LITTLE ROCK – The Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial beginning of summer for Arkansas’s boating fraternity. It’s one of the busiest times on the water, but can be one of the most dangerous if proper precautions aren’t taken. “Thousands of people hit the water for a day in the sun, but many do so…
All posts in Outdoors
Fall planting strawberries? When is too late, and too early, to plant in Arkansas?
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Planting strawberries in the fall to get a robust crop the following spring is typical with growers. But how late is too late for fall planting of strawberries in Arkansas? The Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, conducted a three-year study to provide…
College scholarships available for conservation-minded students
LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is offering scholarships for any student interested in a conservation career. Applications will be accepted until June 15 for the fall 2022 semester. Scholarships are available for any Arkansas resident paying in-state tuition with a declared major related to conservation or agriculture. A complete list of…
Arkansas Game and Fish Commission sets 2023-24 waterfowl season dates, passes bear season expansion
LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission today unanimously approved a package of regulations changes that included the adoption of a new waterfowl season structure, beginning with the 2023-24 seasons. The upcoming waterfowl season will follow the same format as last season, with the following dates: 2022-23 Arkansas Waterfowl SeasonsDuck, Coot and Merganser…
Arkansas turkey harvest inches up
LITTLE ROCK — Natural State turkey hunters saw an uptick in checked birds during this spring’s three-week turkey hunting season, which ran from April 18 to May 8. Hunters checked 7,578 turkeys, an 8 percent increase from last year’s 7,013-bird total. That number also includes harvest totals from the state’s youth hunters who enjoyed a…
Rescheduled wildlife rehabilitation workshop in Northwest Arkansas
SPRINGDALE — The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, will host a free one-day workshop for anyone interested in learning about wildlife rehabilitation and the rules concerning rehabilitating native animals in Arkansas at 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. May 21 at the J.B. and Johnelle Hunt Family Ozark Highlands Nature Center. This workshop was originally planned for February…
Find every AGFC fish attractor with your phone or fishfinder
LITTLE ROCK — Last month Jon Stein, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission fisheries biologist in northwest Arkansas, had the opportunity to present to AGFC commissioners and the public the highlights from the latest large-scale habitat project at Beaver Lake. Biologists created 145 new fish attractor locations during the project, but it’s only the tip of…
Arkansas squirrel season opens May 15
LITTLE ROCK — With turkey hunting season wrapped up, many hunters will be putting away their shotguns until fall, but there’s another spring season that gives Arkansas hunters plenty of reasons to keep the scattergun cleaned and ready. Arkansas’s squirrel season opens May 15, and for those who enjoy chasing these treetop targets, it’s a…
Bowhunting opportunity for dinosaurs and sasquatch coming to AGFC archery range
CONWAY – Archery buffs throughout Arkansas are invited to take their shot at some of the most interesting targets and challenging situations offered in the bowhunting world at the R100 being held at the Camp Robinson Special Use Area archery ranges May 13-15. The archery ranges are at 331 Clinton Road in Conway. The R100…
17,800 trees given away during Arkansas Department of Agriculture “Free Tree Fridays” campaign
LITTLE ROCK – The Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s second annual “Free Tree Fridays” campaign resulted in the distribution of 17,800 trees during 36 events held across the state each Friday from March 18 through April 29. The events were hosted by the Department of Agriculture’s Forestry Division in honor of National Arbor Day, which is…
Tagged catfish are being stocked around the state
LITTLE ROCK – Thousands of channel catfish from Arkansas Game and Fish Commission hatcheries are being stocked at several locations around the state, and a select few carry a “bonus prize” if you catch them. Each of Arkansas’s Family and Community Fishing Program stocking locations have catfish wearing a brightly colored tag just behind their…
Spring bear sightings don’t have to mean ‘trouble bruin’
LITTLE ROCK — Each spring, young male black bears emerge from their dens and strike out to find new territories. While sightings of these misguided youths certainly grab the attention of people living in neighborhoods bordering bear country, they often move on as long as people don’t give them a reason to stay. Bears are…
Apply for an Arkansas elk hunting permit beginning May 1
LITTLE ROCK – The application period for Arkansas’s public land elk hunting permits is open from 8 a.m., May 1 until 11:59 p.m. June 1. Hunters interested in pursuing Arkansas’s largest big-game animal can apply beginning May 1 at https://ar-web.s3licensing.com and select the Special Hunt Applications button to begin the process. Eighteen public land elk…
Great Outdoors Youth Day set for May 7 at the County Park
The Bradley County Cooperative Extension service, in partnership with the Calhoun and Dallas County Extension Services, will host The Great Outdoors Youth Day May 7, 2022 at the Bradley County Park in Warren. The event is for all youth ages five to fourteen years old. Parents are also encouraged to attend. 9:00 a.m. – Registration…
Public bear surveys can help bear conservation in Arkansas
LITTLE ROCK – The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is proposing to expand bear-hunting opportunities in The Natural State, and the public can help biologists fill some critical data on the species, thanks to the social media site iNaturalist. Anyone who sees black bears while enjoying the outdoors in Arkansas is encouraged to log the…
Biologists churning away at moist-soil habitat for ducks
POCAHONTAS — The only thing people are breaking out the shotguns for may be turkey, but that doesn’t mean Arkansas Game and Fish staff aren’t hard at work laying the groundwork for next year’s duck season on public hunting areas and waterfowl rest areas. It’s planting season for most farmers, and the same holds true…
Ozark Society documentary celebrates Buffalo River
LITTLE ROCK – The Central Arkansas Library System and the Ozark Society will present a free showing of First River: How Arkansas Saved a National Treasure, a new documentary directed by Michelle West in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Buffalo River’s designation as the country’s first national river, at CALS Ron Robinson Theater…
Crappie on the half shell
CASSCOE — As the old adage states, the dogwoods are blooming, so the crappie are biting. With that, spring is a great time to fill a cooler full of slabs. With a statewide limit of 30 crappie, a few good days of spring fishing can yield many meals for friends and family. While crappie is…
Avoid these mistakes in the turkey woods
LITTLE ROCK — Col. Brad Young isn’t just chief of law enforcement for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, he’s a dyed-in-the-wool hunter who was introduced to the turkey woods by his grandfather when he was 7 years old. During more than 30 years in the turkey woods, he’s learned quite a few tricks through…
Arkansas 4-H offers 2 camps to introduce youngsters to overnight camping — with parent or guardian
FERNDALE, Ark. — The Arkansas 4-H program is offering three-day camps meant to introduce children as young as 5 to the joys of camping — along with their parent or guardian. These camps are open to both Arkansas 4-H members and non-members: State Camp which has two sessions from July 7-9 and July 10-12. Cloverbud…
Earn a master’s degree in fishing with the AGFC
LITTLE ROCK – A quick glance at Arkansas’s state fishing records will reveal that March and April hold the lion’s share of biggest fish catches for most species. Only one catch can qualify as Arkansas’s state record for a certain species, but the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission still wants to help celebrate those memorable…