Hunting in Oklahoma has an annual economic impact of $1.3 billion, and supports over 8,700 jobs throughout the state. Unfortunately, hunter numbers are declining, with a lack of access widely acknowledged as a primary barrier to participation. Only 4% of Oklahoma is publicly owned, making access to private land crucial to the future of upland bird hunting in the state. Recognizing these challenges, the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) developed the Oklahoma Land Access Program (OLAP) to increase public hunting access to private lands. OLAP is a voluntary program that provides financial incentives to private landowners willing to allow public, walk-in access for hunting.
OLAP enrollment has held steady in recent years at around 85,000-90,000 acres, but inconsistent funding has limited program expansion. To help overcome this challenge, Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever (PF & QF) developed the Oklahoma Public Access to Habitat (PATH) Initiative as a way to increase programmatic funding. Dollars raised through Oklahoma PATH are matched with ODWC funds (including Pittman-Robertson funding) to support new OLAP enrollments within key geographies throughout the state.
Oklahoma PATH builds on the continued success of PATH Initiatives in South Dakota and Nebraska and aims to create new public access to 10,000+ acres of high-quality grassland habitat on Oklahoma’s private lands. Efforts will be focused with 5 Grassland Priority Areas, where significant resources and conservation efforts have been directed to restore grasslands and control invasive trees (i.e., USDA’s Great Plains Grassland Initiative).
Enroll 10,000+ new acres of high-quality upland bird habitat into OLAP within the 5 PATH Grassland Priority Areas (2-yr goal).
Improve connectivity of Oklahoma's publicly accessible lands for hunters.
Increase hunter awareness and public support of OLAP (and PATH).
Engage local stakeholders and communities to reinforce the connection between hunting, public land, and the rural economy.
Oklahoma PATH helped secure new public access to 9,935 acres during the 2025-26 hunting season, nearly surpassing our two-year goal of 10,000 acres. This success came with minimal promotion/outreach and underscores the high level of interest among private landowners.
Private landowners interested in PATH (and OLAP) are encouraged to fill out an online application and/or contact Joshua Luft, ODWC's OLAP Biologist, below.
Annual, per-acre payment rates offered through PATH (and OLAP) are based on habitat quality, property location, and hunting opportunities provided.
To be eligible for PATH (and OLAP), landowners must be willing to allow public, walk-in access to their land for hunting during all legal seasons (archery and shotgun only) from September 1st - May 16th.
To be eligible for higher payment rates offered through PATH, private lands must:
provide high-quality grassland habitat,
exceed 40 acres in size, and
occur within one of the five “PATH Grassland Priority Areas” located throughout the state.
PATH (and OLAP) agreements are two years in length. In the future, Quail Forever and ODWC anticipate re-enrolling PATH properties and/or offering longer contract durations but this will be dependent on funding availability.
With the primary objective of PATH being to enroll 10,000 acres of NEW, high-quality habitat into OLAP, existing and/or expiring OLAP contracts are not eligible. That being said, creating, improving, or maintaining high-quality habitat on your property ensures that you are eligible for maximum payment rates offered through OLAP.
Yes, PATH is delivered through OLAP via a partnership between Quail Forever and ODWC.
The PATH vision is to develop Oklahoma as a destination for upland bird hunters and help boost the rural economy. Our initial fundraising goal of $130,000 will secure public access to the first 10,000 acres of high-quality upland bird habitat. PF & QF and ODWC intend to grow Oklahoma's PATH Initiative in future years to further increase OLAP enrollment and expand public hunting access in key geographies throughout the state. Your gift will be matched with programmatic financial support from onX Hunt and leveraged with federal grant funds to maximize your impact.
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