Shown verbatim: the complete text as captured from the official PDF posted by the Oklahoma Legislature, fetched 2026-07-23. Page and line markers are part of the official record; nothing is edited or removed. The official bill page.
1 STATE OF OKLAHOMA
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2 2nd Session of the 60th Legislature (2026)
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3 SENATE BILL 2171 By: Bullard
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6 AS INTRODUCED
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7 An Act relating to wildlife; amending 29 O.S. 2021,
7 Section 4-114, as amended by Section 6, Chapter 6,
8 O.S.L. 2024 (29 O.S. Supp. 2025, Section 4-114),
8 which relates to hunting and fishing licenses;
9 increasing required term of residency for certain
9 license; updating statutory language; updating
10 statutory reference; authorizing certain license
10 upgrade; authorizing velvet buck controlled hunt;
11 defining terms; setting controlled hunt, bag, and tag
11 limits; specifying means of take; applying velvet
12 buck harvest to deer bag limits; directing the
12 Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission to
13 promulgate rules; authorizing cancellation for
13 certain conditions; prohibiting certain refunds of
14 fees; requiring valid license, permit, and stamp;
14 providing for enforcement of laws and rules; setting
15 licenses, permits, or stamps by rule; requiring
15 controlled hunt to be based on normal deer
16 populations; providing for codification; and
16 providing an effective date.
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19 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
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20 SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 29 O.S. 2021, Section 4-114, as
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21 amended by Section 6, Chapter 6, O.S.L. 2024 (29 O.S. Supp. 2025,
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22 Section 4-114), is amended to read as follows:
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23 Section 4-114. A. All legal residents who have resided in the
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24 state for at least six (6) months one (1) year and intend to remain
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Req. No. 2223 Page 1
1 residents may purchase lifetime fishing licenses or lifetime
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2 combination hunting and fishing licenses from the State Wildlife
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3 Conservation Director.
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4 B. The fee for these licenses shall be:
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5 1. Lifetime fishing license, Three Hundred Seventy-five Dollars
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6 ($375.00);
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7 2. Lifetime combination hunting and fishing license, One
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8 Thousand Twenty-four Dollars ($1,024.00);
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9 3. Senior citizen lifetime fishing license for persons sixty-
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10 five (65) years of age or older, Thirty Dollars ($30.00); and
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11 4. Senior citizen lifetime combination hunting and fishing
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12 license for persons sixty-five (65) years of age or older, Sixty
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13 Dollars ($60.00).
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14 C. Legal A legal resident having proper certification from the
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15 United States Department of Veterans Affairs or its successor
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16 certifying that the person is a disabled veteran and registered with
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17 the veterans registry created by the Oklahoma Department of Veterans
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18 Affairs may purchase a disability lifetime combination hunting and
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19 fishing license from the State Wildlife Conservation Director. The
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20 fees for the license shall be as follows:
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21 1. Two Hundred Dollars ($200.00) for veterans having a
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22 disability of less than sixty percent (60%); and
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23 2. Twenty-five Dollars ($25.00) for veterans having a
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24 disability of sixty percent (60%) or more.
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Req. No. 2223 Page 2
1 D. The use of the licenses provided in this section are subject
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2 to those restrictions provided by statute and the regulations of the
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3 Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission. Except as otherwise
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4 provided for in this section, each lifetime hunting license issued
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5 pursuant to subsections B and C of this section shall be in lieu of
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6 all annual hunting licenses and all special season permits.
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7 E. Should any lifetime license be lost or destroyed, a
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8 duplicate will be issued by the Department of Wildlife Conservation
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9 for a fee not more than Ten Dollars ($10.00).
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10 F. A lifetime licensee shall not lose the privileges of such
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11 license by a subsequent transfer of residency.
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12 G. A person who is sixty-four (64) years of age shall be
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13 eligible to purchase a senior citizen lifetime license issued
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14 pursuant to paragraphs 3 and 4 through 6 of subsection B of this
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15 section during the calendar year in which the person turns sixty-
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16 five (65) years of age.
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17 H. The Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission shall
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18 promulgate any rules necessary to implement the provisions of this
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19 section.
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20 I. A person who has previously purchased a lifetime fishing
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21 license under this section may apply to the Commission to upgrade to
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22 a lifetime combination license upon payment of the difference in fee
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23 of the lifetime fishing license and lifetime combination license of
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24 Six Hundred Forty-nine Dollars ($649.00).
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Req. No. 2223 Page 3
1 SECTION 2. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
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2 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 5-414.1 of Title 29, unless
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3 there is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
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4 A. For purposes of this section:
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5 1. "Velvet antler" means the whole cartilaginous antler is
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6 exhibited in a pre-calcified growth stage of the cervidae family.
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7 The deer antler must be covered in velvet-like hair that is
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8 essentially skin that supplies nutrients and blood flow to the
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9 growing bone and antler underneath; and
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10 2. "Velvet buck" means a deer with velvet antlers.
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11 B. Pursuant to Section 5-401 of Title 29 of the Oklahoma
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12 Statutes, the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission shall
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13 authorize a controlled hunt to hunt and harvest velvet bucks on
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14 private land with consent of the landowner during the time beginning
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15 on the Saturday morning prior to the last full weekend of August to
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16 the Sunday evening of the last full weekend of August for a total of
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17 nine (9) days in all counties. A controlled hunt for velvet bucks
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18 shall be restricted to a limit of one velvet buck per license per
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19 year.
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20 C. The Commission shall authorize archery as the sole method
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21 for shooting, hunting, killing, taking, or attempting to shoot,
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22 hunt, kill, or take any velvet buck during the controlled hunt.
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23 D. During a controlled hunt, legal residents of this state and
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24 nonresidents may hunt velvet bucks, provided the person has a valid
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Req. No. 2223 Page 4
1 deer license or velvet buck permit as otherwise provided by the laws
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2 of this state. All velvet bucks killed or taken and harvested shall
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3 count against the licensee's annual bag limit for deer in this
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4 state. The Commission may issue the number of tags but shall issue
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5 no fewer than one hundred (100) controlled hunt tags unless a state
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6 of emergency is declared.
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7 E. The Commission may promulgate rules necessary for the proper
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8 conduct and policing of a controlled hunt for the hunting and
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9 harvesting of velvet bucks, the velvet antler size, and the kind of
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10 bucks that may be taken. The Commission may cancel a controlled
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11 hunt of velvet bucks for any reason deemed appropriate including,
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12 but not limited to, disease, weather, deer population, and herd
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13 health. Any cancellation of a controlled hunt of velvet buck shall
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14 prohibit the Commission from refunding or crediting any fees paid
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15 for a velvet buck tag.
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16 F. All laws and rules pertaining to velvet bucks in this state
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17 shall be enforceable by the Department of Wildlife Conservation and
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18 its agents. The Commission shall set velvet buck tags by rule;
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19 provided, that the Commission shall reward ninety percent (90%) of
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20 all velvet buck tags by rule to resident hunters of this state.
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21 SECTION 3. This act shall become effective January 1, 2027.
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23 60-2-2223 YG 1/15/2026 2:13:14 PM
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Req. No. 2223 Page 5Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.