Senate Bill 941 drives license consolidation and revenue gains; nonresident hunter counts fall, commission hears

Andrea, a department staff member, told the Wildlife Conservation Commission on an agency report that Senate Bill 941 (the "wildlife modernization" bill) consolidated dozens of hunting and fishing licenses and changed fee structures, producing notable revenue gains but also a decline in some nonresident license sales.

"I'm here to talk about the impact of Senate Bill 941, the wildlife modernization bill," Andrea said, introducing a detailed slide presentation based on data from the department’s Go Outdoors vendor and the agency’s licensing records. She said the analysis compared the first half of fiscal 2025 to the same point in fiscal 2024 and that some year-to-year comparisons were complicated by license consolidation and a rush of purchases before July 1 fee changes took effect.

The presentation showed that aggregated revenue across 32 license categories was up about 30 percent — a little over $4 million — through the period analyzed. Andrea reported fiscal-year-to-date license revenue of $31,879,914 through Nov. 30, 2024, versus $26,256,247 for the same period a year earlier. Expenditures through Nov. 30 rose as well, to $32,224,127 from $25,390,878 the prior year.

Why it matters: the fee and privilege changes were intended to simplify license types and to recover costs; commissioners were told the changes are already shifting what individual buyers purchase and how the agency can count federal-aid-eligible licenses.

Key changes and effects described in the presentation included: a consolidation of multiple youth and combination licenses into single, broader privileges; creation of new multi-year options; and new or increased nonresident fees for deer and waterfowl. Andrea said some nonresident license categories saw large percentage increases in revenue even while unit sales fell, because prices rose substantially. For example, nonresident annual hunting sales rose in revenue but the number of some nonresident deer tags sold declined.

Andrea cited department staff projections and observed outcomes: nonresident deer-season license sales were down roughly 40–43% for some tag types while revenue for those lines fell only slightly or rose (the net effect across nonresident deer products reported a revenue increase of 34% compared with prior projections). Department analysts estimated about 1,200 fewer nonresident deer license purchases across archery, muzzleloader and gun seasons; harvest reduction was smaller — department staff reported roughly a 20% reduction in nonresident deer harvest in the seasons compared.

Staff noted complicating factors: a substantial number of purchasers (several thousand across various license types) bought licenses before the July 1 price increase, which skewed comparisons for fiscal 2024–25 and will require longer-term data for stable year-over-year analysis. Andrea and other staff said a more representative comparison would likely emerge in FY26–27 once the post-change sales patterns settle.

Other operational highlights included staffing and program updates delivered during the director’s report: two new conservation/field officers (CPOs) began in December, the grant specialist and federal-aid coordinator positions were filled, the agency is handling hatchery maintenance and boat-access investments (including new courtesy docks), and a statewide elk survey and genetic sampling of white-tailed deer are underway. The agency also plans marketing and outreach pilot spots in the Oklahoma City television market and said it will present at the Archery Trade Association summit about its varsity archery program.

Law enforcement staff summarized recent enforcement cases illustrating poaching and trespass enforcement work across several districts; those anecdotes were offered as background to legislative priorities staff plan to pursue with the legislature (including proposals on hunting without permission and shooting from the road).

Commission finance and audit items: staff reported combined trust-fund balances increasing from roughly $270 million (Nov. 30, 2023) to $323 million (Nov. 30, 2024) in the major funds shown; the agency’s external auditors (Findlay and Cook, per the staff introduction) issued a clean opinion on the financial statements for the year ended June 30, 2024 and flagged an audit adjustment related to capitalization thresholds in the software conversion (about $490,000 in depreciation/write-off timing). Auditors did not report material weaknesses or fraud.

Votes at a glance

- Authorize special permits (order under 293.103(a)) to offer by public auction or sealed bid one elk tag and one pronghorn tag at the foundation gala, and authorize the foundation to conduct the auction — approved (unanimous roll call).

- Approve department vehicle policy revisions (policy committee recommendation, quarterly variance report added; AG office clarifications incorporated) — approved (unanimous roll call).

- Approve monthly donations and contributions report — approved (motion carried).

- Approve meeting minutes — approved (roll call recorded as unanimous).

What’s next: staff said February 3 is the next commission meeting (also the opening day of the legislative session) and the foundation reception that evening. Staff emphasized the need for more complete post-implementation data to assess long-term impacts of license consolidation and fee changes.

(Documentation: staff presentation and slides; department licensing and revenue records cited in the meeting.)