McCurtain County, Oklahoma · 5,814 acres
Red Slough Wildlife Management Area Hunting 2026: Species & Access
Red Slough Wildlife Management Area covers 5,814 acres near Haworth in McCurtain County. About 2,400 acres of wetlands, 1,600 acres of shrub/scrub, 1,100 acres of bottomland hardwood reforestation and 414 acres of reservoirs, inside the Ouachita National Forest.
01 — What you can hunt here
| Species | Notes |
|---|---|
| Waterfowl | The main draw — thousands of ducks winter here, drawn by the wetland cells. |
| White-tailed deer | Present in fair numbers. |
| Eastern turkey | Present, but in low numbers — don't plan a trip around it. |
| Small game | Dove in fair numbers; quail very scarce; swamp and cottontail rabbit common. |
| Furbearers | Raccoon, beaver, mink and nutria. |
| Black bear | Present, though the bear muzzleloader season is closed here — see closures. |
02 — Access rules specific to this WMA
- Nonresidents must check in and out of the area — a 2025 rule change, no extra cost involved.
- Motorized vehicles are prohibited off designated roads.
- All shotgun hunting requires federally approved nontoxic shot, not just waterfowl hunting.
- Closed to air-driven watercraft.
03 — Where this WMA differs from the statewide rules
- Waterfowl hunting hours close at 1 p.m. daily here — well before the statewide sunset closing.
- Bear muzzleloader season, deer gun season, turkey fall gun season and trapping are all closed on this WMA even when open statewide.
- Quail, crow and rabbit hunting close for the first nine days of deer gun season.
04 — Facilities
Camping: Not available on the WMA itself. Lodging and restaurants are in nearby Idabel. Viewing platforms: 9. No shooting range on-site.
Built primarily as a birding and waterfowl destination — nine viewing platforms serve visitors who never fire a shot.
05 — Where to go next
Red Slough runs on a different clock than the rest of Oklahoma, and that's the thing to know before you plan a hunt here rather than after: waterfowl hours close at 1 p.m., several statewide seasons (bear muzzleloader, deer gun, turkey fall gun, trapping) don't run here at all, and quail/crow/rabbit go quiet for deer gun season's first nine days. None of that is obvious from the statewide regulations — it's specific to this WMA, cooperatively managed by ODWC, the U.S. Forest Service and the Natural Resources Conservation Service, which is part of why its rules diverge. Come for the ducks; the turkey and quail numbers are genuinely too low to build a trip around.
Oklahoma hunting license costs and permits →
Verified · Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation · Last verified 2026-08-08
Publisher's note. Read from ODWC, retrieved 2026-08-08. Review due 2027-08-01. WMA-specific rules and closures can change between seasons — confirm before you hunt.