Moro Bay State Park is gearing up for an exciting Spring Break weekend, offering a variety of free outdoor programs for visitors on March 22 and 23, 2025. Activities will include boat tours, wildlife education programs, and a guided nature hike. The weekend’s schedule kicks off on Saturday, March 22, with a boat tour from…
ROGERS — Arkansas anglers have the opportunity to snag the catch of a lifetime this year, but you’ll need to act fast to be a part of the fun. Applications for Arkansas’s new special permit-based snagging season in the water above Beaver Lake will be accepted through March 30 for anglers to reel in one…
HOT SPRINGS — According to the recently released 2024 Year-End Boating Accident Report compiled by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, life jacket wear continues to be one of the largest shortfalls among Arkansas boaters when it comes to enjoying the water safely. Only 20 percent of the 207 individuals involved in boating accidents last year were…
LITTLE ROCK – The last arrow has been launched for the 2024-25 Arkansas deer hunting season, and the tally of checked deer stands at 199,863. Although the raw data still needs to be analyzed, the preliminary results indicate an increase of nearly 4 percent over last year’s final harvest of 192,392. Although 200,000 is a…
LITTLE ROCK — An arctic winter blast followed by spring-like temperatures sends some of us with cabin fever scurrying to load up boats and head for the water. By Kirsten BartlowAGFC Watchable Wildlife Program Coordinator With proper planning, late winter is a great time to paddle in Arkansas – waterfowl season is over, most blood-sucking…
LITTLE ROCK — Valentine’s day isn’t the only big event for birds-of-a-feather this year. The 28th edition of the annual Great Backyard Bird Count is coming up Feb. 14-17, and anyone who wants to join is welcome. Article by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. The Great Backyard Bird Count is a joint project of the National Audubon…
MAYFLOWER — The second weekend of December saw the first harvest of quail on Stone Prairie Wildlife Management Area, where habitat work since the land acquisition by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission in 2016 has focused on quail restoration. By Jim Harris, Managing Editor, Arkansas Wildlife Magazine James Cheatham of Glen Rose and his father, one…
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism hosted Natural State Day at the Capitol today, showcasing the profound economic, cultural, and recreational impact of the outdoor industry in Arkansas. Attendees experienced exhibits from over 30 outdoor recreation organizations and businesses, highlighting Arkansas’ thriving outdoor economy. Article by Arkansas Department of…
LITTLE ROCK – Several Arkansas wildlife management areas will be closed temporarily to daytime public access for short periods of time during February and March. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Wildlife Services, in cooperation with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, will be conducting aerial operations to facilitate feral hog…
LITTLE ROCK — Thirty juvenile Alabama shad are striking out on a 650-mile journey from the Ouachita River in southwest Arkansas to the Gulf Coast and beyond, and for the first time in history, biologists with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission will be tagging along. By Sarah Baxter, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission The Alabama…
LITTLE ROCK — When America’s founding fathers affixed a bald eagle to the Great Seal of the United States in 1782, they likely had no idea they were highlighting what would become one of the greatest wildlife comeback stories of all time. Article by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission America’s symbol stood on the…
LITTLE ROCK — Stocking threadfin shad is a relatively new endeavor for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. These tiny, silvery minnows may not be glamorous, but they have a big impact on your favorite sport fish, be it bass, crappie or walleye. They also are somewhat delicate, making them not only difficult to raise…
LITTLE ROCK — Anglers turning the pages of the newly revised 2025 Arkansas Fishing Guidebook, which is arriving at local sporting goods stores this week, will notice a few changes to regulations on the “New This Year” section in the front. Most changes to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s fishing regulations were minor modifications to…
JASPER — Twenty elk were harvested during Arkansas’s 2024 season, including some impressive bulls, according to Wes Wright, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s elk program coordinator. By Jeff Williams Editor, Arkansas Wildlife Magazine Of the 20, 14 were taken on private land and six from public land. Nine were bulls and 11 were antlerless. All nine…
MOUNTAIN HOME – As anglers head out to some of The Natural State’s world-class trout tailwaters for a shot at a trophy trout this winter, please remember to watch out for the many nests (called redds) they’re making as part of their annual spawning run. Unlike warmwater species that prefer a spring-to-summer spawning season, Arkansas’s…
JASPER — The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is wrapping up a four-year population study concerning the effects of chronic wasting disease and is asking hunters for their help recovering the deer tagged for the project. During the last four years, researchers from the University of Georgia have trapped adult male and female deer and…
MONTICELLO — Game Warden Austin Powell keeps racking up major honors for his enforcement work for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, but he knows he doesn’t do that work alone. Article by Jim HarrisManaging Editor, Arkansas Wildlife “There’s no way any one person could win any award like this by himself,” Powell said of…
LITTLE ROCK — When the eggnog is finished and the last of the holiday feasts are over, many live Christmas trees are destined to sit next to the road until the sanitation department picks them up. Instead of tossing your festive fir to the curb on Dec. 26, donate it to the Arkansas Game and…
LITTLE ROCK – A colleague once received a pair of jumper cables from his father-in-law for Christmas. The only response he could give was, “Thanks, I hope I never need them.” They may not have had the charm of a new set of golf clubs, but those jumper cables have bailed him out of more…
LITTLE ROCK – As water begins to accumulate in public duck hunting areas throughout Arkansas, hunters are starting to scramble to find the water and the ducks. Hunters can help keep Arkansas’s lakes and rivers healthy by taking a few moments at the end of each hunting day to inspect their boats, trailers and hunting…
FOUKE — Sulphur River Wildlife Management Area is known for its remoteness, but the recent addition of an AGFC water trail and birding trails makes the area more accessible for outdoor enthusiasts. By Kirsten Bartlow,AGFC Watchable Wildlife Program Coordinator The 18,155-acre area in Miller County is the largest remaining tract of bottomland hardwoods in the…