LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is asking waterfowl hunters heading to the field this weekend to remain vigilant for any concentrations of sick or dead birds they find in the wild that may be the result of avian influenza. The risk of humans contracting the disease remains low, but hunters can…
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Arkansas youth hunters take more than 9,000 deer in two-day hunt
LITTLE ROCK — According to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s online harvest totals, hunters aged 6 to 15 checked 9,153 deer during last weekend’s annual youth modern gun deer hunt. Ralph Meeker, AGFC deer program coordinator, says the first youth weekend typically results in a harvest between 8,000 and 11,000 deer statewide. “This year’s…
Celebrate ‘Troutsgiving’ with the AGFC
LITTLE ROCK — Stores and shopping centers may try to coax everyone with low prices for Black Friday the day after Thanksgiving, but the AGFC has an even better opportunity to enjoy some fast action, and it will only cost you the price of a fishing license and trout stamp. AGFC hatcheries and the Family…
AGFC sets table for future Monticello monsters
MONTICELLO — Hatchery staff and biologists from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service worked together to load more than one-quarter of a million forage fish into the rising waters of Lake Monticello in October. Approximately 180,000 fathead minnows, 111,900 golden shiners, 78,840 bluegill, and 82,056 redear sunfish were stocked.…
Motorists, be on the lookout for deer on highways
LITTLE ROCK — Deer are on the move in The Natural State. That means hunters and motorists in Arkansas should keep a watchful eye out, particularly at dawn and dusk. In addition to the increased deer activity, the shortened days place rush hour during the peak times of day when deer are on the move.…
South Arkansas Natural Areas offer veterans deer hunts Nov. 12-13
WARREN – Bradley County in southern Arkansas has been renowned for years for the private land hunting and quality deer available to hunters. The public has access to significant acreage and deer as well in the form of Warren Prairie Natural Area Wildlife Management Area, east of the city and the Saline River. The Arkansas…
Special week provides chance to better understand, appreciate bats
LITTLE ROCK – Bat Week, an annual international celebration of the role of bats in nature, runs all this week and, naturally, through Halloween, Oct. 31. It also affords the opportunity for Arkansans not only to think about these creatures and their role in our outdoors, but what people can do to reverse some dangers…
Good news from Arkansas’s wild turkey population highlights northwest Arkansas meeting
SPRINGDALE — Commissioners with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission heard some good news about Arkansas’s turkey population during a presentation at today’s monthly meeting held at the J.B. and Johnelle Hunt Family Ozark Highlands Nature Center. AGFC Turkey Program Coordinator Jeremy Wood gave some preliminary results of the 2022 Wild Turkey Population Survey, which…
Autumn in Arkansas
Arkansas State Parks and the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission’s natural areas are great places to experience the fall season no matter your activity level or interests. The ANHC’s natural areas are specifically set aside to preserve, and sometimes restore, species and habitat types that have become rare in the state. Photo: Warren Prairie Natural Area…
Arkansas Wildlife podcast debuts October 26
LITTLE ROCK — People love to talk, so much so that the ubiquitous podcast format has been entertaining and informing listeners for about 30 years. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is entering the podcast realm with its version, tagged with the Arkansas Wildlife name to sync up with the AGFC television program, magazine, weekly newsletter,…
Celebrate conservation with the AGFC at the Wetlands and Wildlife Festival
PINE BLUFF — The Gov. Mike Huckabee Delta Rivers Nature Center will again host its annual Wetlands and Wildlife Festival from noon to 5 p.m., Oct. 29. This family-friendly celebration of conservation is a great way to enjoy an afternoon with family and friends learning about all the outdoors has to offer. Formerly called “Boo…
Free CWD testing available for Arkansas deer hunters
LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is offering a variety of options to have harvested deer tested for chronic wasting disease for free throughout the 2022-23 deer hunting season. This year, the AGFC will continue its extensive system of drop-off containers throughout the state, as well as its work with taxidermists and…
Two new wildlife officers assigned to Bradley County
LITTLE ROCK – Some new faces will be joining the ranks of Arkansas Game and Fish Commission wildlife officers this fall. The latest class of wildlife officer cadets celebrated graduation from the AGFC’s training program Friday at The Church at Rock Creek. The process to become a wildlife officer began May 16 when 21 individuals…
Collared bear, deer ok to harvest
LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas hunters hitting the woods may notice a few deer and bears sporting some new neckwear this fall, but that shouldn’t deter anyone from legally taking that animal. “The collars are part of ongoing research taking place in certain portions of the state,” Cory Gray, AGFC chief of research, said. “In Northwest…
AGFC decoy program draws new hunters
LITTLE ROCK — An innovative waterfowl hunter recruitment program from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is doing more than saving some plastic, it may be saving the future of the sport. The AGFC’s Decoy Adoption Program finds old waterfowl hunting equipment and places it with new owners to continue harvesting game and memories in…
Arkansas hunters take 157 alligators during 2022 season
MONTICELLO — Arkansans looking for one of the state’s most exciting hunts wrapped up their efforts last weekend with the conclusion of the 2022 alligator hunting season. When first light began to break Monday morning, signaling the end of the two-weekend night-hunting-only season, 157 alligators had been tagged and reported to the Arkansas Game and…
World Rabies Day reminds Arkansans about prevention, control
LITTLE ROCK — Each year since 2007, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention joins with many agencies throughout the United States to increase awareness of rabies prevention and control. Rabies is rarely a source of concern for people in the United States thanks to vaccinations of domestic animals, but the disease still persists in…
Arkansas’s scenic byways lead to fall color
Arkansas is one of the top fall color destinations in the country. The state has three national forests, the Ozark, the Ouachita and the St. Francis, that make wonderful destinations to experience the beauty of the season. From the ridges of the Ouachita and Ozark mountains to the Delta flatlands, Arkansas highways offer some incredibly…
Donate your spare game to stamp out hunger this deer season
LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas Hunters Feeding the Hungry will hold a special “freezer cleanout day” at the Bass Pro Shops in Little Rock, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Sept. 24. Any hunter who wishes to donate processed meat or money to help feed needy families in Arkansas is encouraged to join in the event.…
Early teal season offers two-week teaser of waterfowl action ahead
LITTLE ROCK – Hunters wanting an early taste of waterfowl action need to break out the shotguns and bug spray. Arkansas’s early teal season runs Sept. 15-30. The September heat may not seem the ideal time to don a pair of waders and head to the marsh in search of waterfowl, but blue-winged teal try…
AGFC Commissioner, staff recognized for contribution to hunter recruitment program
LITTLE ROCK — Members of Delta Waterfowl, a nonprofit organization focused on the conservation of waterfowl and the pursuit of waterfowl hunting, might just find a few familiar names in the 2022 Annual Hunt issue of the organization’s magazine. Commissioner Anne Marie Doramus of Little Rock and Luke Naylor, the newly promoted Arkansas Game and…