Join us for our new feature: the Nature at Night Film Festival!!
When: June 14, 2008
Where: Refuge Visitor Center|
Time: 7:30 pm
Film Titles: "Beavers - The Biggest Dam Movie You Ever Saw" and "Hooked on Hummingbirds"
This is FREE and open to everyone! For those camping at Doris Campground, a buss will leave the campground at 7:15 pm. Meet at the shower house across from the electric campsites. Contact the Visitor Center at 580-429-2197 for more information. |
The
Fire Danger is Moderate .
Take appropriate precautions with campfires and cooking
grills.
Stay up to date on the weather at the Refuge by checking
with
the Weather Channel.
Want to Volunteer?
The Refuge accepts qualified volunteers for several projects.
Give us a call or fill
out an application
Been to the Refuge's Visitor
Center lately? You'll be amazed by what you've missed!
Links to Area Attractions
Find information on area hotels, B&B's and cabins, local
news, Chamber of Commerce and other items of interest to our
visitors. |
New This Year: Watch the July 4th Fireworks from Mt. Scott!!
Tour to the top of Mt. Scott to watch the fireworks and learn about the Refuge and the wildlife that lives here.
When: July 4, 2008
Where: Tour leaves from the Visitor Center at 8:30 pm. Visitors will go with the tour and not drive personal vehicles up the mountain.
Why: To celebrate Independence Day!
For more information, or to reserve your spot on the bus, contact the Visitor Center at 580-429-2197. This activity is FREE and open to the first 60 participants. |
New Refuge Phone System
Effective 2/6/08, the Refuge has one phone number to access all of our facilities and services. The number is 580-429-3222. By calling this number, you will be given a variety of choices to direct your call to the appropriate person. |
We Need your Help!
The Refuge is digitizing our library of images, maps, and historic documents, and we need your help! There are several documents or photos that do not have any information with them. Take a look and let us know if you can provide any details.
We also would like to recruit volunteers to spend time scanning and correcting the images for a digital archive. If you would like to donate some time, please contact Chip Kimball (chip_kimball@fws.gov) or Lori Jones(lori_jones@fws.gov). Some knowledge of a computer would be helpful, but we will train on the scanning techniques. |
Visitor Events for the Weekend
The Refuge is scheduling lots of FREE events for weekends! Please check here or contact the Visitor Center at 580-429-2197 (or call the general Refuge number at 580-429-3222) for the most up to date schedule.
Plan to participate in weekend hikes at the Refuge. Interpretive hikes to some of the historical and scenic locations like Spanish Cave and Isom's Cabin are scheduled on Saturday and Sunday mornings. These hikes are first come, first served and will meet at the Refuge Visitor Center. Reservations are not needed. The Saturday morning hikes will leave the Visitor Center at 9:30 am. The Sunday morning hikes will leave the Visitor Center at 11:00 pm. There is no charge for these interpretive programs. |
In the Gallery....
See the Junior Duck Stamp Competition entries as well as the winners of the 2008 contest. Also on display is the photography of Rickey G. Jones in an exhibit entitled "Spring Migration." The display celebrates the International Migratory Bird Day by highlighting migrating songbirds on the Refuge. |
New Visitor Center Hours
Beginning on March 16, the Refuge Visitor Center will begin its Summer hours. The Center will be open from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm, 7 days a week. The Center will be closed for major holidays, including New Year's Day and Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
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New
Tour Schedule
The 2008 Tour Schedule is now available. Be sure to check reservation dates so you can be included in your favorite tour! |
Elk and Deer Hunts
The special hunts at the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge are a managment tool to maintain the elk and deer populations at a level compatible with good habitat conditions. A management objective is to maintain the populations as they would naturally occur, which includes maintaining a one-to-one sex ratio rather than maximizing numbers of females for production.
The hunts are a cooperative effort between the Refuge and the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.
The number of permits issued annually varies depending upon animal production, herd sex ratios, and the success of previous hunts in removing excess animals.
The 2007 deer hunts resulted in a 53% overall success. Seventy nine hunters participated in the hunt out of 100 permits issued. Of the 37 buck hunters participating, 25 filled their permits, resulting in a 67% success rate. Of the 42 doe hunters participating, 16 filled permits, resulting in a 38% success rate. Overall, 79 hunters removed 42 animals, resulting in a 53% success rate.
The 2007 elk hunts resulted in an overall 58% success rate. A total of 206 permits were issued for the hunt and 167 hunters actually participated. Twenty eight permits for bulls were issed and 27 hunters filled their permits, resulting in a 96% success. One hundred thirty nine (139) hunters participated in the cow hunt, and 70 of them were successful in filling permits, resulting in a 50% success. The elk hunt is a once-in-a-lifetime hunt and, once drawn, hunters may not reapply for this hunt.
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2007 American Bison Auction
The 2007 auction of American Bison was held on October 25, 2007. The auction was a huge success, with over 1200 people in attendance for the 100th Centennial Celebration of the return of bison to the Refuge.
A total of 92 visitors registered for the sale and 21 were successful in purchasing the 139 lots available. Ray Mayo of Scotland Texas was the volume buyer, pruchasing 27 lots.
Class |
Number Sold |
Total Price Paid |
Top Price |
Average Price |
| Bulls |
6 |
$ 9,325 |
$ 1,725 |
$ 1,558 |
| Cows |
1 |
700 |
700 |
700 |
| Yearling Bulls |
26 |
11,150 |
475 |
429 |
| Yearling Heifers |
14 |
5,375 |
425 |
389 |
| Bull Calves |
46 |
15,800 |
400 |
343 |
| Heifer Calves |
46 |
17,725 |
425 |
385 |
| Total |
139 |
$ 60,075 |
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More information will be posted soon, so stay tuned! Contact the Refuge if you would like to be put on the mailing list for this or next year's longhorn auction. |
2007 Texas Longhorn Auction
Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge held their 64th annual public auction of Texas Longhorns on September 20, 2007. A total of 103 visitors registered for the sale and 63 were successful in purchasing the 147 lots available. Jenny Young of Tomball Texas was the volume buyer, purchasing 19 lots.
|
|
|
|
AVERAGE |
CLASS |
NO. SOLD |
PRICE PAID |
TOP PRICE |
PRICE |
|
|
|
|
|
| Cows |
3 |
$1,600.00 |
$650.00 |
$533.00 |
| Cow/Calf Pair |
1 |
$675.00 |
$675.00 |
$675.00 |
| Bulls |
3 |
$1,325.00 |
$450.00 |
$442.00 |
| Yearling Bulls |
9 |
$4,375.00 |
$800.00 |
$486.00 |
| Steers |
9 |
$7,985.00 |
$2,500.00 |
$887.00 |
| Yearling Heifers |
3 |
$1,850.00 |
$650.00 |
$617.00 |
| Bull Calves |
69 |
$27,295.00 |
$600.00 |
$396.00 |
| Heifer Calves |
40 |
$27,400.00 |
$1,050.00 |
$685.00 |
| Skulls |
10 |
$1,600.00 |
$375.00 |
$160.00 |
|
|
|
|
|
| TOTALS |
147 |
$74,105.00 |
|
|
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Public Use
Public tours
are conducted year around by the Association
of the Friends of the Wichitas. Reservations are required
for these popular tours and can be made by contacting
the Visitor Center at 580-429-2151. Please check the tour schedule for reservation dates for each tour!
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