Oklahoma 2023 Regular Session

Oklahoma Senate Bill SB910 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1
2	2
3		-	ENGR. S. B. NO. 910 Page 1 1
	3	+	SENATE FLOOR VERSION - SB910 SFLR Page 1
	4	+	(Bold face denotes Committee Amendments) 1
4	5		2
5	6		3
6	7		4
7	8		5
8	9		6
9	10		7
10	11		8
11	12		9
12	13		10
13	14		11
14	15		12
15	16		13
16	17		14
17	18		15
18	19		16
19	20		17
20	21		18
21	22		19
22	23		20
23	24		21
24	25		22
25	26		23
26	27		24
27	28
28		-	~~ENGROSSED~~ SENATE
29		-	~~BILL NO.~~ ~~910 By: Stephens and Bullard of the~~
30		-	~~Senate~~
	29	+	SENATE FLOOR VERSION
	30	+	February 8, 2023
	31	+	AS AMENDED
31	32
32		-	and
	33	+	SENATE BILL NO. 910 By: Stephens and Bullard
33	34
34		-	~~Burns of the House~~
	35	+
35	36
36	37
37	38
38	39		An Act relating to wildlife; authorizing velvet buck
39	40		season; setting season and bag limit; specifying
40		-	~~means of take~~; providing for permit, stamp, or
	41	+	muzzle loaders; providing for permit, stamp, or
41	42		license; applying velvet bucks harvest to deer bag
42	43		limits; directing the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation
43	44		Commission to promulgate rules; authorizing
44	45		cancelation for certain conditions; prohibiting
45	46		certain refunds of fees; requiring valid license,
46	47		permit, or stamp; providing for enforcement of laws
47	48		and rules; setting licenses, permits , or stamps by
48	49		rule; requiring season to be based on normal deer
49	50		populations; and providing for codification .
50	51
51	52
52	53
53	54
54	55		BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
55	56		SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
56	57		in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 5-414.1 of Title 29, unless
57	58		there is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
58	59		A. Pursuant to Section 5-401 of Title 29 of the Oklahoma
59	60		Statutes, the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission is
60	61		authorized to declare an open season to hunt and harvest velvet
61	62		bucks during the time beginning on the Saturday morning prior to the
62	63		last weekend of August to the Sunday evening of the las t weekend of
63	64		August for a total of nine (9) days in those counties or parts of
64	65		counties of this state where, in the judgment of the Commiss ion, the
65	66
66		-	ENGR. S. B. NO. 910 Page 2 1
	67	+	SENATE FLOOR VERSION - SB910 SFLR Page 2
	68	+	(Bold face denotes Committee Amendments) 1
67	69		2
68	70		3
69	71		4
70	72		5
71	73		6
72	74		7
73	75		8
74	76		9
75	77		10
76	78		11
77	79		12
78	80		13
79	81		14
80	82		15
81	83		16
82	84		17
83	85		18
84	86		19
85	87		20
86	88		21
87	89		22
88	90		23
89	91		24
90	92
91	93		population of deer exist in sufficient quantity and health to
92	94		warrant an open season. An open season to hunt and harvest velvet
93	95		bucks shall be declared by a Commission resolution not less than ten
94	96		(10) days before the seas on is opened and be restricted to a limit
95	97		of one (1) velvet buck per hunt during the season.
96	98		B. The Commission shall authorize archery as the sole method
97	99		for shooting, hunting, killing, wounding, taking, or attempting to
98	100		shoot, hunt, kill, wound, or take any velvet buck during a declared
99	101		open season.
100	102		C. During a declared open season legal residents of Oklahoma
101	103		and non-residents may hunt velvet bucks provided the person has a
102	104		valid deer license, velvet buck permit, or stamp as otherwise
103	105		provided by law in this state. All velvet bucks shot, killed,
104	106		wounded, taken, and harvested shall count against the licensee’s
105	107		annual bag limit for deer in this state.
106	108		D. The Commission is authorized to prescribe rules necessary
107	109		for the proper conduct and policing of a declared open season for
108	110		the hunting and harvestin g of velvet bucks, the velvet antler size,
109	111		and the kind of bucks that may be taken. The Commission shall be
110	112		authorized to cancel a declared velvet buck open season for any
111	113		reason deemed appropriate including, but not limited to, disease,
112	114		weather, deer population, and herd health. Any cancelation of a
113	115		declared velvet buck open season shall prohibit the Commission from
114	116
115		-	ENGR. S. B. NO. 910 Page 3 1
	117	+	SENATE FLOOR VERSION - SB910 SFLR Page 3
	118	+	(Bold face denotes Committee Amendments) 1
116	119		2
117	120		3
118	121		4
119	122		5
120	123		6
121	124		7
122	125		8
123	126		9
124	127		10
125	128		11
126	129		12
127	130		13
128	131		14
129	132		15
130	133		16
131	134		17
132	135		18
133	136		19
134	137		20
135	138		21
136	139		22
137	140		23
138	141		24
139	142
140	143		refunding or crediting any fees paid for a velvet buck permit,
141	144		stamp, or license.
142	145		E. All laws and rules pertaining to velvet bucks in this state
143	146		shall be enforceable by the Department of Wildlife Conservation and
144	147		its agents. The Commission shall set velvet buck licenses, permits,
145	148		and/or stamps by rule; provided, that the Commission shall reward
146	149		ninety percent (90%) of all velvet buck licenses, permits, and /or
147	150		stamps to resident hunters of this state.
148	151		F. The Commission is authorized to require by rule that any
149	152		person participating in a declared velvet buck open season or
150	153		hunting in open areas during a declared velvet buck open season to
151	154		procure a special permit, stamp, or license to participate in a
152	155		declared velvet buck open season or to hunt in such open areas
153	156		during a declared velvet buck open season and may charge residents
154	157		and nonresidents fees and such other compensation for those Oklahoma
155	158		surface holders participating in the Acres for Wildlife Pro gram.
156	159		The rate of such fees and compensation shall be determined by the
157	160		Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission. No exemptions shall be
158	161		permitted.
159	162		G. Velvet buck open seasons, closed seasons, bag limits, catch
160	163		limits, possession limits , and territorial limitations set forth in
161	164		law or rule are hereby declared to be based on the exi stence of a
162	165		normal population of deer prior to the Commission declaring a velvet
163	166		buck open season. Such seasons, catch limits, bag limits,
164	167
165		-	ENGR. S. B. NO. 910 Page 4 1
	168	+	SENATE FLOOR VERSION - SB910 SFLR Page 4
	169	+	(Bold face denotes Committee Amendments) 1
166	170		2
167	171		3
168	172		4
169	173		5
170	174		6
171	175		7
172	176		8
173	177		9
174	178		10
175	179		11
176	180		12
177	181		13
178	182		14
179	183		15
180	184		16
181	185		17
182	186		18
183	187		19
184	188		20
185	189		21
186	190		22
187	191		23
188	192		24
189	193
190	194		possession limits, and territorial limitations as se t by law or rule
191	195		shall prevail and be in full force and effect f or deer so long as
192	196		the population or numbers of deer remain normal in areas of this
193	197		state.
194	198		H. For purposes of this section :
195	199		1. “Velvet buck” means a deer with velvet antler; and
196	200		2. “Velvet antler” means the whole cartilaginous antler is
197	201		exhibited in a precalcified growth stage of the Cervidae family.
198	202		The deer antler must be covered in velvet-like hair that is
199	203		essentially skin that supplies nutrients and blood flow to the
200	204		growing bone and antler underneath.
201		-	Passed the Senate the 7th day of March, 2023.
202		-
203		-
204		-
205		-	Presiding Officer of the Senate
206		-
207		-
208		-	Passed the House of Representatives the ____ day of __________,
209		-	2023.
210		-
211		-
212		-
213		-	Presiding Officer of the House
214		-	of Representatives
215		-
	205	+	COMMITTEE REPORT BY: COMMITTEE ON TOURISM AND WILDLIFE
	206	+	February 8, 2023 - DO PASS AS AMENDED