The Oklahoma legislature recently passed a bill that will make it more difficult for nonresident hunters to chase game on public land. But they’re far from alone. States from coast to coast have been mulling changes in recent months that re-focus resources on resident hunters while giving the proverbial middle finger to everyone else.
Oklahoma was already on that track before this latest change. If a Texas resident wants to drive across the border and hunt whitetail in the Sooner State, he has to purchase a $209 base license plus a $501 permit for either archery or firearms.
Now, thanks to Senate Bill 448, that hunter will have to pay an additional $100 to hunt on state-managed Wildlife Management Areas or National Wildlife Refuges. Before forking over this additional money, nonresident hunters will also have to secure written permission from the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission (it’s unclear right now how that permission will be sought or what the requirements will be to be approved).
Even if the hunter is granted permission and is willing to pay the extra $100, he is still not guaranteed a chance at a public-land buck. That’s because Senate Bill 448 also allows the Commission to create a lottery system “as needed” to distribute nonresident permits.
One of the bill’s sponsors, Rep. Jim Grego, explained that this lottery system is designed to limit overcrowding of Oklahoma public land.
“This just allows the Wildlife Conservation Commission to know who is hunting in the areas they maintain,” Grego said. “If they have more hunters than can be managed at one time, this allows the commission to establish a lottery system.”
“The passage of Senate Bill 448 marks a significant step forward in safeguarding Oklahomans’ access to our state’s wildlife management areas,” added Sen. Warren Hamilton, the bill’s primary sponsor in the Senate. “This legislation prioritizes the rights of our citizens while continuing to welcome visiting outdoorsmen from other states through the lottery system and permitting process outlined in this bill.”
But MeatEater’s Tony Peterson isn’t so sure this policy will actually help resident hunters kill more bucks.
“The drumbeat from hunters these days is that things are overcrowded, and that’s why they can’t kill anything. I don’t hear any of them talking about scouting more, or putting in more hours on stand,” he said. “If you can’t kill a deer on Oklahoma public land, I don’t think kicking nonresidents out is going to help you much. I’ve never seen a state with more deer on public land, but this is the path we are on.”
Oklahoma isn’t the only state that has tried to act on this mindset in recent months. The Kansas legislature also passed a bill, House Bill 2028, that would limit nonresident waterfowl hunters to hunting only on Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays on most public land. The bill sailed through the Senate on a 37-3 vote and more narrowly escaped the House on a 65-59 vote.
Much like in Oklahoma, the sponsors of House Bill 2028 argued that resident Kansas hunters needed protection from out-of-state crowding.
“The reason this legislation passed this body was to protect our in-state waterfowl hunters, to give them more opportunities to hunt some of the better places,” Sen. Virgil Peck told KAKE. “We were also having a problem with some of our migratory birds changing their flight patterns because of excessive hunting in certain areas.”
Governor Laura Kelly ultimately vetoed the legislation. She was concerned with how the bill “severely limits” nonresident hunters in Kansas, and she worried such a move would harm rural economies that benefit from out-of-state dollars.
The legislature was not able to garner enough support to override Kelly’s veto, but its initial passage suggests it may only be a matter of time before a similar policy becomes law.
Other states are planning to implement somewhat more modest barriers to nonresidents. The Missouri Department of Conservation will be imposing slight increases to nonresident (and some resident) hunting and fishing fees, most of which are between 3-4%.
Montana plans to make a much larger increase to its nonresident base hunting license fee, but the absolute cost is still reasonable. Currently, these licenses cost only $15, but House Bill 145 will increase that fee to $100, a 566% increase.
Nonresidents of Colorado looking to bag an elk will also be facing a major change this year. Last year, the Parks and Wildlife Commission approved a new Big Game Season Structure that removed over-the-counter elk tags for nonresidents archery hunting in Game Management Units west of I-25. Now, if nonresidents want to chase elk with a bow in those western units (where most elk live), they’ll have to enter the Big Game Draw and hope for the best.
It’s true that public land hunters in recent years have voiced serious concerns about overcrowding. Once-isolated spots are now dotted with orange vests, and legislators and policymakers are often responding to feedback from their constituents. But Tony believes reactionary policies may come back to bite us.
“I started hunting in the mid-1990s, when the big enemy was the anti-hunting lobby. Today, it’s us,” he said. “We are so quick to take away hunting opportunities from each other under the guise that public land is just too crowded. Why don’t we try to secure more public land? Why is the response to always take away hunting opportunities? I don’t get it, and I think we are making a huge mistake. A lot of us are raising kids in the outdoors, and it’s sad to think about how little they’ll have access to in another decade.”
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