Oklahoma hunting license

How much is an Oklahoma hunting license?

A resident Oklahoma hunting license (Annual Hunting, ages 18 and up) costs $36, as listed by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation for the current license year. Nonresidents 18 and older pay $209. Both are base licenses: they let you hunt, but most big game needs an add-on license bought on top.

For residents, each deer license (archery, muzzleloader or gun) is $36 and already includes that season's bag limit. A turkey license is $20, elk and antelope are $51 each, and bear is $101. A resident who hunts deer with a bow and a rifle therefore spends $36 for the base plus $72 for two deer licenses.

If you also fish, the resident Annual Combination Fishing and Hunting license is $53, a cheaper path than buying both separately. Hunters who use Department-owned land should know about the Wildlife Conservation Passport: anyone 18 or older entering those lands needs it unless exempt ($46 for residents, $239 for nonresidents). The full list is on ODWC's license options and fees page.

Who needs hunter education for an Oklahoma hunting license?

Oklahoma uses age, not birth year: hunters 30 and younger must be hunter education certified or buy an apprentice-designated license. If you are 31 or older, honorably discharged from or serving on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces, or a National Guard member, you are exempt.

The course comes in two forms, an online version and a six-hour traditional class, so adults who missed it as kids can catch up quickly. Testing starts at age 10, which means younger children hunt under the apprentice rules. Details and class dates are on the ODWC hunter education page.

An apprentice-designated license is not a separate product. If you buy a hunting license without a certification number, the license carries the apprentice designation, and you must hunt with an accompanying hunter: someone 18 or older who is licensed and certified (unless exempt). For big game they stay within arm's length of you. For small game they stay in sight and close enough to talk in a normal voice.

Where do you buy a hunting license in Oklahoma?

Licenses are sold online at GoOutdoorsOklahoma.com, in the Go Outdoors Oklahoma mobile app for Android and iOS, and by license agents across the state. The Go Outdoors site includes an agent locator if you would rather buy in person.

Nonresidents planning a deer trip should buy early: a nonresident deer license bought after that season opens comes with a 48-hour waiting period before you can hunt. Residents can buy the base license at any point in the year, since it runs 365 days from the purchase date rather than ending on a fixed calendar day.

1. If you are 30 or younger, finish hunter education, or accept an apprentice-designated license and line up an accompanying hunter.
2. Log in at GoOutdoorsOklahoma.com, open the app, or find a license agent.
3. Buy the Annual Hunting license, then add deer, turkey, elk, antelope or bear licenses as needed.
4. Carry your license and permits while afield and check in any big game within 24 hours.

Buy a Oklahoma hunting license on the official site

How do deer, turkey and elk licenses work in Oklahoma?

Big game licenses are sold over the counter as add-ons to the base license, one per deer season or per species. Oklahoma also runs controlled hunts for deer, elk, antelope and turkey, where hunters are picked by random drawing. Preference points are also part of the system, and the details are listed with each hunt.

The 2026 controlled hunt application period ran April 1 to May 20, online at GoOutdoorsOklahoma.com. A $10 application fee covers multiple applications across categories and includes a Preference Point Only option. Drawn hunters may owe extra license fees. See the controlled hunts page.

Every deer, elk, antelope, bear and turkey must be checked within 24 hours of leaving the hunt area, through E-Check online, the Go Outdoors Oklahoma app, or with a Department employee. You then receive a carcass tag or confirmation number.

Do kids need a license to hunt in Oklahoma?

Not for most small game: residents and nonresidents 17 and under are exempt from the basic hunting license. That changes once a young hunter goes after deer, turkey, elk, bear, antelope, waterfowl or furbearers. For those, they need the Youth Annual Super Hunting License, $26 for residents and $151 for nonresidents.

Visiting families can also choose the Nonresident Youth 5-Day Super Hunting license for $76. Residents 15 and under do not need a federal duck stamp. Remember the age-based hunter education rule: children 9 and younger cannot be certified, so they always hunt as apprentices with an accompanying hunter beside them.

A resident teen who plans to hunt deer, turkey and ducks in the same year needs just one Youth Super license at $26 to meet the license requirement for all three. Once that hunter turns 18, the regular $36 base license and the adult deer and turkey licenses apply instead, so budget for the jump.

What does a nonresident Oklahoma hunting license cost?

The nonresident Annual Hunting license is $209 and is good for 365 days. Big game is where costs climb: each nonresident deer license (archery, muzzleloader or gun) is $501, elk, antelope and bear are $506 each, and turkey is $40.

A Nonresident 5-Day Hunting license costs $75 for five days of your choice, but it does not cover big game, waterfowl, turkey or quail, so it suits predator or small game trips. Nonresidents hunting game birds on a WMA also need the $100 Nonresident Game Bird Permit. Heading over a state line? See the Texas hunting license and Kansas hunting license guides.

Other Oklahoma hunting rules worth knowing

The annual license runs 365 days from purchase, but many add-ons follow the calendar: turkey, elk, antelope and bear licenses run Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, and each deer license is good for its season. Compare other states on our hunting license by state map, and read ODWC's big game regulations for field rules.

• Hunter orange: in any deer, elk, antelope or bear gun or muzzleloader season, firearm hunters wear a head covering and an upper garment totaling at least 400 square inches. Archers and most other hunters in those seasons wear an orange hat or upper garment. Camouflage orange is legal.
• Landowners: residents who hunt only on land they own or lease for agriculture (hunting leases do not count) are exempt from the hunting license. Nonresident landowners get no exemptions. See the license exemptions page.
• Lifetime: residents with six months of residency can buy the Lifetime Combination Fishing and Hunting license for $1,024. Residents turning 65 or older this calendar year pay $60 for the Senior Citizen Lifetime Combination.
• Disabled hunters and veterans: resident disabled veterans pay $200 (under 60 percent) or $25 (60 percent or more) for a lifetime combination license, and 100 percent rated veterans skip deer licenses. Residents receiving disability benefits can buy a $20 five-year combination, and permanently disabled non-ambulatory residents need no license.