Oklahoma 2024 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	+	CORRECTED
	30	+	SENATE FLOOR VERSION
	31	+	February 8, 2023
	32	+	AS AMENDED
31	33
32		-	and
	34	+	SENATE BILL NO. 910 By: Stephens and Bullard
33	35
34		-	~~Burns of the House~~
	36	+
35	37
36	38
37	39
38	40		An Act relating to wildlife; authorizing velvet buck
39	41		season; setting season and bag limit; specifying
40	42		means of take; providing for permit, stamp, or
41	43		license; applying velvet bucks harvest to deer bag
42	44		limits; directing the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation
43	45		Commission to promulgate rules; authorizing
44	46		cancelation for certain conditions; prohibiting
45	47		certain refunds of fees; requiring valid license,
46	48		permit, or stamp; providing for enforcement of laws
47	49		and rules; setting licenses, permits , or stamps by
48	50		rule; requiring season to be based on normal deer
49	51		populations; and providing for codification .
50	52
51	53
52	54
53	55
54	56		BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
55	57		SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
56	58		in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 5-414.1 of Title 29, unless
57	59		there is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
58	60		A. Pursuant to Section 5-401 of Title 29 of the Oklahoma
59	61		Statutes, the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission is
60	62		authorized to declare an open season to hunt and harvest velvet
61	63		bucks during the time beginning on the Saturday morning prior to the
62	64		last weekend of August to the Sunday evening of the las t weekend of
63	65		August for a total of nine (9) days in those counties or parts of
64		-	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
	93	+	counties of this state where, in the judgment of the Commiss ion, the
91	94		population of deer exist in sufficient quantity and health to
92	95		warrant an open season. An open season to hunt and harvest velvet
93	96		bucks shall be declared by a Commission resolution not less than ten
94	97		(10) days before the seas on is opened and be restricted to a limit
95	98		of one (1) velvet buck per hunt during the season.
96	99		B. The Commission shall authorize archery as the sole method
97	100		for shooting, hunting, killing, wounding, taking, or attempting to
98	101		shoot, hunt, kill, wound, or take any velvet buck during a declared
99	102		open season.
100	103		C. During a declared open season legal residents of Oklahoma
101	104		and non-residents may hunt velvet bucks provided the person has a
102	105		valid deer license, velvet buck permit, or stamp as otherwise
103	106		provided by law in this state. All velvet bucks shot, killed,
104	107		wounded, taken, and harvested shall count against the licensee’s
105	108		annual bag limit for deer in this state.
106	109		D. The Commission is authorized to prescribe rules necessary
107	110		for the proper conduct and policing of a declared open season for
108	111		the hunting and harvestin g of velvet bucks, the velvet antler size,
109	112		and the kind of bucks that may be taken. The Commission shall be
110	113		authorized to cancel a declared velvet buck open season for any
111	114		reason deemed appropriate including, but not limited to, disease,
112	115		weather, deer population, and herd health. Any cancelation of a
113	116		declared velvet buck open season shall prohibit the Commission from
114	117
115		-	ENGR. S. B. NO. 910 Page 3 1
	118	+	SENATE FLOOR VERSION - SB910 SFLR Page 3
	119	+	(Bold face denotes Committee Amendments) 1
116	120		2
117	121		3
118	122		4
119	123		5
120	124		6
121	125		7
122	126		8
123	127		9
124	128		10
125	129		11
126	130		12
127	131		13
128	132		14
129	133		15
130	134		16
131	135		17
132	136		18
133	137		19
134	138		20
135	139		21
136	140		22
137	141		23
138	142		24
139	143
140	144		refunding or crediting any fees paid for a velvet buck permit,
141	145		stamp, or license.
142	146		E. All laws and rules pertaining to velvet bucks in this state
143	147		shall be enforceable by the Department of Wildlife Conservation and
144	148		its agents. The Commission shall set velvet buck licenses, permits,
145	149		and/or stamps by rule; provided, that the Commission shall reward
146	150		ninety percent (90%) of all velvet buck licenses, permits, and /or
147	151		stamps to resident hunters of this state.
148	152		F. The Commission is authorized to require by rule that any
149	153		person participating in a declared velvet buck open season or
150	154		hunting in open areas during a declared velvet buck open season to
151	155		procure a special permit, stamp, or license to participate in a
152	156		declared velvet buck open season or to hunt in such open areas
153	157		during a declared velvet buck open season and may charge residents
154	158		and nonresidents fees and such other compensation for those Oklahoma
155	159		surface holders participating in the Acres for Wildlife Pro gram.
156	160		The rate of such fees and compensation shall be determined by the
157	161		Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission. No exemptions shall be
158	162		permitted.
159	163		G. Velvet buck open seasons, closed seasons, bag limits, catch
160	164		limits, possession limits , and territorial limitations set forth in
161	165		law or rule are hereby declared to be based on the exi stence of a
162	166		normal population of deer prior to the Commission declaring a velvet
163	167		buck open season. Such seasons, catch limits, bag limits,
164	168
165		-	ENGR. S. B. NO. 910 Page 4 1
	169	+	SENATE FLOOR VERSION - SB910 SFLR Page 4
	170	+	(Bold face denotes Committee Amendments) 1
166	171		2
167	172		3
168	173		4
169	174		5
170	175		6
171	176		7
172	177		8
173	178		9
174	179		10
175	180		11
176	181		12
177	182		13
178	183		14
179	184		15
180	185		16
181	186		17
182	187		18
183	188		19
184	189		20
185	190		21
186	191		22
187	192		23
188	193		24
189	194
190	195		possession limits, and territorial limitations as se t by law or rule
191	196		shall prevail and be in full force and effect f or deer so long as
192	197		the population or numbers of deer remain normal in areas of this
193	198		state.
194	199		H. For purposes of this section :
195	200		1. “Velvet buck” means a deer with velvet antler; and
196	201		2. “Velvet antler” means the whole cartilaginous antler is
197	202		exhibited in a precalcified growth stage of the Cervidae family.
198	203		The deer antler must be covered in velvet-like hair that is
199	204		essentially skin that supplies nutrients and blood flow to the
200	205		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		-
	206	+	COMMITTEE REPORT BY: COMMITTEE ON TOURISM AND WILDLIFE
	207	+	February 8, 2023 - DO PASS AS AMENDED