The ODWC’s recent report shows the agency brought in more than $61 million during Fiscal Year 2024, which ended in July. It spent around $62 million during that period.
The agency doesn’t receive any money from the state budget. Federal grants and revenue from the sale of hunting and fishing licenses make up the most significant chunk of the agency’s budget.
That doesn’t include revenue from the sale of lifetime hunting and fishing licenses. Since the state started selling lifetime licenses in 1969, that money goes into a trust. It can’t be spent, but the interest it generates can — last year, that was $5.6 million.
Earlier this year, the state legislature passed a bill to restructure hunting and fishing licenses available in Oklahoma, grouping many into more comprehensive licenses. Those changes went into effect July 1.
Projections show the new licenses could boost the department’s revenue by $10 million. But critics say price changes could drive away out-of-state hunters and fishers and cut into the money they bring to Oklahoma communities when they visit — an estimated $5 billion each year.
