Act — Pilot program to enhance genetic durability. A. This section shall be known and may be cited as the “Chronic Wasting Disease Genetic Improvement Act”. B. No later than November 1, 2024, the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry shall establish a pilot program to enhance the genetic durability of Oklahoma deer against chronic wasting disease. Such pilot program shall include, but not be limited to, the following program characteristics: 1. The Department of Wildlife Conservation will begin collecting DNA samples to establish a baseline of average genetic codon markers and genomic breeding values for native, free-ranging Oklahoma white-tailed deer. For establishing testing locations in the state, the Department shall use Interstates 35 and 40 as dividing lines or established Department deer management zones as published in the current hunting regulations guide; 2. Limit participation in the program to native white-tailed deer, born and raised in Oklahoma with genetic resistance breeding, including the SS allele at codon 96, and that surpass the genomic estimated breeding value cutoff established for the program by the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry; and 3. Beginning in 2026, during the months of February and March and through the fifteenth of April, bred female and male deer may be released. C. The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry and the Department of Wildlife Conservation may promulgate rules as needed to implement the provisions of this act. D. The Department of Wildlife Conservation may charge a one- time permit fee, which shall not exceed Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00), for citizens purchasing deer as a result of criteria established in the pilot program.
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