This grant supports efforts of the oklahoma department of wildlife conservation to manage turkeys and big game

The U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service Region 2 awarded the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation $1,037,241.39 under the Wildlife Restoration and Basic Hunter Education and Safety Program (CFDA 15.611) for the period July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027. This Formula Grant supports comprehensive wildlife management and monitoring initiatives across Oklahoma through two integrated projects: the Turkey Population and Harvest Monitoring Project and the Big Game Population, Harvest, and Disease Monitoring Project. The grant funds annual investigations of turkey harvest data via check stations, prebreeding turkey flock surveys, and brood surveys to assess abundance and reproduction, as well as technical assistance to external organizations.

The Big Game project encompasses annual investigations of harvest data for at least four big game species, biannual population assessments through spotlight counts and aerial surveys, and three annual disease studies including herd health assessments with minimum sampling requirements, morbidity and mortality investigations, and Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) surveillance. Additionally, the grant supports facility operations and maintenance, technical assistance to advisory committees, and outreach through the Hunters Against Hunger program to promote doe harvest and herd management. All grant activities are conducted statewide from the agency's Oklahoma City headquarters.

The objectives of the turkey population and harvest monitoring project are 1) conduct 1 annual investigation regarding turkey harvest data (check station data) and 2 annual investigations for turkey population data (prebreeding turkey flock survey to assess abundance and brood survey operation to assess reproduction) and 2) provide technical assistance to organizations. The objectives of the big game population harvest and disease monitoring project are 1) conduct 1 annual investigation regarding big game harvest (collect and analyze and report habitat and usage and harvest data for at least four big game species) and conduct 2 annual investigations for big game population data (spotlight counts and aerial surveys) and conduct 3 annual big game disease studies (heard health assessment via at least 40 samples per sampled region and morbidity or mortality or opportunistic studies and CWD surveillance) and 2) provide technical assistance to technical committees and 3) facility operations and maintenance and 4) provide outreach regarding the role of hunting via the hunters against hunger program while also assisting in herd management by encouraging DOE harvest. Grant activities will occur statewide.