Oklahoma Wildlife Management Areas are one type of protected conservation area within the U.S. state of Oklahoma.
“All lands owned, licensed, leased or under the management of the Wildlife Division of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, except for the McCurtain County Wilderness Area, are designated Wildlife Management Areas (WMA) to accurately reflect the overall objectives for these lands and the results of management activities conducted thereon. Depending on the specific management objectives, all or parts of any particular wildlife management area may also be designated as a public hunting area, game management area or migratory bird refuge, or wetland development unit.” [1]
Name | County or counties | Area | Location | Remarks | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Altus-Lugert WMA [3] | Greer and Kiowa | 3,600 acres (1,500 ha) | three miles northeast of Granite on the north end of Lake Altus-Lugert [4] | ||
Arbuckle Springs WMA [5] | Johnston | 3,869 acres (1,566 ha) | 1 mile west of Bromide in northeastern part of county | ||
Arcadia Conservation Education Area (CEA) [6] [7] | Oklahoma | East of I-35, north of I-44 and on the east side of Lake Arcadia in Edmond | Managed by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation for public and school education. [8] Closed to All Hunting, with limited exceptions. [9] Coordinates 35.623931, -97.389394 | ||
Atoka WMA [10] | Atoka | 6,440 acres (2,610 ha) | 12 miles north of Atoka bordering US 69 to the west. | Coordinates: 34.4718478,-95.9123338. The Atoka State Game Refuge is part of the WMA. Coordinates: 34.5222677,-96.0149346. The 12,897 acre Atoka Public Hunting Area (Stringtown) borders the WMA to the east. [11] | |
Bamberger WMA [12] | Adair | 301 acres (122 ha) | In western part of county | ||
Beaver River WMA [13] | Beaver | 17,700 acres (7,200 ha) | Southeast of Turpin in the western part of the county | In the Oklahoma panhandle | |
Black Kettle WMA [14] | Roger Mills | 30,710 acres (12,430 ha) | Near Cheyenne | Connected with the Black Kettle National Grassland owned by the U.S. Forest Service [15] | |
Blue River WMA [16] | Johnston | 3,367 acres (1,363 ha) | 8 miles northeast of Tishomingo | Bald eagles winter at Tishomingo NWR and occasionally seen at the WMA. | |
Broken Bow WMA [17] | McCurtain | 5,420 acres (2,190 ha) | Northeast of Broken Bow in the northern part of the county | adjacent to the Broken Bow Reservoir and the Ouachita National Forest | |
Camp Gruber WMA [18] | Muskogee | A significant portion of the 55,680 acres (22,530 ha) in 5 areas. | Beginning January 1, 2003, the Oklahoma Army National Guard (OKARNG) and the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) reached an agreement to allow civilian hunting at the facility. See Camp Gruber. | ||
Candy Creek WMA [19] | Osage | 605 acres (245 ha) | northeast of Avant in the eastern part of the county | ||
Canton WMA [20] | Blaine, Dewey, and Major | 14,877 acres (6,021 ha) | Situated around Canton Lake | Coordinates: 35.771189, -95.064926 (Headquarters) | |
Cherokee WMA [21] | Cherokee | 31,360 acres (12,690 ha) | Zeb in the southwestern part of the county | Comprises two sections: A 16,000 acres (6,500 ha) Public Hunting Area (PHA) and a 15,360 acres (6,220 ha) Game Management Area (GMA). | |
Chickasaw NRA [22] | Murray | 4,500 acres (1,800 ha) | Near Sulphur | See Chickasaw National Recreation Area | |
Cimarron Bluff WMA [23] | Harper | 3,430 acres (1,390 ha) | In the northeastern part of the county | ||
Cimarron Hills WMA [24] | Woods County | 3,770 acres (1,530 ha) | In the western part of the county | ||
Cookson WMA [25] | Cherokee and Adair | 14,725 acres (5,959 ha) | 6 miles east of Cookson | ||
Hal and Fern Cooper WMA [26] | Woodward and Harper | 16,080 acres (6,510 ha) | Northwest of Woodward city | ||
Copan WMA [27] | Washington | 7,532 acres (3,048 ha) | North of Bartlesville | Includes Copan Wetland Development Unit (WDU) | |
Cross Timbers WMA [28] | Love | 10,300 acres (4,200 ha) | 15 miles west of Marietta | ||
Deep Fork WMA [29] | Creek and Okfuskee | 11,900 acres (4,800 ha) | 10 miles south of Bristow | Includes Swift Bottoms WDU | |
Dewey County WMA [30] | Dewey | 212 acres (86 ha) | Four miles west of Taloga | ||
Drummond Flats WMA [31] | Garfield | 4,653 acres (1,883 ha) | West of Drummond; eight miles southwest of Enid and in the western part of the county | Has a WDU section | |
Ellis County WMA [32] | Ellis | 4,800 acres (1,900 ha) | 8 miles west and 3.5 miles south of Arnett | 160 acres (65 ha) Lake Lloyd Vincent created in 1961. | |
Eufaula WMA [33] | Latimer, McIntosh, Pittsburg, and Okmulgee | 48,614 acres (19,673 ha) | The WMA is separated into different sections or "arms". 1)- Duchess Creek arm, 2)- Gaines Creek Arm, 3)- Deep Fork Arm, 4)- Mill Creek Arm, 5)- North Canadian Arm, South Canadian Arm. Contains Deep Fork WDU and Mill Creek WDU | ||
Fobb Bottom WMA [34] | Marshall | 2,205 acres (892 ha) | Nearest town is Willis | ||
Fort Cobb WMA [35] | Caddo | 3,500 acres (1,400 ha) | Around the north end of Fort Cobb Lake. Includes Walnut Slough WDU | ||
Fort Gibson WMA [36] | Wagoner and Cherokee | 21,798 acres (8,821 ha) | |||
Fort Supply WMA [37] | Woodward | 5,418 acres (2,193 ha) | 9 miles from Woodward | On the shore of Fort Supply Lake | |
Gary Sherrer WMA [38] | Pittsburg | 1,280 acres (520 ha) | Nearest town: Hartshorne | ||
Gist WMA [39] | Tillman | 177 acres (72 ha) | 6 miles northwest of Tipton | ||
Grady County WMA [40] | Grady | 1,036 acres (419 ha) | four and a half miles east of Rush Springs | Two non-contiguous tracts with a 33 acres (13 ha) non-contiguous tract between them. | |
Grassy Slough WMA [41] | McCurtain | 1,016 acres (411 ha) | 7 miles south of Idabel | Includes Grassy Slough WDU | |
Hackberry Flat WMA [42] | Tillman | 7,120 acres (2,880 ha) | Southeast of Frederick | Includes Hackberry Flat WDU | |
Heyburn WMA [43] | Creek | 5,865 acres (2,373 ha) | Owned by the US Army COE and surrounds Heyburn Lake | ||
Hickory Creek WMA [44] | Love | 7,363 acres (2,980 ha) | Five miles northeast of Marietta. | ||
Honobia WMA [45] | Pushmataha, Le Flore, and McCurtain | 97,758.18 acres (39,561.33 ha) | Borders the 203,246 acres (82,251 ha) Three Rivers WMA to the east. | Three private forest investment companies, the Hancock Natural Resource Group (HNRG), Rayonier Forest Resources, and Molpus Timberlands Management, entered into agreements with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) to manage the states first privately owned WMA. The property is run under a land access fee permit system. [46] | |
Hugo WMA [47] | Choctaw and Pushmataha | 19,227 acres (7,781 ha) | Located along the Kiamichi River North of Lake Hugo and Hugo Lake State Park near Apple. | Includes Kiamichi River & Sawyer WDUs. 18,196 acres (7,364 ha) with the non-contiguous tracts of the Sawyer Unit having 551 acres (223 ha) and the Hamden Unit consisting of 480 acres (190 ha). A portion of the WMA was renamed the Lyndol Fry Waterfowl Refuge, adjacent to the Kiamichi River, and consisting of 3,500 acres. [48] | |
Hulah WMA [49] | Osage | 16,162 acres (6,541 ha) | 20 miles northeast of Pawhuska. WMA follows the Caney River from southeast of Elgin, Kansas to Hulah Lake with three other fingers following creeks and rivers to Hulah Lake. | Includes Whipporwill WDU. In 2017 Lake Hulah was among 14 others, added to the Department of Environment Quality's list of elevated levels of mercury in fish, bringing the total to 54. [50] | |
James Collins WMA [51] | Pittsburg and Latimer | 21,353 acres (8,641 ha) | 20 miles northeast of McAlester and 8 miles west of Quinton | ||
John Dahl WMA [52] | Osage | 480 acres (190 ha) | One mile east of Foraker in the western part of the county | ||
Kaw WMA [53] | Kay and Osage | 16,254 acres (6,578 ha) | Located just four and one half miles east of Newkirk | Upper two thirds of Kaw Lake. West fork encompasses the Arkansas River from the Kansas border to Kaw Lake. The east fork follows Beaver creek northeast (headwaters at 96°38′01″W 37°07′04″N in Kansas) a few miles into Osage County. | |
Keystone WMA [54] | Creek, Osage, and Pawnee | 22,393 acres (9,062 ha) | Near Cleveland, Mannford, and Oilton | Includes Boston Pool, Buckeye Creek and Cottonwood Creek WDUs | |
Lexington WMA [55] | Cleveland | 9,512 acres (3,849 ha) | Off of Highway 77 five miles south and six miles east of Noble | ||
Love Valley WMA [56] | Love | 7,746 acres (3,135 ha) | Includes Stevens Springs WDU. Bald eagles winter at the WMA. | ||
Lower Illinois River WMA (Watts Unit) [57] | Sequoyah | 320 acres (130 ha) | Four miles north of Gore | 3/4 mile of lower Illinois River runs through the WMA | |
Major County WMA [58] | Major | 210 acres (85 ha) | thirteen miles south and two and a half miles west of Waynoka | ||
McClellan-Kerr WMA [59] | Wagoner, Muskogee, Haskell and Sequoyah | 7,905 acres (3,199 ha) | Includes Billy Creek and Chouteau WDUs. Contains Billy Creek, Chouteau, and Robert S. Kerr Portions | ||
McCurtain County Wilderness Area [60] | McCurtain | 14,087 acres (5,701 ha) | In the northern part of the county | Last known red-cockaded woodpecker population in the state. Oldest department area and the largest virgin shortleaf pine/hardwood forest in the nation. | |
McGee Creek WMA [61] | Atoka county | 10,000 acres (4,000 ha) | 11 miles east of Stringtown in the south-central part of the county | The WMA is situated in the middle of the V-shaped 3,800 acres (1,500 ha) McGee Creek Lake that is fed by Potapo Creek from the northwest and McGee Creek from the north. [62] McGee Creek State Park is on the southeast side. [63] | |
Mountain Park WMA [64] | Kiowa | 5,400 acres (2,200 ha) | Mountain Park WDU. WMA encircles the north and west side of Tom Steed Reservoir. | ||
Neosho WMA [65] | Craig and Ottawa | 726.36 acres (293.95 ha) | 6 1/2 miles northwest of Welch | ||
Okmulgee WMA [66] | Okmulgee | 10,900 acres (4,400 ha) | 5 miles west of Okmulgee city in west-central part of the county | Includes Okmulgee East & Okmulgee West WDUs | |
Oologah WMA [67] | Nowata and Rogers | 12,941 acres (5,237 ha) | southeast of Nowata | North section includes the Verdigris River to just above the north shore of Oologah Lake. [68] South section includes the northern banks of the lake, along most of the eastern side, and Goose Island. [69] Includes Overcup Bottoms and Upper Verdigris WDUs. In 1988 there were reports of rituals being performed on the island. [70] | |
Optima WMA [71] | Texas | 8,062 acres (3,263 ha) | northwest of Hardesty in the eastern part of the county | see Optima National Wildlife Refuge | |
Osage WMA [72] | Osage | 9,512 acres (3,849 ha) | North of Pawhuska | The area is made up of two units, the Western Wall unit (5,950 acres) and the Rock Creek unit (3,722 acres) | |
Ouachita Leflore Unit WMA [73] | Le Flore | 232,000 acres (94,000 ha) | 10 miles south of Heavener | Part of the Ouachita National Forest. Managed cooperatively between the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation and the United States Forest Service. | |
Ouachita McCurtain Unit WMA [74] | McCurtain | 131,000 acres (53,000 ha) | The Broken Bow Sub-unit is located north of Broken Bow, surrounding Broken Bow Lake and the Glover River. The Tiak Sub-unit is located southeast of Idabel surrounding the towns of Haworth and Tom | ||
Ozark Plateau WMA [75] | Adair | 2,076 acres (840 ha) | 2 miles east of Bell | ||
Packsaddle WMA [76] | Ellis | 19,659 acres (7,956 ha) | 17 miles south of Arnett | ||
Pine Creek WMA | Pushmataha and McCurtain | 10,280 acres (4,160 ha) | 7 miles (11 km) north of Valliant, Oklahoma | Adjacent to the Little River | |
Pushmataha WMA | Pushmataha | 19,237 acres (7,785 ha) | 5 miles (8.0 km) south of Clayton | ||
Red Slough WMA [77] | McCurtain | 5,814 acres (2,353 ha) | 6 miles south of Haworth | Includes Red Slough WDU Golden and bald eagles as well as American alligators have been seen on the WMA. | |
Rita Blanca WMA [78] | Cimarron | 15,575 acres (6,303 ha) | 46 units in the southwestern part of the county along the border with Dallam County, Texas | see Rita Blanca National Grassland | |
Robbers Cave WMA [79] | Latimer | 6,180 acres (2,500 ha) | North of Wilburton | ||
Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge | Alfalfa | 32,080 acres (12,980 ha) | see Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge | ||
Sandy Sanders WMA [80] | Greer and Beckham | 29,766 acres (12,046 ha) | 26 miles northwest of Mangum and 26 miles southwest of Sayre | ||
Sans Bois WMA [81] | Haskell | 7,602.40 acres (3,076.58 ha) | South of McCurtain | ||
Schultz WMA [82] | Texas | 306 acres (124 ha) | South of Hardesty | ||
Sequoyah WMA (National Wildlife Refuge) [83] | Sequoyah, Muskogee and Haskell | 20,800 acres (8,400 ha) | Around the Robert S. Kerr Reservoir | Established in 1970, a partnership between Ducks Unlimited, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, the National Audubon Society, U.S. Coast Guard, Oklahoma State Parks, Oklahoma State University, and Missouri State University. [84] Hunting is allowed in the Sandtown Bottom, Webbers Bottom, and Girty Bottom. See Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge | |
Skiatook WMA [85] | Osage | 5,085 acres (2,058 ha) | Near Hominy and Skiatook | Upper ends of Skiatook Lake | |
Sparrow Hawk WMA [86] | Cherokee | 566 acres (229 ha) | five miles east of Tahlequah. | ||
Spavinaw WMA [87] | Delaware and Mayes | 14,316 acres (5,793 ha) | Spavinaw | South side of Lake Spavinaw. Game Management (GMA) and Public Hunting Area (PHA) | |
Stringtown WMA [88] | Atoka | 2,260 acres (910 ha) | 7 miles east of Stringtown | ||
Tenkiller WMA [89] | Cherokee and Sequoyah | 2,590 acres (1,050 ha) | seventeen miles south of Tahlequah | On the southwest shores of Lake Tenkiller | |
Texoma Washita Arm WMA [90] | Johnston | 13,286 acres (5,377 ha) | Southwest of Tishomingo | Includes Washita Arm WDU. | |
Three Rivers WMA [91] | McCurtain and Pushmataha | 203,246 acres (82,251 ha) | North of Broken Bow | ||
Washita County WMA [92] | Washita | 240 acres (97 ha) | 3 miles northwest of Cordell | ||
Washita NWR | Custer | 8,075 acres (3,268 ha) | on shore of Foss Reservoir | see Washita National Wildlife Refuge | |
Waurika WMA [93] | Cotton and Stephens | 10,580 acres (4,280 ha) | West of Comanche | Includes Waurika WDU and Walker Creek WDU. | |
Whitegrass Flats WMA [94] | McCurtain | 391 acres (158 ha) | Near Valliant | Includes White Grass Flats WDU. | |
Wichita Mountains NWR | Comanche | 59,020 acres (23,880 ha) | see Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge | ||
Wister WMA [95] | Le Flore and Latimer | 35,500 acres (14,400 ha) | Around Lake Wister | Includes Joe Johnson WDU and Fourche Maline WDU. | |
Yourman WMA [96] | Latimer | 2,860 acres (1,160 ha) |
Ellis County is a county located on the western border of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,749, making it the fifth-least populous county in Oklahoma. Its county seat is Arnett.
Atoka County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,143. Its county seat is Atoka. The county was formed before statehood from Choctaw Lands, and its name honors a Choctaw Chief named Atoka. The county is part of Choctaw Nation reservation lands.
Fort Cobb Reservoir is a reservoir located in Caddo County in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It impounds the waters of Cobb Creek, Lake Creek, and Willow Creek. The lake covers approximately 4,000 acres (16 km2) of water and 45 mi (72 km) of shoreline. Its drainage area is 285 square miles (740 km2). It was constructed in 1958. The towns of Carnegie, Fort Cobb, and Eakly are located nearby.
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The Fort Mill Ridge Wildlife Management Area is located on 217 acres (0.88 km2) two miles (3 km) southwest of Romney in Hampshire County, West Virginia. Fort Mill Ridge WMA is owned by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources. The Fort Mill Ridge Civil War Trenches are located at the top of the Fort Mill Ridge access road.
The Deep Fork River is an Oklahoma tributary of the North Canadian River. The headwaters flow from northern Oklahoma City and the river empties into the North Canadian River, now impounded by Lake Eufaula.
The Little River is a tributary of the Red River, with a total length of 217 miles (349 km), 130 miles (210 km) within the Choctaw Indian Reservation in southeastern Oklahoma and 87 miles (140 km) in southwestern Arkansas in the United States. Via the Red, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River. Six large reservoirs impound the Little River and its tributaries. The drainage basin of the river totals 4,204 square miles (10,890 km2), 2,204 square miles (5,710 km2) in Oklahoma and 2,036 square miles (5,270 km2) in Arkansas. The Little River and its upper tributaries are popular for recreational canoeing and kayaking.
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Alabama Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) are tracts of land which have been established for the conservation and management of natural resources such as wildlife and aquatic life within the State of Alabama. The Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is responsible for the management of these lands and their associated uses. The land is not typically state-owned, but is private land which is leased for public use. The landholders are typically large timber, oil and gas, coal, or infrastructure companies. Public uses of the WMAs vary from area to area, but typically includes hunting, fishing, trapping, hiking, and camping. As of the 2007–2008 season over 768,000 acres (3,110 km2) of land was under management as part of Alabama WMAs from the north Alabama mountains down to Mobile Bay and the Gulf of Mexico coast.
New York State Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) are conservation areas managed by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) primarily for the benefit of wildlife, and used extensively by the public for hunting, fishing, and trapping. As of 2016, the NYSDEC owns and maintains 113 WMAs, with a total area of approximately 197,000 acres. The Wildlife Management Areas program is administered by the Division of Fish, Wildlife and Marine Resources of the NYSDEC.
Black Pond Wildlife Management Area is a 526-acre (213 ha) New York State Wildlife Management Area (WMA) that lies on the eastern shore of Lake Ontario, and at the northern limit of an unusual region of sandy barrier beaches and lagoons. Much of the barrier beach in Black Pond WMA has forested sand dunes that are about 60 feet (18 m) high; these are the highest sand dunes in the northeast United States excepting Cape Cod. Immediately north of the WMA is the 360-acre (150 ha) El Dorado Beach Preserve, which is a bird refuge owned by The Nature Conservancy. North of the outlet from Black Pond to Lake Ontario, the shoreline is a weathered, flat bedrock shelf that is "calcareous" instead of sandy.
Deer Creek Marsh Wildlife Management Area is an 1,195-acre (484 ha) New York State Wildlife Management Area (WMA) with a 4,500-foot (1,400 m) sandy beach on the eastern shore of Lake Ontario; it is in the Town of Richland in Oswego County, New York. Deer Creek Marsh lies at the southern limit of a 17-mile-long (27 km) region of sandy barrier beaches that protect coastal lagoons and marshes; the region is unusual geologically and is important as habitat for many species. Deer Creek Marsh WMA is part of the Eastern Lake Ontario Marshes Bird Conservation Area, along with Black Pond and Lakeview WMAs and the Sandy Pond Beach Unique Area. Some of the hiking and boating opportunities in the WMA are described in a brochure and a website created through the New York Sea Grant.
A wildlife management area (WMA) is a protected area set aside for the conservation of wildlife and for recreational activities involving wildlife.
Hal and Fern Cooper Wildlife Management Area, also known as Cooper WMA, is a 16,080 acres (6,510 ha) protected area that spans across Woodward and Harper Counties, Oklahoma. The WMA is owned and managed by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC).
Honobia Creek Wildlife Management Area is a protected area of privately owned land located in Pushmataha, Le Flore, and McCurtain Counties, Oklahoma, totaling 97,758.18 acres (39,561.33 ha), and managed by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC).