The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) is currently accepting public comments on 2024 Rule Change Proposals. ODWC has put forth 27 proposals, including several that impact deer and deer hunters. These proposals include:
- Adding controlled deer hunt opportunities on several state parks;
- Authorizing ODWC to offer up to 10 permits per year via a lottery raffle to harvest one velvet-antlered deer on private land during the last full week of August;
- Allowing the use of air-powered arrow rifles as a legal means of taking during deer primitive firearms (muzzleloading) season; and
- Removing the acreage limitation on what the Special Use Permit (Access Permit) would apply to, making the permit applicable to Oklahoma Land Access Program (OLAP) users, and increasing annual and three-day special use permit fees.
ODWC will host a public hearing on the proposals on December 7 at ODWC Headquarters, 1801 N. Lincoln Blvd., Oklahoma City, OK. Comments will also be received online through December 8 at 4:30 p.m.
The National Deer Association (NDA) strongly encourages our Oklahoma members and supporters, or others who hunt in Oklahoma, to attend the upcoming public hearing and comment on the proposed rules. Conserving deer and protecting hunting requires participation in the rooms where wildlife policy and legislation are formed, and this comment opportunity provides the occasion for just that.