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STATE OF OKLAHOMA
1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025)
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE
FOR
HOUSE BILL NO. 2741 By: Caldwell (Trey)
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE
An Act relating to game and fish; amending 29 O.S.
2021, Section 4-101; providing for nonresident
landowners to be exempt from licenses on certain
types of property; requiring certain documentation;
amending 29 O.S. 2021, Section 4-112; providing for
nonresident landowners to be exempt from licenses on
certain types of property; requiring certain
documentation; and 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.
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B. All persons making application for any licenses required by
this section shall produce a valid license to operate a motor
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 one hundred sixty (160) 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 specific
exemptions listed in Section 4-112 of Title 29 of the Oklahoma
Statutes.
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 such license was issued,
and failure or refusal to comply shall be deemed prima facie
evidence of a violation of this section.
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F. G. Unless otherwise provided in this Code:
1. Licenses issued pursuant to paragraph 1 of subsection C and
paragraphs 1 and 2 of subsection E of Section 4-112 of this title
and paragraphs 1 and 2 of subsection 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 revoked 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 Commission 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 authorized Department
employee when complying with the provisions of subsection H I 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 such 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 this 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 imprisonment.
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 person a hunting or
fishing license. If the court does not set a revocation period, 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 revoked 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 Department 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:
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 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 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 or
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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 who hunts on land he or she owns that:
a. is a minimum of one hundred sixty (160) acres,
b. the nonresident has paid property taxes on the land
for the previous year, and
c. the nonresident has shown proof of both ownership and
paid taxes to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife
Conservation;
6. Any nonresident under eighteen (18) years of age;
6. 7. Legal residents having a proven disability which renders
them nonambulatory and confines them to a wheelchair, as certified
by a physician licensed in this state or in any state which borders
this state;
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7. 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 Statutes; and
8. 9. Any legal resident or nonresident hunting, pursuing,
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 who has a rattlesnake
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 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 current 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 archery season, it shall
expire at the end of that deer archery season - Five Hundred Dollars
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($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 nonresident annual hunting license
required in paragraph 1 of this subsection;
5. Hunting license for antelope for nonresidents – Five Hundred
Five Dollars ($505.00);
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 all 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 hunting license is required – Seventy-five
Dollars ($75.00); and
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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 nonresidents 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 turkeys – Twenty Dollars ($20.00);
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 subsection
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);
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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
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 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
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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;
6. Archery hunting license for deer for residents eighteen (18)
years of age or older, which shall include all deer allowed for
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 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 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;
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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
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;
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.
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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 or handler of an
entry, as an official, or as a spectator in the conduct of a field
trial or performance test 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. 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
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be used exclusively for developing, managing, preserving, and
protecting wildlife and wildlife habitat.
I. Any person producing proof 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
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 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 the 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 by 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 purchased 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 ($500.00), or by imprisonment in the
county jail for a period not to exceed six (6) months, or by both.
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L. The Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission shall
promulgate any rules necessary to implement the provisions of this
section.
SECTION 3. This act shall become effective November 1, 2025.
60-1-12635 MKS 02/13/25