§ 2-12-1 — Written agreement with U.S. Department of Agriculture

Wildlife Services – Wildlife damage management. A. The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry shall enter into a written agreement on behalf of the State of Oklahoma with the United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services. The agreement shall be for the purpose of cooperating with Wildlife Services in conducting wildlife damage management for beavers, coyotes, bobcats, feral swine, and other wildlife or invasive species causing destruction to livestock, poultry, crops, range land, forests, and other resources, including human health and safety. B. Wildlife damage management of predatory animals and other species causing damage shall include but not be limited to hunting, trapping, or other practical methods for the control of damage to resources. Operations shall be directly supervised by the United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services in association with the Department. The Department is authorized to enter into cooperative agreements with counties, associations, corporations, and individuals for hunting and trapping operations and control of wildlife damage. C. In cooperation with Wildlife Services, the Department is authorized to purchase animal damage management supplies, including but not limited to bait, for cooperating governmental agencies, counties, associations, corporations, and individuals for the control of damage caused by predatory animals and other species. The Department shall make these supplies and baits available to cooperators at approximate cost. The receipts from the sale of supplies and baits shall be credited to the State Department of Agriculture Revolving Fund. D. Furs, skins, specimens or other parts or byproducts of commercial value collected by Wildlife Services agents shall be sold upon sealed bids after advertisement of the sales, as prescribed by the Department. The proceeds of all sales shall be credited to the State Department of Agriculture Revolving Fund. Any specimen may be presented, free of charge, to any state institution subject to the jurisdiction and control of the State of Oklahoma. No bounty shall be collected from any source for predatory animals and wildlife taken by Wildlife Services agents operating pursuant to a cooperative agreement.

Legislative History

Added by Laws 1963, c. 173, § 1, emerg. eff. June 7, 1963. Amended by Laws 1983, c. 242, § 10, operative July 1, 1983; Laws 2000, c. 243, § 114, emerg. eff. May 24, 2000; Laws 2017, c. 57, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 2017.