A bill intended to create a 9-day archery season for velvet bucks in Oklahoma has passed through the state Senate. The season would start the Saturday morning prior to the last weekend of August and end Sunday evening of the last weekend of August.

Sen. Blake “Cowboy” Stephens, who is a lifelong hunter, told Tess Maune he wrote the bill to give hunters a longer deer season and more opportunities, and to create another source of revenue.

The bill states hunters would need a hunting license, velvet buck permit, or stamp to hunt in the velvet buck season. There would be a set number of permits, established by the Oklahoma Wildlife Commission, and hunters would draw for a permit. The commission would also determine the cost of the permit. 

While not specified in the bill, Sen. Stephens told Maune the velvet buck season would only be open on private land. However, he also stated there would be opportunity to expand and open it to public land in the future. The bill does say that hunters can only harvest one velvet buck each season, and this buck would count against the regular season’s two buck limit. “In other words, hunters would still only get two buck tags per deer season,” said Tess Maune. Ninety percent of velvet buck tags would go to Oklahoma residents. 

Sen. Stephens said Oklahoma’s tourism industry would greatly benefit from introducing a velvet buck season since only a few states offer this. “Hunters from across the country will be looking to travel to our state to take part in the first season and many thereafter,” Stephens said.

Senate Bill 910 will be considered next by the House of Representatives. Should it become law, the Oklahoma Wildlife Commission would establish regulations, and the velvet season likely would not occur until the 2024-2025 deer season.