Hughes County, Oklahoma: deer harvest, public land and seasons
Hunters took 2,079 deer in Hughes County in 2025-26, 23rd of Oklahoma's 77 counties, by ODWC's Big Game Harvest Report (1,269 antlered, 810 antlerless). That count leaves out deer taken on wildlife management areas and OLAP land. Hughes County's harvest went from 2,020 in 2020-21 to 2,079 in 2025-26 (up 3%). The county has no wildlife management area.
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 | 2,079 (23rd of 77 counties) |
|---|---|
| Antlered and antlerless, 2025-26 | 1,269 and 810 |
| Highest of six seasons | 2,201 in 2022-23 |
| Size | 804 square miles of land |
| Wildlife management areas | None |
| OLAP walk-in hunting | None in ODWC's 2026 layer |
| Towns | Lamar, Holdenville, Horntown, Spaulding and Wetumka |
How many deer are harvested in Hughes County?
ODWC's yearly count for Hughes County, every deer checked in the county outside wildlife management areas and OLAP land. Hughes County's harvest went from 2,020 in 2020-21 to 2,079 in 2025-26 (up 3%).
| Season | Deer harvested | Antlered | Antlerless | Archery | Gun | Muzzleloader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 2,079 | 1,269 | 810 | 572 | 1,225 | 282 |
| 2024-25 | 1,662 | 962 | 700 | 482 | 1,037 | 143 |
| 2023-24 | 1,843 | 1,118 | 725 | 491 | 1,123 | 229 |
| 2022-23 | 2,201 | 1,178 | 1,023 | 671 | 1,334 | 196 |
| 2021-22 | 2,037 | 1,300 | 737 | 583 | 1,236 | 218 |
| 2020-21 | 2,020 | 1,292 | 728 | 567 | 1,130 | 323 |
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.
Hughes County deer by method and sex, 2025-26
| Method | Antlerless | Antlered | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Archery | 238 | 334 | 572 |
| Gun | 503 | 722 | 1,225 |
| Muzzleloader | 69 | 213 | 282 |
Mule deer, elk, pronghorn and bear in Hughes 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 | 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 Hughes County?
Hughes County has no wildlife management area in ODWC's 2026 boundaries.
What is Hughes County like?
Hughes County covers 804 square miles of land. Its towns include Lamar, Holdenville, Horntown, Spaulding, Wetumka and Calvin. Highways: US 75 (39 miles in the county), US 270 (33 miles in the county), OK 48 (32 miles in the county), OK 9 (27 miles in the county) and OK 1 (23 miles in the county). Water: Lake Holdenville, Big Wewoka Creek Site 39 Reservoir and Lake Wetumka.
How does Hughes County compare with its neighbors?
| County | Deer harvested, 2025-26 | Rank of 77 |
|---|---|---|
| Hughes | 2,079 | 23 |
| Coal | 1,805 | 28 |
| McIntosh | 1,307 | 46 |
| Okfuskee | 1,329 | 43 |
| Pittsburg | 3,975 | 2 |
| Pontotoc | 2,258 | 14 |
| Seminole | 2,089 | 21 |
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 Hughes 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 Hughes County, Oklahoma?
ODWC counts 2,079 deer taken in Hughes County in 2025-26, leaving out WMA and OLAP land. Over the six seasons from 2020-21 the county ranged from 1,662 (2024-25) to 2,201 (2022-23).
Is there public hunting land in Hughes County?
Hughes County has no wildlife management area or OLAP walk-in tract in ODWC's 2026 maps. The nearest WMAs are in the neighboring counties.
When is deer gun season in Hughes 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 Hughes County?
In 2025-26: gun 1,225, archery 572, muzzleloader 282, 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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