2022 Oklahoma Wildlife Expo Canceled

September is the traditional hunting season kickoff in Oklahoma. Dove season started today, and while deer, elk, bear, quail, turkey, etc... all get their seasons with a go-ahead between now and mid-January, the ODWC won't have their annual wildlife expo event for the third year in a row.

Obviously, it was understandably canceled in 2020 due to the number of unknowns during that first year of the pandemic. 2021 soon followed when covid cases sharply spiked in the two weeks before the expo, but why cancel the 2022 expo return? Surely it's not still falling victim to the rona, right?

If you look at Oklahoma covid cases, there has been a slight bump in activity over the last three months, but even the CDC has come out to say "Covid is here, we'll just have to deal with it from here on out" signaling that it has evolved to become as familiar as the common cold. There has to be another reason, and I can't seem to find one... Just a bare-bones announcement that it has been canceled, and the ODWC looks forward to seeing everyone in 2023.

The real bummer of it is that the expo is the kind of event that hunters old and young all enjoy. Seeing the latest and greatest in gear, learning about and even getting hands-on with huntable species, and seeing Officer Green Jeans in softer light... one where he's not assuming you're a criminal from first contact. It's also been a great way to introduce new outdoorsmen to Oklahoma's natural wonders.

While there's not much to see, here's the official announcement if you're interested.