Kay County, Oklahoma: deer harvest, public land and seasons
Hunters took 1,325 deer in Kay County in 2025-26, 44th of Oklahoma's 77 counties, by ODWC's Big Game Harvest Report (703 antlered, 622 antlerless). That count leaves out deer taken on wildlife management areas and OLAP land. Kay County's harvest went from 1,248 in 2020-21 to 1,325 in 2025-26 (up 6%). The county holds 20,753 acres of WMA land in 1 area and 5 OLAP walk-in hunting tracts (1,121 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 | 1,325 (44th of 77 counties) |
|---|---|
| Antlered and antlerless, 2025-26 | 703 and 622 |
| Highest of six seasons | 1,435 in 2024-25 |
| Size | 920 square miles of land |
| Wildlife management areas | Kaw WMA |
| OLAP walk-in hunting | 5 tracts, 1,121 acres |
| Towns | Ponca City, Blackwell, Tonkawa, Kaw City and Newkirk |
How many deer are harvested in Kay County?
ODWC's yearly count for Kay County, every deer checked in the county outside wildlife management areas and OLAP land. Kay County's harvest went from 1,248 in 2020-21 to 1,325 in 2025-26 (up 6%).
| Season | Deer harvested | Antlered | Antlerless | Archery | Gun | Muzzleloader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 1,325 | 703 | 622 | 259 | 940 | 126 |
| 2024-25 | 1,435 | 761 | 674 | 320 | 1,037 | 78 |
| 2023-24 | 1,267 | 705 | 562 | 281 | 854 | 132 |
| 2022-23 | 1,303 | 700 | 603 | 275 | 930 | 98 |
| 2021-22 | 1,066 | 616 | 450 | 215 | 747 | 104 |
| 2020-21 | 1,248 | 693 | 555 | 291 | 848 | 109 |
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.
Kay County deer by method and sex, 2025-26
| Method | Antlerless | Antlered | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Archery | 112 | 147 | 259 |
| Gun | 470 | 470 | 940 |
| Muzzleloader | 40 | 86 | 126 |
Where can you hunt public land in Kay County?
Kay County holds 20,753 acres of ODWC wildlife management area land, 3.4% of the county:
| Area | Acres in the county | Deer harvested on the whole area, 2025-26 |
|---|---|---|
| Kaw WMA | 20,753 | 389 |
OLAP, the Oklahoma Land Access Program, leases private land for walk-in hunting. ODWC's 2026 layer shows 5 tracts in Kay County:
| Tract | Type | Acres | Season |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kay_H020 | Walk-In Hunting Archery & Shotgun | 481 | Sep. 1 - May 16 |
| Kay_H021 | Walk-In Hunting Archery & Shotgun | 240 | Sep. 1 - May 16 |
| Kay_H023 | Walk-In Hunting Archery & Shotgun | 160 | Sep. 1 - May 16 |
| Kay_H025 | Walk-In Hunting Archery & Shotgun | 160 | Sep. 1 - May 16 |
| Kay_H024 | Walk-In Hunting Archery & Shotgun | 80 | Sep. 1 - May 16 |
OLAP tracts: ODWC OLAP layer, June 2026; rules in ODWC's OLAP program.
What is Kay County like?
Kay County covers 920 square miles of land. Its towns include Ponca City, Blackwell, Tonkawa, Kaw City, Newkirk and Braman. Highways: US 77 (66 miles in the county), US 177 (57 miles in the county), I-35 (57 miles in the county), OK 11 (46 miles in the county) and US 60 (35 miles in the county). Water: Lake Ponca, Chikaskia River and Arkansas River.
How does Kay County compare with its neighbors?
| County | Deer harvested, 2025-26 | Rank of 77 |
|---|---|---|
| Kay | 1,325 | 44 |
| Garfield | 1,176 | 52 |
| Grant | 1,724 | 32 |
| Noble | 1,680 | 34 |
| Osage | 5,062 | 1 |
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 Kay 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 Kay County, Oklahoma?
ODWC counts 1,325 deer taken in Kay County in 2025-26, leaving out WMA and OLAP land. Over the six seasons from 2020-21 the county ranged from 1,066 (2021-22) to 1,435 (2024-25).
Is there public hunting land in Kay County?
Yes: Kaw WMA (20,753 acres in the county), plus 5 OLAP walk-in hunting tracts on private land ODWC leases for public access (1,121 acres).
When is deer gun season in Kay 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 Kay County?
In 2025-26: gun 940, archery 259, muzzleloader 126, by ODWC's table.
Get a Oklahoma hunt plan when they open
Hunt plans for Oklahoma are coming. Join the list and you'll hear first. The first 50 hunters in each new state get their plan free.
Until then, the free FilledTag app for iPhone has a map that works in every state, Oklahoma included.
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 Garfield County Grant County Noble County Osage County