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STATE OF OKLAHOMA
1st Session of the 59th Legislature (2023)
SENATE BILL 917 By: Stephens
AS INTRODUCED
An Act relating to hunting licenses; amending 29 O.S.
2021, Sections 4-112, as last amended by Section 2,
Chapter 208, O.S.L. 2022 , 4-130, and 4-144 (29 O.S.
Supp. 2022, Section 4 -112), which relate to hunting
licenses, waterfowl stamp, and black bear hunting
license; increasing nonresident fees; and pr oviding
an effective date.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKL AHOMA:
SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 29 O.S. 2021, Section 4 -112, as
last amended by Section 2, Chapter 208, O.S.L. 2022 (29 O.S. Supp.
2022, Section 4-112), is amended to read as follows :
Section 4-112. A. Except as otherwise provided for in the
Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Code or the Oklahoma Farmed Cervidae
Act, no person may hunt, pursue, trap, harass , catch, kill, take o r
attempt to take in any manner, use, have in possession, sell, or
transport all or any portion of any wildlife except fish, without
having first procure d a license from the Department of Wildlife
Conservation. The Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commissio n shall
designate a consecutive Saturday and Sunday in September of each
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year as free hunting days in which res idents of this state may hunt
without first procuring a hunting license pursuant to the provisions
of this section.
B. The following legal residents of Oklahoma shall be exempt
from the annual hunting license requirement of paragraph 1 of
subsection E of this section and the following nonresiden ts shall be
exempt from the annual nonresid ent hunting licenses required
pursuant to paragraph 1 of subsection C of this section:
1. Legal residents under sixteen (16) years of age;
2. Legal residents sixty -five (65) years of age or older
provided they have obtained a senio r citizen lifetime hunt ing or
combination hunting and fishing l icense pursuant to th e provisions
of Section 4-114 of this title;
3. Legal residents born on or before January 1, 1923;
4. Legal resident veterans having a disability of sixty percent
(60%) or more and registered w ith the veterans registry created by
the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs; provided, that if the
veteran has previously received an exemption pursuant to this
paragraph, no registration with the veteran s registry shall be
required;
5. Legal resident owners or tenants who hunt on land own ed or
leased by them;
6. Any nonresident under fourteen (14) years of age;
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7. Legal residents having a proven disability which ren ders
them nonambulatory and confines them to a wheelchair, as certified
by a physician licensed in this state or in any stat e which borders
this state;
8. Any legal resident or nonresident under eighteen (18) years
of age who is in the physical custody of a child care facility as
defined by Section 402 of Title 10 of the Oklahoma Statute s; and
9. Any legal resident or nonresi dent hunting, pursuin g,
trapping, harassing, catching, killing, taking, or attempting to
take in any manner any species of rattlesna ke during an organized
rattlesnake-hunting event or festival and who has a rattlesna ke
permit issued pursuant to Section 4 -143 of this title.
C. Except as otherwise provided for in the Oklahoma Wildlife
Conservation Code, the nonresident hunting licenses issued pursuant
to this section and the fee for each license shall be:
1. Annual hunting license for nonresidents huntin g game other
than deer, antelope, elk or bear which expire s one (1) year after
the date of issuance – One Hundred Seventy-five Dollars ($175.00).
Nonresidents hunting big game or combi nation big game and upland
game in a commercial hunting area shall be r equired to have this
license;
2. Gun hunting license for deer for nonresidents which shall be
valid for hunting all deer allowed during the current calendar year
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deer gun season – Two Hundred Seventy-nine Dollars ($279.00) Four
Hundred Twenty-three Dollars ($423.00) ;
3. Archery hunting license for deer for nonresidents which
shall expire on January 15 of the calendar year after the year
purchased or if purchased during the deer archery season it shall
expire at the end of that d eer archery season – Two Hundred Seventy-
nine Dollars ($279.00) Four Hundred Twenty-three Dollars ($423.00) ;
4. Primitive firearms hunting lic ense for deer for nonresidents
which shall be valid for hunting all deer a llowed during the current
calendar year deer primitive firearms season – Two Hundred Seventy-
nine Dollars ($279.00) Four Hundred Twenty-three Dollars ($423.00);
5. Hunting license for antelope for nonresidents – Three
Hundred Five Dollars ($305.00) Four Hundred Twenty-three Dollars
($423.00);
6. Hunting license for elk for nonresident s – Three Hundred
Five Dollars ($305.00) Four Hundred Twenty-three Dollars ($423.00);
7. Five-day hunting license for nonresidents hunting game other
than deer, antelope, elk, quail, turkey or bear – Seventy-four
Dollars ($74.00). Nonresidents hunting big game or combination big
game and upland game in a commercial hunting area shall be required
to have this license; and
8. Ten-day hunting license for non residents hunting small game
in a commercial hunting area – Five Dollars ($5.00).
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D. Of the fees collected pursuant to the provisions of
subsection C of this section:
1. Five Dollars ($5. 00) of the license fee of each license
issued pursuant to paragraph s 1 through 7 of subsection C of this
section and Two Dollars and fifty cents ($2.50) of the license fee
for each license issued pursuant to paragraph 8 of subsection C of
this section shall be deposited in the Wildlife Land Acquisition
Fund created pursuant to the provisions of Section 4 -132 of this
title; and
2. Five Dollars ($5.00) of the license fee for ea ch license
issued pursuant to paragraphs 1 through 8 of subsection C of this
section shall be for the Oklahoma Wildlife Land Stamp and shall be
deposited in the Oklahoma Wildlife Land Fund created pursuant to the
provisions of Section 4-141 of this title.
E. Except as otherwise provided, the annual resident hunting
licenses issued purs uant to this subsection shall expire one (1)
year after the date of issuance. The resident hunting licenses
issued pursuant to thi s section and the fee for each license shal l
be:
1. Annual hunting license for residents eighteen (18) years of
age and older – Thirty-one Dollars ($31.00) ;
2. Annual hunting license for residents sixteen (16) or
seventeen (17) years of age – Six Dollars ($6.00);
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3. Ten-day hunting license for residents for small game in a
commercial hunting area - Five Dollars ($5.00);
4. Five-year disability hunting license for residents for at
least six (6) months who a re receiving Social Security Disability
benefits, Supplemental Security Income benefits or disability
benefits under the Railroad Retirement Act, 45 U.S. C.A., Section
231a, or residents who are one-hundred-percent disabled and are
receiving disability paym ents from the Multiple Injury Trust Fund
pursuant to Section 31 of Title 85A of the Oklahom a Statutes - Ten
Dollars ($10.00);
5. Gun hunting license for deer for residents eighteen (18)
years of age or older - Nineteen Dollars ($19.00). The following
persons shall be exempt:
a. residents with proper certification from the United
States Department of Veterans Affairs or its
successor, certifying that the person is a disabled
veteran in receipt of compensation at the one-hundred-
percent rate and register ed with the veterans registry
created by the Oklahoma Department of Veterans
Affairs; provided, that if the veteran has previously
received an exemption pur suant to this subparagraph,
no registration with the veterans registry shall be
required, and
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b. residents hunting in big game or combin ation big game
and upland game commercial hunting areas;
6. Gun hunting license for deer for residents under eighteen
(18) years of age – Nine Dollars ($9.00);
7. Archery hunting license for deer for residents ei ghteen (18)
years of age or older - Nineteen Dollars ($19.00). The following
persons shall be exemp t:
a. residents with proper certification from the United
States Department of Veterans Affairs or its
successor, certifying that the person is a disabled
veteran in receipt of compensation at the one -hundred-
percent rate and registered with the veterans r egistry
created by the Oklahoma Department of Veterans
Affairs; provided, that if the veteran has previously
received the exemption pursuant to this subpara graph,
no registration with the veterans reg istry shall be
required, and
b. residents hunting in big game or combination big game
and upland game commercial hunting areas;
8. Archery hunting license for deer for residents under
eighteen (18) years of age - Nine Dollars ($9.00);
9. Primitive firearms hunting license for deer for residents
eighteen (18) years of age or older - Nineteen Dollars ($19.00).
The following persons shall be exempt:
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a. residents with proper certification from the United
States Department of Veterans Affairs or its
successor, certifying that the person is a disabled
veteran in receipt of compensation at the one-hundred-
percent rate and registered with the veterans registry
created by the Oklahoma Department of Veterans
Affairs; provided, that if the veteran has previo usly
received the exemption pursuant to this subparagraph ,
no registration with the veterans registry shall be
required, and
b. residents hunting in big game or combination big game
and upland game commercial hun ting areas;
10. Primitive firearms hunting license for deer for residents
under eighteen (18) years of age - Nine Dollars ($9.00);
11. Hunting license for elk for residents - Fifty Dollars
($50.00). Residents hunting i n big game or combination b ig game and
upland game commercial hunting a reas shall be exempt from this
license;
12. Hunting license for antelope for residents – Fifty Dollars
($50.00). Residents hunting in big game or combination big game and
upland game commercial hunting area s shall be exempt from this
license; and
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13. Bonus, special or additional gun hunting li cense for deer
for residents - Nineteen Dollars ($19.00). The following persons
shall be exempt:
a. residents with proper certification from th e United
States Department of Veterans Affairs or i ts
successor, certifying that the person is a disabled
veteran in receipt of compensation at the one-hundred-
percent rate and registered with the veterans registry
created by the Oklahoma Department of Vet erans
Affairs; provided, that if the veteran has pr eviously
received the exemption pursuant to this subparagraph ,
no registration with the vete rans registry shall be
required, and
b. residents hunting in big game or combination big game
and upland game commercial hunting areas.
F. Of the fees collected pursuant to the provisions of
paragraph 1 of subsection E of this section, Five Dollars ($5.00 ) of
the license fee shall be for the Oklahoma Wildlife Land Stamp and
shall be deposited in the Oklahoma Wildlif e Land Fund created
pursuant to the provisions of Section 4-141 of this title.
G. The provisions of this section shall not be construed to
require a hunting license, resident or nonresident, of any person
merely because the person participates, as owner o r handler of an
entry, as an official, or as a spectator in the conduct of a field
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trial or performance test of dogs, whether a resident or non resident
of this state. No license to hunt shall be required of any person
engaged in training or working dogs, provided that person is in no
way engaged in hunting and does not take or attempt to take in any
manner any game.
H. 1. Any person arrested f or hunting game other than deer,
antelope, elk, bear or turkey without a valid hunting licens e as
required by the provisions of subsectio n A of this section may
purchase a substitute temporary thirty-day license from the
arresting game warden in lieu of po sting bond. Proof of hunter
safety certification will not be required for the temporary
substitute license. The fee for a substitute li cense purchased
pursuant to the provisions of this subsection shall be:
a. for legal residents, Fifty Dollars ($50.00), and
b. for nonresidents, One Hundred Forty-five Dollars
($145.00).
2. Except as otherwise p rovided for by this subsection, the
fees from licenses purchased pursuant to the provisions of this
subsection shall be deposited in the Wildlife Conservation Fund to
be used exclusively for developing, managing, preserving, and
protecting wildlife and wil dlife habitat.
I. Any person producing proo f in court that a current hunting
license issued by the Department of Wildlife Conservation to that
person was in force at the time of the alleged offense shall be
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entitled to dismissal of a charge of violating t his section upon
payment of court costs. If proof of a current hunting license
issued by the Department to the person that was in force at the time
of the alleged offense is presented to the court or district
attorney within seventy-two (72) hours after t he violation, the
charge shall be dismissed without payment of court costs.
J. Unless a substitute license is purchased as provided for by
subsection H of this section, any resident convicted of violating
the provisions of this section shall be punished b y the imposition
of a fine of not less than Twenty-five Dollars ($25.00) nor more
than Two Hundred Dollars ($200.00), or by imprisonment in the county
jail for a period not to exceed thirty (30) days, or by both.
K. Unless a substitute license is purchase d as provided for by
subsection H of this section, any nonresident convicted of violating
the provisions of this section shall be punished by the imposition
of a fine of not less than Two Hundred Dollars ($200.00) nor more
than Five Hundred Dollars ($500.0 0), or by imprisonment in the
county jail for a period not to exceed six (6) months, or by both.
L. The Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission shall
promulgate any rules necessary to implement the provisions of this
section.
SECTION 2. AMENDATORY 29 O.S. 2021, Section 4-130, is
amended to read as follows:
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Section 4-130. A. Except as otherwise provided in the Oklahoma
Wildlife Conservation Code, no person may hunt or take any wa terfowl
during the open season on waterfowl unless the person has first
obtained an Oklahoma waterfowl hunting stamp or license from the
Director or authorized agents of the Director. Each person shall
have the stamp or license in their possession when hu nting or taking
any waterfowl. When a stamp is purchased, the st amp shall be
validated by the signature of the licensee written across the face
of the stamp.
B. Persons excepted from the Oklahoma waterfowl hunting stamp
or license requirement of this sec tion are:
1. Legal residents of Oklahoma under sixteen (16) year s of age;
and
2. Legal residents of Oklahoma sixty -five (65) years of age or
older.
C. 1. The Oklahoma waterfowl hunting stamp fee and waterfowl
license shall each be Nine Dollars ($9.00) for residents and Thirty
Dollars ($30.00) for nonresidents . The remainder of the fee shall
be deposited in the Wildlife Con servation Fund, to be used
exclusively in the State of Oklahoma, for the purpose of developing,
managing, preserving, restoring and maintaining wetland habitats and
for the conservation and management of waterfowl and ecologically
related species.
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2. The collection and remittance procedures applicable to
hunting license fees under this title shall apply to waterfowl stamp
or license fees.
3. The waterfowl stamp or license issued pursuant to this
section shall expire on June 30 of each year.
D. The Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission may prescribe,
by regulation, the form, design and manner of issuance, if any, of
the waterfowl stamp, which could include the selection of art for
such stamp from an art contest regulated by the Commission.
E. 1. Any person arrested for hunting or taking any waterfowl
during the open season on waterfowl without a valid Oklahoma
waterfowl hunting stamp or license as required by the provisions of
subsection A of this section may purchase a substitute temporary
thirty-day stamp or license from the arresting game warden in lieu
of posting bond. Proof of hunter safety certification shall not be
required for the temporary substitute stamp or license. The fee for
a substitute stamp or license purchased pursuant to the provis ions
of this subsection shall be:
a. for legal residents – Fifty Dollars ($50.00), and
b. for nonresidents – One Hundred Forty-five Dollars
($145.00).
2. The fees from the temporary stamp and license purchased
pursuant to the provisions of this subsection shall be deposited in
the Wildlife Conservation Fund, to be used exclusively in the State
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of Oklahoma, for the purpose of developin g, managing, preserving,
restoring and maintaining wetland habitats a nd for the conservation
and management of waterfowl and ecologically related species.
F. Any person convicted of violating any of the provisions of
this section shall be punished by a fi ne of not less than Twenty-
five Dollars ($25.00) nor more than One Hu ndred Dollars ($100.00).
G. Nothing in this title shal l prohibit a person from hunting
waterfowl exclusively on their own property without an Oklahoma
waterfowl hunting stamp or license.
SECTION 3. AMENDATORY 29 O.S. 2021, Secti on 4-144, is
amended to read as follows:
Section 4-144. A. No person may hunt or take black bear
without having first procured a license from the Director of
Wildlife Conservation or an agent of the Director.
B. The Wildlife Conservation Commission shall decide the open
season, the bag limits, and territorial limitations for hunting or
taking black bear.
C. The fees for a license issued pursuant to this section shall
be:
1. For legal residents, One Hundred Dollars ($100.00); and
2. For nonresidents, Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) Six Hundred
Twenty-three Dollars ($623.00) .
D. Any person who fails to obtain a license as required in
subsection A of this section and pay the fee as requir ed in
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paragraph 1 of subsection C of this section, upon conviction, s hall
be punished by a fine of not less than Two Hundred Do llars ($200.00)
nor more than Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) or by imprisonment in
the county jail for a period not to exceed six (6) months, or by
both said fine and imprisonment.
E. Any person who fails to obtain a license as required in
subsection A of this section and pay the fee as required in
paragraph 2 of subsection C of this section, upon conviction, shall
be punished by a fine of not less than Eight Hundred Dollars
($800.00) nor more than One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00) or by
imprisonment in the county jail for a period not to exceed six (6)
months, or by both said fine and imprisonment.
SECTION 4. This act shall become ef fective November 1, 2023.
59-1-877 MR 1/19/2023 10:42:28 AM