Cherokee WMA: deer harvest, rules and map
Cherokee WMA is 31,598 acres of public hunting land in Cherokee County and Muskogee County, managed by ODWC. Hunters took 257 deer on it in 2025-26, by ODWC's Big Game Harvest Report, and 229 a season on average over the 6 seasons ODWC published. Deer gun is closed on Cherokee GMA and open, with limits, on the rest of the area.
Data updated October 2026. Harvest: ODWC's Big Game Harvest Reports. Rules: ODWC's 2026-27 special area regulations. Boundary: ODWC's WMA map.
This areaOther wildlife management areaOLAP walk-in tractCounty lineLake or riverHighway
| Size | 31,598 acres (ODWC) |
|---|---|
| County | Cherokee, Muskogee |
| ODWC region | Northeast |
| Deer harvested, 2025-26 | 257 |
| Deer per 1,000 acres, 2025-26 | 8.1 (worked out from ODWC's two figures) |
| Deer gun season | Closed on Cherokee GMA; see the rules below |
| Camping | No camping allowed. |
| Area contact | (918) 931-0432 |
| Towns | Paradise Hill (2 mi), Braggs (4 mi) and Gore (7 mi) |
How many deer are harvested on Cherokee WMA?
ODWC's count of deer taken on Cherokee WMA, season by season, from its WMA harvest table. ODWC prints the area in parts (Cherokee WMA (GMA Portion) and Cherokee WMA (PHA Portion)); the totals below add them.
| Season | Deer harvested | Antlered | Antlerless | Archery | Gun | Muzzleloader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 257 | |||||
| 2024-25 | 213 | 133 | 80 | 100 | 62 | 51 |
| 2023-24 | 233 | 136 | 97 | 90 | 81 | 62 |
| 2022-23 | 272 | 149 | 123 | 108 | 117 | 47 |
| 2021-22 | 201 | 117 | 84 | 84 | 78 | 39 |
| 2020-21 | 196 |
Source: ODWC Big Game Harvest Reports (2025-26, 2024-25, 2023-24, 2022-23, 2021-22, 2020-21), Table 2, WMA harvest by sex and method. A season missing from the table had no row for the area or its table did not reconcile. Method and sex columns are left blank for 2025-26 and 2020-21: that year's table adds up row by row and to its printed total, but its columns do not match the printed column totals, so only the totals are used.
What are the 2026-27 hunting rules on Cherokee WMA?
- Cherokee GMA: Area closed to all activities for controlled deer hunts Oct. 24-25, Nov. 7-8 and Nov. 17-18, 2026.
Closed seasons (Cherokee GMA): Deer Gun, Deer Muzzleloader, Youth Deer Gun, Holiday Antlerless Deer Gun and Turkey Fall Gun.
Same as statewide (Cherokee GMA): Turkey Fall Archery and Deer Archery.
Closed seasons (Cherokee PHA): Holiday Antlerless Deer Gun and Turkey Fall Gun.
Same as statewide (Cherokee PHA): Deer Archery, Turkey Fall Archery, Youth Deer Gun and Deer Muzzleloader.
Seasons with special restrictions
- Cherokee GMA: Quail, Squirrel, Rabbit, Crow, Dove, Rail, Gallinule, Snipe, Woodcock, Waterfowl, Trapping: Closed from the opening day of deer archery season through deer gun season.
- Cherokee GMA: Pursuit with hounds for Furbearers, Predator/Furbearer Calling: Closed from the opening day of deer archery season through deer gun season and during spring turkey season.
- Cherokee GMA: Turkey Spring, Youth Turkey Spring: One-tom limit; seasons combined, GMA and PHA combined.
- Cherokee PHA: Deer Gun: Closed to antlerless hunting.
- Cherokee PHA: Dove, Rail, Gallinule, Crow, Snipe, Woodcock, Quail, Waterfowl, Rabbit, Squirrel, Trapping: Closed from the opening day of deer archery season through deer gun season.
- Cherokee PHA: Pursuit with hounds for Furbearers, Predator/Furbearer Calling: Closed from opening day of deer archery season through deer gun season and during spring turkey season.
- Cherokee PHA: Turkey Spring, Youth Turkey Spring: One-tom limit; seasons combined, PHA and GMA combined.
Other restrictions
- Cherokee GMA: Closed to all nonhunting activities from Oct. 1 - Jan. 31 and during spring turkey season.
- Cherokee GMA: No camping allowed.
- Cherokee PHA: Closed to all nonhunting activities, except hunter camping, from Oct. 1 - Jan. 31 and during spring turkey season.
- Cherokee PHA: Hunter and angler camping is allowed in designated areas.
Source: ODWC 2026-27 special area regulations, Cherokee GMA; ODWC 2026-27 special area regulations, Cherokee PHA.
How do you get to Cherokee WMA?
Cherokee WMA lies in Cherokee County and Muskogee County. Nearest towns: Paradise Hill (2 miles), Braggs (4 miles), Gore (7 miles) and Fort Gibson (7 miles). Highways within 5 miles: OK 10 (1 mile), US 62 (1 mile), OK 100 (2.9 miles) and OK 82 (4.1 miles). Water: Tenkiller Ferry Lake and Greenleaf Lake.
Which wildlife management areas are near Cherokee WMA?
| Area | Distance | Deer harvested, 2025-26 |
|---|---|---|
| Tenkiller WMA | next to it | 11 |
| McClellan-Kerr WMA | 3 mi | 107 |
| Lower Illinois River Public Fishing and Hunting Area | 4 mi | 6 |
| Fort Gibson WMA | 9.7 mi | 425 |
| Cookson WMA | 9.9 mi | 58 |
OLAP walk-in hunting tracts within 20 miles: Sequoyah_H002 (485 acres, 6.2 mi).
Questions hunters ask
How many deer are killed on Cherokee WMA?
ODWC counts 257 deer on Cherokee WMA in 2025-26. Its seasons on record: 2025-26 257, 2024-25 213, 2023-24 233, 2022-23 272, 2021-22 201 and 2020-21 196.
Is deer gun season open on Cherokee WMA?
On part of it. ODWC's 2026-27 rules close deer gun on Cherokee GMA; elsewhere on the area: Deer Gun: Closed to antlerless hunting..
Can you camp on Cherokee WMA?
No camping allowed, by ODWC's 2026-27 regulations.
Where is Cherokee WMA?
In Cherokee County and Muskogee County. Nearest towns: Paradise Hill (2 miles), Braggs (4 miles) and Gore (7 miles).
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 facts come from
- Deer harvest: ODWC Big Game Harvest Reports, 2025-26, 2024-25, 2023-24, 2022-23, 2021-22, 2020-21, WMA table.
- Seasons and rules: ODWC 2026-27 hunting regulations, special area regulations.
- Boundary and acres: ODWC Public WMA Boundaries. Highways and towns: U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line 2024. Water: USGS NHD.
FilledTag is not part of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. ODWC's regulations and posted signs are the final word.
Oklahoma hunting Cherokee County Muskogee County Tenkiller WMA McClellan-Kerr WMA Lower Illinois River Public Fishing and Hunting Area