The Controlled Hunts application period is open now through May 20. Hunters can enter drawings for a host of ODWC-sanctioned hunts including once-in-a-lifetime elk and antelope selections, highly sought-after buck options, and other quality deer and turkey hunts. Like last year, you can also choose PointGuard and Preference Point Only options. To apply, log in to your Go Outdoors Oklahoma profile and select the “Controlled Hunts” tile.

New this year, applicants’ payment information will be securely stored until the drawing, and successful applicants will be automatically charged for any required permit or federal fees required for the hunt they’ve been awarded. This replaces the former process that required successful applicants to log in to Go Outdoors Oklahoma to manually pay fees and secure documents by a specified deadline or risk losing their hunt.

Controlled hunts are held on Wildlife Department or other government-owned or managed lands where unrestricted hunting would pose safety concerns or where overharvest might occur otherwise.

Applicants can apply for certain hunts in groups by creating a party application. To create a party, they need to have the Customer ID and last name of their members in order to search for them. Anyone needing assistance when applying should call the Help Desk at (833) 457-7285 or email HelpDesk@GoOutdoorsOklahoma.com.

Tickets for the newest slate of Outdoor Oklahoma Adventures raffles from the Wildlife Department are available now. There are seven raffles offered, featuring opportunities such as a youth deer gun hunt, a paddlefish angling trip at Keystone Lake, a combination lifetime hunting and fishing license, and more. There’s even a chance at a cow elk hunt on a private ranch in southwest Oklahoma, available even if you’ve been drawn for an elk hunt through the Oklahoma Controlled Hunts program. Outdoor Oklahoma Adventures tickets are $10 each or a bundle of five tickets for $30. Or get an Ultimate Bundle for $50, which enters you into all seven raffles. Anyone can enter, whether or not you have a hunting or fishing license, and there is no limit to the number of tickets that you can buy. All proceeds go directly to the Wildlife Department to fund conservation and public hunting and fishing opportunities for everyone. Click below by Aug. 15, or go to GoOutdoorsOklahoma.com.