,642 acres of ODWC wildlife management area land, 1.1% of the county:
| Area | Acres in the county | Deer harvested on the whole area, 2025-26 |
|---|---|---|
| Waurika WMA | 4,642 | 115 |
OLAP, the Oklahoma Land Access Program, leases private land for walk-in hunting. ODWC's 2026 layer shows 1 tract in Cotton County:
| Tract | Type | Acres | Season |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cotton_H001 | Walk-In Hunting Archery & Shotgun | 135 | Sep. 1 - May 16 |
OLAP tracts: ODWC OLAP layer, June 2026; rules in ODWC's OLAP program.
What is Cotton County like?
Cotton County covers 633 square miles of land. Its towns include Walters, Temple, Randlett and Devol. Highways: I-44 (52 miles in the county), OK 5 (38 miles in the county), US 277 (35 miles in the county), US 281 (35 miles in the county) and US 70 (28 miles in the county). Water: Cache Creek.
How does Cotton County compare with its neighbors?
| County | Deer harvested, 2025-26 | Rank of 77 |
|---|---|---|
| Cotton | 601 | 71 |
| Comanche | 910 | 63 |
| Jefferson | 1,149 | 54 |
| Stephens | 1,835 | 26 |
| Tillman | 866 | 66 |
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 Cotton 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 Cotton County, Oklahoma?
ODWC counts 601 deer taken in Cotton County in 2025-26, leaving out WMA and OLAP land. Over the six seasons from 2020-21 the county ranged from 541 (2021-22) to 621 (2023-24).
Is there public hunting land in Cotton County?
Yes: Waurika WMA (4,642 acres in the county), plus 1 OLAP walk-in hunting tract on private land ODWC leases for public access (135 acres).
When is deer gun season in Cotton 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 Cotton County?
In 2025-26: gun 388, archery 171, muzzleloader 42, 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.
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