Oklahoma 2025 2025 Regular Session

Oklahoma House Bill HB2741 Introduced / Bill

Filed 01/16/2025

                     
 
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STATE OF OKLAHOMA 
 
1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025) 
 
HOUSE BILL 2741 	By: Caldwell (Trey) 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
AS INTRODUCED 
 
An Act relating to game and fish; amending 29 O.S. 
2021, Section 4-101; providing for nonresident 
landowners to qualify for re sidential hunting 
licenses; requiring certain documentation; amending 
29 O.S. 2021, Section 4 -112; allowing nonresidential 
landowners to qualify for residential hunting 
licenses; requiring certain documentation; providing 
an effective date. 
 
 
 
 
BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA: 
SECTION 1.    AMENDATORY     29 O.S. 2021, Section 4 -101, as 
amended by Section 1, Chapter 208, O.S.L. 2022 (29 O.S. Supp. 2024, 
Section 4-101), is amended to read as follows: 
Section 4-101.  A.  All licenses and permits issued by the 
Director of Wildlife Conservation, the Department of Wildlife 
Conservation or by any of its agents shall be used only in 
conformity with the provisions of this title and the rules 
promulgated by the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission. 
B.  All persons making application for any l icenses required by 
this section shall produce a valid license to operate a motor   
 
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vehicle or other positive proof of identification, age and residency 
and any such license issued shall show such data as well as the date 
and time of issuance. 
C.  Instead of proof of residency, a nonresident who owns a 
minimum of eighty (80) acres of noncommercial lands in Oklahoma, may 
show proof of land ownership and property taxes paid on said 
property for the previous year to qualify for residential hunting 
license rates.  Such proof must be provided to the Oklahoma 
Department of Wildlife Conservation. 
C. D.  All licenses are nontransferable.  No person shall 
alter, change, lend or transfer any license.  No person shall use or 
borrow a license which has not been issued to that person by the 
Director, the Department or by any of its agents pursuant to the 
provisions of this section. 
D. E. No person may engage in activities requiring a license 
without that person's carrying such license on their person and 
producing the same for an inspection upon the demand of any Oklahoma 
citizen or game warden. 
E. F. Any person required to produce a license must also 
identify themselves as the person to whom su ch license was issued, 
and failure or refusal to comply shall be deemed prima facie 
evidence of a violation of this section. 
F. G. Unless otherwise provided in this Code:   
 
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1.  Licenses issued pursuant to paragraph 1 of subsection C and 
paragraphs 1 and 2 o f subsection E of Section 4 -112 of this title 
and paragraphs 1 and 2 of subsec tion B of Section 4-113 of this 
title and paragraphs 1 and 2 of subsection C and paragraph 1 of 
subsection E of Section 4 -110 of this title shall expire one (1) 
year after the date issued.  Unless otherwise specified, all other 
licenses shall expire December 31 for the year issued; and 
2.  Any person convicted of violating any of the provisions of 
this title may have any or all licenses held by that person or the 
privilege of applying for, purchasing or exercising the benefits 
conferred by the licenses revo ked by the Department in accordance 
with rules promulgated by the Commission or by a court of competent 
jurisdiction for a period of not less than one (1) year.  For 
purposes of this paragraph, a court conviction, a plea of guilty, a 
plea of nolo contendere, the imposition of a deferred or suspended 
sentence by a court, or forfeiture of bond shall be deemed a 
conviction. 
G. H. Should any license or permit issued pursuant to Part 1 of 
Article IV of this title be lost or destroyed, duplicates will be 
issued by the Department at a fee of One Dollar and fifty cents 
($1.50). 
H. I. Upon harvesting any whitetail or mule deer, or any other 
wildlife where the hunter, according to Commissi on rules, is   
 
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required to check the wildlife in at a Department check station, the 
taker of the wildlife shall: 
1.  Securely attach the name of the taker, time of harvest, date 
of harvest and license number to the carcass of the wildlife; 
2.  Check in the carcass of the wildlife electronically using 
the online check station provided on the official website of the 
Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation or as prescribed by 
rule of the Commission, within twenty -four (24) hours of leaving the 
hunt area and in all cases prior to processing the carcass; and 
3.  Not remove evidence of the sex of the animal until after the 
carcass of the animal has been checked in. 
I. J. It shall be unlawful for any license or permit holder to 
knowingly make a false statement or give false information to any 
authorized hunter check station or to an auth orized Department 
employee when complying with the provisions of subsection H of this 
section.  Information which may be collected at a Department check 
station shall include but not be limited to the name, address, 
license or permit number and signature of the taker, the date, time, 
county, method or weapon of the kill, sex and weight of carcass, 
whether or not the animal was taken on public hunting land and if so 
in what area, or any other information which may be required by the 
Commission. 
J. K. 1.  Any person convicted of violating the provisions of 
this section or of making a false statement or giving any false   
 
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information in order to acquire any license or permit, pursuant to 
the provisions of this section, shall be punishable by a fine of not 
less than One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) nor more than Two Hundred 
Fifty Dollars ($250.00), or by imprisonment in the county jail for a 
period not to exceed ten (10) days, or by both su ch fine and 
imprisonment.  Any person convicted of a second or subsequent 
violation of the provisions of this section or of making a false 
statement or giving any false information in order to acquire any 
license or permit, pursuant to the provisions of th is section, shall 
be punishable by a fine of not less than Two Hundred Fifty Dollars 
($250.00) nor more than Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars ($750.00), or by 
imprisonment in the county jail for a period not to exceed ten (10) 
days, or by both such fine and imp risonment. 
2.  Any hunting or fishing license issued to a person by the 
Department of Wildlife Conservation shall be automatically revoked 
upon conviction of the person of violating the provisions of this 
section.  The revocation shall be for a period set by the court of 
not less than one (1) year nor more than ten (10) years.  If the 
court does not set a period, the revocation shall be for one (1) 
year from the date of the conviction.  During this period of 
revocation, the Department shall not issue the pe rson a hunting or 
fishing license.  If the court does not set a revocation per iod, the 
Department shall not issue that person a license within one (1) year 
of the conviction of the person pursuant to this section.  A person   
 
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who has a license or permit revo ked pursuant to this section shall 
surrender the revoked license or permit to the court, or the court 
may order the defendant to surrender the license or permit directly 
to an officer from the Department of Wildlife Conservation present 
at the hearing.  If the license or permit is surrendered to the 
court, the court shall send the D epartment of Wildlife Conservation 
the revoked license.  The court shall also send the Department a 
copy of the judgment of conviction.  For purposes of this section, 
"conviction" shall include a plea of guilty or nolo contendere to an 
offense or the imposition of deferred adjudication for an offense.  
In lieu of sending a paper copy of the documents and information 
required by this subsection, the court clerk may transmit the 
conviction information by using an electronic method authorized by 
the Department of Wildlife Conservation. 
K. L. Any person who has had their license privileges revoked 
shall not be entitled to purchase, apply for, or exercise the 
benefits conferred by any license until the revocation period has 
expired or the person has obtained approval from the Director.  Any 
person violating the provisions of this subsection, upon conviction, 
shall be punished by a fine of not more than Five Hundred Dollars 
($500.00), or by imprisonment in a county jail for a term of not 
more than ninety (90) days or by both the fine and imprisonment.  
Upon conviction under this subsection, the previously granted   
 
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license revocation period shall be extended by two (2) additional 
years. 
SECTION 2.     AMENDATORY     29 O.S. 2021, Section 4 -112, as 
last amended by Section 3, Chapter 6, O.S.L. 2024 (29 O.S. Supp. 
2024, 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 or 
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 procured a license from the Department of Wildlife 
Conservation.  The Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission shall 
designate a consecutive Saturday and Sunday in September of each 
year as free hunting days in which residents of th is state may hunt 
without first procuring a hunting license pursuant to the pr ovisions 
of this section. 
B.  The following legal residents of Oklahoma shall be exempt 
from the annual hunting license requirement of paragraph 1 of 
subsection F of this section and the following nonresidents shall be 
exempt from the annual nonresident hunting licenses required 
pursuant to paragraph 1 of subsection C of this section: 
1.  Legal residents under eighteen (18) years of age; 
2.  Legal residents sixty -five (65) years of age or older 
provided they have obtained a senior citizen lifetime hunting o r   
 
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combination hunting and fishing license pursuant to the provisions 
of Section 4-114 of this title; 
3.  Legal resident veterans having a disability of sixty percent 
(60%) or more and registered with 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 veterans registry shall be 
required; 
4.  Legal resident owners or tenants who hunt on land owned or 
leased by them; 
5.  Any nonresident under eighteen (18) years of age; 
6.  Legal residents having a proven disability which renders 
them nonambulatory and confines them to a wheelchair, as cert ified 
by a physician licensed in this state or in any state which borders 
this state; 
7.  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 th e Oklahoma Statutes; and 
8.  Any legal resident or nonresident hunting, pursui ng, 
trapping, harassing, catching, killing, taking, or attempting to 
take in any manner any species of rattlesnake during an organized 
rattlesnake-hunting event or festival and w ho has a rattlesnake 
permit issued pursuant to Section 4 -143 of this title.   
 
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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 which expires one 
(1) year after the date of issuance – Two Hundred Eight Dollars 
($208.00); 
2.  Gun hunting license for deer for nonresidents which shall be 
valid for hunting all deer allowed during the cur rent calendar year 
deer gun season - Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) in addition to the 
nonresident annual hunting license required in paragraph 1 of this 
subsection; 
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 ar chery season, it shall 
expire at the end of that deer archery season - Five Hundred Dollars 
($500.00) in addition to the nonresident annual hunting license 
required in paragraph 1 of this subsection; 
4.  Primitive firearms hunting license for deer for nonresidents 
which shall be valid for hunting all deer allowed during the current 
calendar year deer primitive firearms season - Five Hundred Dollars 
($500.00) in addition to the non resident annual hunting license 
required in paragraph 1 of this subsection; 
5. Hunting license for antelope for nonresidents – Five Hundred 
Five Dollars ($505.00);   
 
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6.  Hunting license for elk for nonresidents – Five Hundred Five 
Dollars ($505.00); 
7.  Five-day hunting license for nonresidents hunting game other 
than deer, antelope, elk, quail, turkey, bear, or waterfowl – 
Seventy-four Dollars ($74.00); 
8.  Annual youth hunting license for nonresidents under eighteen 
(18) years of age, which shall include a ll species and all seasons 
for which a hunting license is required – One Hundred Fifty Dollars 
($150.00); 
9.  Five-day youth hunting license for nonresidents under 
eighteen (18) years of age, which shall include all species and all 
seasons for which a hunt ing license is required – Seventy-five 
Dollars ($75.00); and 
10.  Five-day hunting license for nonresidents hunting winged 
upland game, excluding wild turkey, in a commercial hunting area – 
Fifteen Dollars ($15.00). 
D.  These licenses shall be required for hunting in a commercial 
hunt area: 
1.  Five-day hunting license for nonreside nts hunting big game 
or combination big game – Seventy-four Dollars ($74.00); 
2.  Ten-day hunting license for nonresidents hunting small game 
and upland winged game, excluding tu rkeys – Twenty Dollars ($20.00);   
 
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3.  Annual hunting license for nonresidents hunting big game or 
combination big game – One Hundred Seventy-five Dollars ($175.00); 
and 
4.  Five-day hunting license for nonresidents hunting winged 
upland game, excluding wild turkey, in a commercial hunting area – 
Fifteen Dollars ($15.00). 
E.  For the purpose of hunting in a commercial hunting area, 
nonresidents who acquire a license pursuant to subsection D of this 
section shall be exempted from licensure requirements in subs ection 
C of this section. 
F.  Except as otherwise provided, the resident hunting licenses 
issued pursuant to this section and the fee for each license shall 
be: 
1.  Annual hunting license for residents eighteen (18) years of 
age and older – Thirty-five Dollars ($35.00); 
2.  Annual youth hunting license for residents under eighteen 
(18) years of age, which shall include all species and all season 
for which a hunting license is required – Twenty-five Dollars 
($25.00); 
3.  Ten-day hunting license for residents for small game and 
upland winged game, excluding wild turkeys in a commercial hunting 
area - Five Dollars ($5.00); 
4.  Five-year disability hunting combination hunting/fishing 
license for residents for at least six (6) months who are receiving   
 
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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 payments from the Multiple 
Injury Trust Fund pursuant to Section 31 of Title 85A of the 
Oklahoma Statutes - Twenty Dollars ($20.00); 
5.  Gun hunting license for deer for residents eighteen (18) 
years of age or older, which shall include all deer allowed for 
harvesting during gun seas on - Thirty-five Dollars ($35.00).  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 compens ation 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 previously 
received an exemption pursuant to this subparagraph, 
no registration with th e veterans registry shall be 
required, and 
b. residents hunting in big game or combination big game 
and upland game commercial hunting areas; 
6.  Archery hunting license for deer for residents eighteen (18) 
years of age or older, which shall include all de er allowed for   
 
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harvesting during archery season - Thirty-five Dollars ($35.00).  
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 perso n 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 previously 
received an 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 hunting areas; 
7.  Primitive firearms hunting license for deer for residents 
eighteen (18) years of age or older, which shall include all deer 
allowed for harvesting during primitive firearm season - Thirty-five 
Dollars ($35.00).  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 registered with the veterans registry 
created by the Oklahoma Department of Veterans   
 
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Affairs; provided that if the veteran has previously 
received an exemption pursuant to this subp aragraph, 
no registration with the veterans registry shall be 
required, and 
b. residents hunting in big game or combination big game 
and upland game commercial hunting areas; 
8.  Hunting license for elk for residents - Fifty Dollars 
($50.00).  Residents hunting in big game or combination big game and 
upland game commercial hunting areas shall be exempt from this 
license; 
9.  Hunting license for antelope for residents – Fifty Dollars 
($50.00).  Residents hunting in big game or combination big game and 
upland game commercial hunting areas shall be exempt from this 
license. 
G.  For all resident hunting licenses, a nonresident may qualify 
for residential license if that person owns a minimum of eighty (80) 
acres of noncommercial land in Oklahoma, has paid property tax on 
that land for the previous year, and has provided proof of both 
ownership and paid taxes to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife 
Conservation. 
H. The provisions of this section shall not be construed to 
require a hunting license, resident or nonr esident, of any person 
merely because the person participates, as owner or handler of an 
entry, as an official, or as a spectator in the conduct of a field   
 
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trial or performance t est of dogs, whether a resident or nonresident 
of the State of Oklahoma.  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. 
I.  1.  Any person arrested for hunting game other than deer, 
antelope, elk, bear or turkey without a valid hunting license as 
required by the provisions of subsection A of this section may 
purchase a substitute temporary thirty -day license from the 
arresting game warden in lieu of posting bond.  Proof of hunter 
safety certification will not be required for the temporary 
substitute license.  The fee for a substitute license purchased 
pursuant to the provisions of this subsection shall be: 
a. for legal residents, One Hundred Dollars ($100.00), 
and 
b. for nonresidents, Three Hundred Dollars ($300.00). 
2.  Except as otherwise provided 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 wildlife habitat. 
I. J.  Any person producing proof in court that a current 
hunting license issued by the Department of Wildlife Conservation to   
 
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that person was in force at the time of the alleg ed offense shall be 
entitled to dismissal of a charge of violating this section upon 
payment of court costs.  If proof of a current hunting license 
issued by the Department to th e 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 the violation, the 
charge shall be dismissed without payment of court costs. 
J. K.  Unless a substitute license is purchased as provided for 
by subsection H I of this section, any resident convicted of 
violating the provisions of this section shall be punished by the 
imposition of a fine of not less than Twenty -five Dollars ($25.00) 
nor more than Two Hundred Dollar s ($200.00), or by imprisonment in 
the county jail for a period not to exceed thirty (30) days, or by 
both. 
K. L.  Unless a substitute license is purchased as provided for 
by subsection H I of this section, any nonresident convicted of 
violating the provis ions 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 ($500.00), or by imprisonment in 
the county jail for a period not to exceed six (6) months, or by 
both. 
L. M.  The Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission shall 
promulgate any rules necessary to implement the provisions of this 
section.   
 
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SECTION 3.  This act shall become effective November 1, 2025. 
 
60-1-10891 MKS 01/15/25