Oklahoma's deer season starts next week, and hunting license rules have changed a bit for hunters from outside of the state. Non-resident hunters will need to purchase their licenses at least two days before they go deer hunting in Oklahoma.
Nels Rodefield is the assistant director of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. In June, he told the Wildlife Conservation Commission that a game warden examined license data and noticed a trend.
"Up to 30% of non-resident deer licenses resulted in that person checking a deer within one hour of purchasing the license," Rodefield said.
"So that's suspicious," Commissioner James Barwick said.
"It is very suspicious, yes," Rodefield said.
It's unclear how many more out-of-state hunters came to Oklahoma, went hunting and didn't buy a license because they didn't bag a deer.
After Rodefield's presentation, commissioners passed an emergency rule at their meeting in June. The rule is now in effect and will require out-of-state hunters to wait 48 hours between purchasing a deer license and going hunting.
Rodefield said many states are working to address "non-resident pressure" on their wildlife. Some require out-of-state hunters to get a license before deer season starts.
Rodefield said the waiting period is a compromise to keep it easy for non-residents to come hunting in Oklahoma. And 48 hours seemed like the sweet spot to incentivize hunters to get their licenses ahead of time.
"Law enforcement felt like, it's not easy to hide a deer for 48 hours," Rodefield said. "If you're sitting on a cooler at deer camp, you're getting nervous about, you know, getting checked, getting caught."
Once they get their license, out-of-state hunters are eligible to take two bucks throughout the season, just like Oklahoma residents.
"It's worth mentioning, Oklahoma still has some of the most generous non-resident deer hunting opportunities in the United States," Rodefield said.
The commission discussed whether it would be necessary to raise fines for non-residents who hunt deer without a license, but that would take legislative action.
Deer season starts Oct. 1 and lasts through Jan. 15. The waiting period doesn't take effect until the season opens.
This report was produced by the Oklahoma Public Media Exchange, a collaboration of public media organizations. Help support collaborative journalism by donating at the link at the top of this webpage.
