Environment (Conservation)

SB 338 limits recreational hunters in Oklahoma to harvesting no more than one antlered whitetail deer per year. It directly affects licensed recreational hunters by restricting their annual harvest, while exempting those hunting in commercial hunting areas. The bill requires the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission to enforce this one-deer annual limit and takes effect on November 1, 2025. This policy change modifies existing hunting regulations to manage deer populations.

SB 330 authorizes the Oklahoma State University Veterinary Medicine Authority to conduct a scientific study of elk populations in Woodward, Dewey, Ellis, and parts of Roger Mills counties (the "Special Northwest Zone"). The bill requires the Authority to assess elk population size, health, genetic diversity, and current management strategies by November 1, 2025, and develop a management plan for elk conservation based on the findings. It appropriates $2 million from the General Revenue Fund to fund the study, including coordination with other agencies and temporary hunting restrictions during the study period. The resulting management plan must be posted online and guide long-term elk population sustainability and ecosystem health.