STILLWATER, Okla. – The arrows have been flying in Oklahoma for several weeks, but deer season – the equivalent of Thanksgiving or Christmas for many state residents – is now gearing up for the blasting of muzzleloaders.

Oklahoma retains a rural and small town culture, and part of that culture is sport hunting, said Jim Shaw, professor of natural resource ecology and management with Oklahoma State University’s Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources.

“Deer hunting is an important part of wildlife management because it’s an inexpensive means of helping keep deer numbers below nuisance levels,” he said. “Most of the revenue to support wildlife management comes from license sale and federal aid from sport hunters.”

Archery season began on Oct. 1 and runs through Jan. 15, while muzzleloading season runs Oct. 24 through Nov. 1. The majority of harvested deer will come through Oklahoma’s gun season, which lasts just two weeks, Nov. 21 through Dec. 6.

According to figures compiled by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, there were nearly 112,000 deer harvested in 2006, with 95,891 and 105,269 in 2007 and 2008, respectively.

There is a long history of deer hunting in the state, with records going back to 1900, when there was unregulated harvest numbers that nearly eliminated all deer from the state. In 1917, the Oklahoma Legislature banned deer harvesting with an estimated population of 500 animals in the entire state.

In recent decades, the deer population has been restored through successful management practices.

“There are at least 500,000 deer in the state,” Shaw said. “Variation in total harvest between years is largely a result of weather. The best deer hunting is in cold, dry and windless weather.”

He said the tradition of deer hunting will no doubt continue in Oklahoma. In fact, it already has.