07-03-2025
Wanting to forage for berries and mushrooms? Bill would allow it on some state lands
Got a craving for morel mushrooms, pecans or wild blackberries? Oklahomans could forage for these and other edible plants on state land under a new bill.
State Sen. Mary Boren, D-Norman, presented Senate Bill 447 to the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Wildlife. It passed unanimously and is eligible to be heard on the Senate floor.
Currently, foraging is not allowed on state land, and not even deer hunters can pick berries or mushrooms when they're hunting, she said. Boren filed the bill after her mother and mother-in-law were scolded by a park ranger at Lake Thunderbird for picking pecans.
'I get that it was no harm, no foul, just go on with your life, but it hit me that it's not appropriate to have a state law that discourages something that is very, very good,' Boren said.
More: More foraging fun: Why this Oklahoma group is going wild for morel mushrooms
The bill would allow people to forage for nuts and edible plants or fungi for personal use, but not resale, on some state-owned or state-managed properties. It would allow the Oklahoma Wildlife Commission to implement rules such as safety clothing during hunting seasons and preserve certain wildlife habitats, especially for turkeys.
It's likely foraging won't be allowed on all state land. Exempt areas would include crops certified by the Oklahoma Agriculture Experiment Station system, the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service under the Oklahoma State University Division of Agriculture Science and Natural Resources.
Other areas would include state- or university-owned test or research farms and property otherwise restricted for access by state or federal law. Another exemption is plants that are threatened or endangered.
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Senators were concerned about disrupting hunters and the safety of foragers if they went out during large game hunting seasons when rifles are permitted.
Other senators asked if leased state land, for purposes such as cattle, could be added to the exemptions list.
Sen. David Bullard, R-Durant, said he was concerned about hunters having their abilities and rights encroached.
'People hunting morel mushrooms, they don't mind going anywhere and once they get on the hunt, they lose their mind sometimes. I know that because my grandfather was one of them,' he said.
Nels Rodefeld, assistant director of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, said that's something the agency has struggled with, and the discussion has been going on for about 20 years. He said they are committed to taking a thorough digest on the bill and being transparent to hunters and the public through the agency's rulemaking process.
Sen. Jonathan Wingard, R-Ada, asked if foragers could be required to wear hunter orange during hunting season, as archery hunters are required to. She agreed to work on any changes that make foraging safer, but said other pieces of state land would fall under other jurisdictions.
Wingard also asked if the state would assume any liability for people who become ill or died if they ate something they shouldn't have. Boren said she didn't think so because the state isn't telling people to go forage. She's hoping nature centers will be able to host foraging classes.
'Well, the neat thing about living in Oklahoma is that we like to try things and see what happens,' she said. 'What I noticed in Oklahoma is how connected we are to surviving off the land and that is something unique to Oklahoma.'
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Foraging for wild plants on Oklahoma land could be made legal
