Hunts will temporarily close portions of Refuge

The Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge will temporarily close portions of the public use area for a few days in November and December to conduct controlled hunts.

These hunts, which are conducted in cooperation with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, are an important part of the deer and elk management on the Refuge.

The deer hunt will be conducted Tuesday through Thursday.

The Refuge’s public use areas west of the Visitor Center and east of the Headquarters will be closed to other public uses during this hunt. Thru traffic and commuter traffic along Oklahoma 49 and Oklahoma 115 will remain open.

The closed areas include Quanah Parker Lake and Dam, Boulder Picnic area, Lost Lake, Burford Lake, Osage Lake, French Lake, Burma Road, the Narrows, and Dog Run Hollow trail system.

All of the public use areas east of the Visitor Center and west of Headquarters will remain open to the public during this hunt. These areas include Mt. Scott, Jed Johnson Lake, Rush Lake, Elk Mountain, Charon’s Garden, Post Oak, and Treasure Lake. Specific details on closed areas will be posted in the Visitor Center.

Additionally the refuge elk hunt will be conducted on: Dec. 3-5. Closed areas will change for each hunt.

Further hunt closure information will be available on the Refuge website at: www.fws.gov/refuge/wichita_mountains, Facebook, or by contacting the Refuge Visitor Center at 580-429-3222.