COLUMN: New look for hunting licenses

We talked about the increase in lifetime hunting and fishing licenses a couple of weeks ago, but there have been more changes to the license system for Oklahoma hunters and anglers, including a new Youth Annual Super License that will open up more opportunities for young hunters, and save a little money.

According to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, “The new Youth Annual Super License, youth hunters can save money and have more hunting opportunities.”

For example, a youth can hunt a buck and a doe during the youth deer gun season as well as during the regular deer gun season, then turkey hunt in the spring, all with the same hunting license and all while saving $24 over what they would have paid last year. And if that same youth decides to harvest more deer, or they also want to try something else like archery or muzzleloader hunting, the savings continue to add up.

The new hunting license is called the youth annual super hunting license, and it works a bit like an all-season pass to an amusement park. It’s valid for 365 days from date of purchase and covers the youth for all the Oklahoma hunting seasons that require a hunting license. The youth annual super hunting license is $26 for residents and $151 for nonresidents.

Gone are the days of needing a separate license for each deer hunted or for each method of take. Gone are the days of having to choose an antlered or antlerless deer license (or both) before heading afield. Gone are the days of wading through youth license requirements for 16- and 17-year-olds vs. younger hunters. Certain federal stamps or permits are still required in some cases, but the end result means more access to hunting than ever before for today’s youth hunters.

The youth annual super hunting license is part of a larger hunting and fishing license overhaul known as the Oklahoma Wildlife License Modernization Act, a bill that condenses some 50 hunting and fishing licenses down to about 14 and helps secure more funding for conservation. Before the bill went into effect July 1, there hadn’t been any notable changes to the state’s fishing and hunting licenses or fee structure in over 20 years.

All licenses can be purchased online through your Go Outdoors Oklahoma profile. If you’ve never purchased a license, you’ll be guided to set up your profile.

Another big change for youth in the Wildlife Modernization Act is that anglers under 18 years of age are now exempt from the purchase of a state fishing license.

Youth hunters (and anyone under the age of 30) are still required to be Hunter Education certified. Classes are offered online or in-person.

The Oklahoma Youth Hunting Program is a non-profit organization of sportsmen and women who are dedicated to introducing 10-17 year old non-hunters to the sport of hunting and outdoor experiences. Many Oklahoma teens do not have access to knowledgeable mentors to experience the adventure that is big game hunting. That’s where they come in.

“We invite young men and women who have NEVER been hunting before to sign up for a new and exciting experience.”

The hunts are conducted during the special youth deer seasons, established by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, on lands made available to the Program specifically for that purpose. The Program provides all housing, meals, and appropriate firearms and ammunition for the game being pursued. The only cost to the participants and their adult chaperones is travel expenses to and from camp and any license required by Oklahoma’s hunting regulations. Program hunts have been featured on Outdoor Oklahoma on several occasions.

For more information, or to help support OYHP go to their website at https://oyhp.org/home.