Extra Hunt Choices for Everyone
After applicants have reached the maximum number of hunt choices allowed in a category (up to 14 hunt choices across four categories for $5 application fee), applicants will then be allowed to buy additional hunt choices at $3 per choice. There is no limit to how many extra hunt choices can be purchased, but applicants can only select a specific hunt once. Also, applicants will be able to add PointGuard insurance to each category, a safeguard against losing preference points in case the hunter cannot attend any of the hunts he wins.
Elk/Pronghorn Allocated Draws
For these once-in-a-lifetime hunt categories, an initial drawing for half of all hunt permits will be taken from the pool of only those applicants having 20 or more preference points. The remaining half of all hunt permits will be drawn from the pool of everyone who applied (excluding hunt winners from the initial drawing).
New Private Lands Youth Deer Hunts
The youth deer category now includes 7 additional youth hunts to be held on private land. To be eligible to apply for these private lands youth hunts, youth must have completed their hunter education requirements prior to applying and must be 12-17 years old at the time of their scheduled hunt.
PointGuard
This option protects a winning hunter’s preference points and eligibility for Controlled Hunt drawings in future years in case the hunter cannot attend the hunt he or she wins. For example, a hunter submits applications for Controlled Hunts in the categories of Deer, Youth Deer, and Elk. The hunter pays $5 total to apply in all three categories. When applying, the hunter is offered the opportunity to buy PointGuard at a cost of $5 additional. The insurance will protect the hunter in the event he or she is drawn for a Controlled Hunt but ends up not attending the hunt. The insurance can be claimed anytime before midnight on the day before the winner’s scheduled hunt. It insures the hunter's category preference points going forward that would have been forfeited because the hunter was selected and unable to attend. PointGuard also allows the hunter to remain eligible for future drawings for once-in-a-lifetime Controlled Hunts since the hunter wasn't able to attend the current year's hunt.
When hunters apply as a group, each hunter will be given the option to buy PointGuard individually; all group members are not required to choose the option. But those who do choose to buy PointGuard and end up missing the hunt will have their individual points protected for future drawings.
Preference Point Only (PPO)
This option is for hunters who do not want to put their name in a hunt drawing but still want to obtain an additional preference point for future drawings. This option will only be available during the online Controlled Hunt application period from April 1 to May 20. To choose the PPO option, the hunter will apply for Controlled Hunts as he or she normally would for the standard $5 fee, but this year the hunter will have an option to select Preference Point Only in each category.
In lieu of the hunter’s name going into the drawings, the hunter will get one additional preference point in that hunt category, and all of their preference points will carry over for next year’s drawing. Hunters may purchase only one point per year per category. The PPO is designed for hunters who already know when they apply that they will not be able to attend hunts during certain times of the year if they are drawn for those hunts.
Controlled Hunt applications are submitted through a hunter’s personal account at GoOutdoorsOklahoma.com, the Wildlife Department’s online licensing and customer service site. During the application process, hunters will be asked whether they want to add either of these new options.