About 19,000 acres owned has been leased by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation to establish the Herron Family Wildlife Management Area in southeastern Oklahoma. (Courtesy Herron Family Tree Farm)

This year, the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation is welcoming a new southeastern Oklahoma land lease partner in Herron Industries LLC, a family-owned timber producer with headquarters in Idabel. The new Herron Family Wildlife Management Area will be open this fall to Oklahoma residents after the Herron family agreed to a five-year lease.

Also, Honobia Creek and Three Rivers Wildlife Management Areas will remain open to public access for an additional three years after months of talks between ODWC and the various private timber company landowners.

The department began leasing private timberlands in 2008 for public access. Over the years, additional leases with other timber companies in the area added even more public access to the outdoors.

“ODWC values this opportunity to work with the Herron family to provide quality wildlife habitat and outdoor recreation opportunities in southeastern Oklahoma,” said ODWC Director Wade Free. “The new Herron Family WMA will ensure that Oklahomans have a place to enjoy the great outdoors for many years to come.

“It is a pleasure to work with timber companies that give back to Oklahoma and the local communities.”

The Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission approved the lease and rules to establish the new Herron Family WMA at its June 9 regular meeting, allowing the area to be open for public access this fall. Rules specify that only state residents with a Land Access Permit, unless exempt, may enter the area.

The Herron Family WMA adds about 19,000 acres to the 1.5 million-plus acres at more than 100 sites that ODWC manages statewide for fish and wildlife conservation and habitat, areas that are available for the enjoyment of hunters, anglers, wildlife watchers, and sport shooters on established ranges.

ODWC’s Chief of Wildlife Bill Dinkines said the new WMA will offer outstanding opportunities for not only deer and turkey hunters, but all kinds of outdoor recreation. “The Herrons are the largest family owned timber company in southeast Oklahoma, and they have deep ties with the local community. We are grateful for their willingness to partner with ODWC and allow public access to their property.”

Pete Herron, co-manager at Herron Industries and vice president of the Herron Family Tree Farm, said, “The Herron family has been growing Oklahoma’s best timber since 1944. We have always been committed to the state of Oklahoma and the good people that reside here. “This innovative partnership with the ODWC allows us to continue our tradition of supporting an open land-use policy while gaining us protection against misuse and misconduct. We welcome their wildlife expertise and applaud their decision to join with us as we collaboratively provide a wildlife management area solely for the Oklahoma sportsperson.”

With this year’s lease agreements with seven different timber companies, ODWC has secured more than 268,000 acres open for public access in southeastern Oklahoma. “We are leasing these lands for the public’s access,” Dinkines said. “We actually went up in acreage over last year with the addition of the Herron Family Tree Farm,” despite year after year of leased acres declining and lease costs increasing. To help cover the higher lease payments on these areas beyond what the department could budget, ODWC established a Land Access Permit that is required to enter Three Rivers, Honobia Creek and Herron Family WMAs, along with the other private properties the department leases as part of the Oklahoma Land Access Program. This year, the annual permit fee is $100 for residents and $200 for nonresidents, unless exempt. Boundaries of Honobia Creek, Herron Family, and Three Rivers WMAs are subject to change anytime, especially when new lease agreements are created. Updated WMA and OLAP maps are published online at wildlifedepartment.com/hunting/wma and wildlifedepartment.com/land-and-minerals/olap.