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Fish, Wildlife Rule Change Proposals Open for Public Comments

In-person Hearing on Dec. 7 Among Three Ways to Provide Input 

Each year, the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation proposes changes in Title 800, the administrative rules that govern hunting, fishing and Wildlife Department operations. The public comment period for proposed rule changes for 2024 opened Nov. 1 and will close at 4:30 p.m. Dec. 8, 2023.

Many proposed changes are simple housekeeping matters, while some are more substantial. Some of this year's rule change proposals:

  • Create an aggregate bag limit for native, nongame fish for all types of fishing.
  • Prohibit the practice of shoot and release in bowfishing. 
  • Add opportunities for controlled hunts for deer, turkey and/or waterfowl on portions of some State Park properties 
  • Authorize the Wildlife Conservation Commission to establish up to 10 permits per year, for private land only, available through a raffle, to harvest a velvet-antlered buck that would count against the hunter's season limit. 
  • Add shotgun hulls to the list of what qualifies as littering on WMAs. 
  • Allow use of air-powered arrow rifles as a legal means of take during deer muzzleloader season. 
  • Close prairie dog hunting on Cooper, Beaver River, and Sandy Sanders WMAs. 
  • Update regulations for shooting ranges and archery ranges on Department-owned or Department-managed lands. 
     

For a summary, go to wildlifedepartment.com/public-meeting and click on Rule Change Proposals 2024 Agenda (PDF).

To read all of the proposed rule changes, go to wildlifedepartment.com/public-meeting.

Anyone wishing to make comments on any of the proposed rule changes may do so in one of three ways:

  • Fill out the online public comment form at wildlifedepartment.com/public-meeting. The online public comment period closes at 4:30 p.m. Dec. 8, 2023.
  • Write your comments in a letter and mail to Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, Re: Public Comment, P.O. Box 53465, Oklahoma City, OK 73152. Letters must be postmarked by Dec. 8, 2023. 
  • Voice your comments in person during a public hearing beginning at 7 p.m. Dec. 7, 2023, at the John D. Groendyke Wildlife Conservation Building, 1801 N. Lincoln Blvd. in Oklahoma City.

All public comments are collected and reviewed by the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission. Discussion and possible action on these rule changes are planned for the regular January 2024 Commission meeting in Oklahoma City.