OKLAHOMA CITY (KOKH) — The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife is already seeing a big return on revamping its hunting and fishing license system.
Senate Bill 941 went into effect July 1, 2024, adjusting the licenses people can get in Oklahoma for recreational hunting and fishing. It reduced the number of licenses from 64 to 47.
SB 941 is what Wildlife Commissioners called a “major overhaul” and the first major license adjustment since 2003.
Since a year has passed since the bill went into effect, Department of Wildlife Commissioners have been able to see whether the changes have boosted revenues or not.
In short: they have.
Between July 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025, $27.2 million in revenue was generated from the sale of hunting and fishing licenses, representing a $4.8 million increase over the previous year (a 21.5% increase in revenue).
Of that $4.8 million, $4.1 million was generated by non-resident hunting licenses.
Half of the top 10 licenses by revenue available from the Wildlife Department were non-resident licenses, like non-resident annual hunting and fishing licenses.
“The main financial weight of this was on non-residents,” said Commissioner Chad Dillingham at a Wildlife Commission meeting. “I want to always take the opportunity to point out we’re not anti-non-resident hunting in the state of Oklahoma. We’re very much supportive of and in favor of it.”
Dillingham said increasing the cost of non-resident hunting and fishing licenses was a way to make Oklahoma more competitive regionally with license sales. Oklahoma is seen as prime hunting grounds for people from other states due to its waterfowl and deer populations.
The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife does not receive general appropriation funding from the state. The agency relies heavily on license sales to keep it running.
