Hunting season not over yet

Don’t put away the hunting gear just yet. There are still some great opportunities to get out and experience some of the fine hunting this state has to offer.

While most hunters think of deer, turkey and other big game, Oklahomans have some excellent options to extend the hunting seasons while pursuing some smaller game. And the best news is that it doesn’t take a lot of expensive, specialized equipment to get in on the action.

Here are a few of those opportunities, and how to take advantage of them.

Rabbit: Regs – Season dates: Oct. 1-March 15. License requirements — a hunting license or proof of exemption. Legal means of taking- shotgun, rifle, handgun, archery, raptors, air-propelled missiles and slingshot.

Rabbit hunting is a great way to get a little winter exercise. Rabbits require walking brushy areas, hoping a cottontail will make a run for it. While other means of taking are allowed, small gauge shotguns are the normal took to harvest rabbits. Rabbits like dense vegetation, brush piles or thorny ditches, that’s why more experience hunters will enlist the help of a couple of beagles to flush rabbits from their hiding spots.

Rabbits are considered excellent table fare, and many high-scale restaurants feature rabbit on the menu at a hefty price.

Probably the best hunting for rabbits is right after a snow. The light background really makes them stick out, and seeing tracks lets hunters know where they are hunting.

The limit for cottontails is 10 daily, and rabbits are very prolific, so that makes for a great regeneration of population, so don’t worry about harvesting too many.

Squirrel: Regs — Season dates: May 15-Feb 28. License requirements—a hunting license or proof of exemption. Legal means of taking—shotgun, rifle, handgun, archery, raptors, air-propelled missiles and slingshot.

Info – Probably the most abundant and most under hunted of all game in Oklahoma. Squirrels are everywhere (as long as there are trees) and are super easy to hunt. It requires very little to hunt these little reddish grey tree dwellers. Just find a good spot in the woods, walk slowly while scanning the canopy, watching for movement, or find a good spot to sit by a big oak and just wait.

Squirrels are inquisitive creatures and peek to investigate a clicking or whistle made by the hunter. And the woods are good places to get out of the wind and cold on winter days. Squirrel hunting is a great way to introduce new hunters to the sport.

Squirrels are also tasty table fare. And can be cooked in many the same ways you would chicken. While not a whole lot of meat, you will need to harvest a couple to make a family meal. Don’t worry, the limit is 25.

After harvest, squirrel skins or tails make a fun skinning project for new hunters. Make a slit down the tail, remove the bone and coat with Borax before spreading to dry.

Coyote: Regs—Season dates: year round. License requirements—a hunting license or proof of exemption. Legal means of taking: any legal firearm or archery equipment.

While not truly small game, coyotes are a fun way to extend the hunting season, especially for deer hunters. The same equipment can be used for coyotes as deer, although many hunters will gear down a couple of notches on caliber for yotes.

Find a nice concealed spot overlooking an open spot and do some calling. An electronic caller is not too costly and works well, but good old fashion mouth calls work too. Do some looking on YouTube for tutorials. I’ve called in coyotes and bobcats, as well as one feral cat that was looking for a free meal.