Oklahoma State Game Animal

White-tail Deer Odocoileus virginianus Adopted: January 30, 1990

Oklahoma State Game Animal: White-tail Deer Male (Buck)
Photographs and prints

The white-tail deer was adopted as Oklahoma's "official game animal of the State of Oklahoma" by Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 24 (SCR24).

The resolution was approved by the Oklahoma Senate on January 25, 1990 and in the House of Representatives on January 30, 1990.

Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 24

A Concurrent Resolution proclaiming the "white-tail deer" as the official game animal of the State of Oklahoma; and directing distribution.

WHEREAS, the white-tail deer is the greatest trophy among Oklahoma's bountiful hunting harvest; and

WHEREAS, the white-tail deer population is estimated at some 250,000 existing in each of Oklahoma's 77 counties; and

WHEREAS, the white-tail deer is the most beautiful and prized symbol of Oklahoma wildlife; and

WHEREAS, the 377,000 resident and nonresident sportsmen who hunt for the white-tail deer and other game during the various seasons make an enormous contribution to Oklahoma's recreational economy in the amount of $177 Million.

Now, Therefore, be it resolved by the Senate of the 1st Extraordinary Session of the 42nd Oklahoma Legislature, the House of Representatives concurring therein:

THAT the "white-tail deer" is hereby designated as the official game animal of the State of Oklahoma.

THAT a copy of this resolution be distributed to the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor and the Chairman of the Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Note that the concurrent resolution refers to the game animal as the "white-tail" deer. More commonly, this animal is referred to as the "white-tailed" deer.

Oklahoma Law

Ohio State Animal: White-tail Deer (Fawns)
Photographs and prints

The Oklahoma State Legislature named the white-tail deer Oklahoma's official state game animal by concurrent resolution and it is, therefore, not listed in the Oklahoma Statutes.

Sources...

Shearer, Benjamin F. and Barbara S. State Names, Seals, Flags and Symbols: A Historical Guide Third Edition, Revised and Expanded. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 3 Sub edition, 2001.

Additional Information

Oklahoma State Game Animal: White-tail Deer Female (Doe)
Photographs and prints

Oklahoma State Icons: Oklahoma Department of Libraries.

White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus): National Wildlife Foundation's eNature.com field guide.

Odocoileus virginianus - White-tailed deer: Information about white-tailed deer from the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History - North American Mammals.

Odocoileus virginianus - White-tailed deer: Information about white-tailed deer from the University of Michigan's Museum of Zoology - Animal Diversity Web.

Odocoileus virginianus (Zimmermann, 1780) - White-tailed deer: Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Here you will find authoritative taxonomic information on plants, animals, fungi, and microbes of North America and the world.

White-Tailed Deer
by Mark Raycroft

Odocoileus virginianus (White-tailed deer): CalPhoto photographs. The Biodiversity Sciences Technology group (BSCIT), a part of the Berkeley Natural History Museums at the University of California, Berkeley.

State Animals: Complete list of official state animals.

More symbols & emblems: Complete list of official Oklahoma state symbols.

White-Tailed Deer, by Mark Raycroft. 144 pages. Firefly Books (September 1, 1999) As a wildlife biologist, I have been studying white-tailed deer for over a decade. In this time, I have acquired extensive knowledge of the natural history and complex behavioral patterns of this appealing animal. But most of all, I have spent countless hours up close, personally studying and photographing hundreds of these graceful creatures.

The White-Tailed Deer, by Ilo Hiller. 115 pages. Texas A&M University Press; 1st edition (May 1996) The White-Tailed Deer contains useful and enlightening information of one of our most graceful and swift, yet shy and elusive creatures. This handy tool reveals the whitetails' distribution worldwide, habitat, feeding habits, stages of appearance, reproduction cycle, behavior in various situations, biggest threats to their existence and importance to society.

White Tailed Deer - Coffee Mug, Microwave safe, FDA approved. Image is printed on both sides of the mug.

Photographs and prints: Photographs, prints, posters of white-tailed deer; bucks, does, and fawns.