Temporary closures for controlled hunts begins Tuesday at WMWR

Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge will temporarily close portions of the public use area for a few days in December and January 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.
An elk hunt will be conducted November 29 - December 1. The Refuge’s public use areas west of the Visitor Center to Headquarters will be closed to other public uses during this hunt. 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 west of Headquarters and east of the Visitor Center will remain open to the public during this hunt. These areas include Elk Mountain, Sunset Picnic area, Charon’s Garden, Post Oak/Treasure Lakes, Mt. Scott, Jed Johnson Lake and Rush Lake. Specific details on closed areas will be posted in the Visitor Center.

Additional elk hunts will be December 5-8, 2022, December 12-16, 2022, and January 9-13, 2023. 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 580-429-2197.