ODWC (Randy Cloud/2015 Readers’ Photo Showcase)
This fall, nonresident deer licenses purchased after the corresponding season has opened will be subject to a two-day validation period before being activated. This is part of an effort to discourage unlicensed deer hunting in Oklahoma and is in effect now.
In Oklahoma, hunters must possess a valid, active deer license in order to hunt; not just to harvest or check in a deer. However, recent data indicates that 34 percent of nonresident deer licenses purchased in 2024-25 in Oklahoma were bought within one hour of checking in a harvested deer, an indication that these hunters – and possibly others – are only purchasing the required license if they check in a deer.
Hunting without the proper license is illegal, and violators face steep legal consequences (including minimum fines of $2,000 or imprisonment in county jail for no less than 10 days, or by both fine and imprisonment; restitution up to $5,000; and revocation of all hunting and fishing privileges in all 50 states).
Nonresident deer licenses bought up to the day before the start of the corresponding season do not have a two-day waiting period. For example, a nonresident hunter could purchase a nonresident deer archery license at 11:59 p.m. on Sept. 30 and legally hunt opening morning. But if that same deer license is purchased at midnight or later on Oct. 1, the license will not be valid until October 3.
The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation appreciates the state’s nonresident hunters and their contribution to conservation, and wants ensure the best hunting experience. To get your nonresident annual hunting license and deer licenses, log in to your Go Outdoors Oklahoma profile today.
Get Local News!
