All posts in Outdoors

CONWAY — United States Magistrate Joe Volpe Friday swore in seven new members of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s enforcement ranks at the official graduation ceremony of the 2024 agency’s game warden training program at the Antioch Baptist Church. This year’s graduating class was smaller than typical years, which is a testament to the…

LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas waterfowlers received some good news recently. Mallards showed an increase of 8 percent in the May breeding population survey over last year’s count in the northern U.S. and Canada breeding areas, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Waterfowl Breeding Population and Habitat Survey released late last month. Before everyone gets too…

JONESBORO — The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission will host two meetings in September to familiarize hunters with some new regulations for the upcoming deer season and update hunters on chronic wasting disease regulations in Cleburne, Craighead, Mississippi and Sharp counties, which were all added to Tier 2 of the AGFC’s CWD Management Zone earlier…

JONESBORO — The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission will host two meetings in September to familiarize hunters with some new regulations for the upcoming deer season and update hunters on chronic wasting disease regulations in Cleburne, Craighead, Mississippi and Sharp counties, which were all added to Tier 2 of the AGFC’s CWD Management Zone earlier…

WABBASEKA — The removal of trees from the Government Cypress portion of George H. Dunklin Jr. Bayou Meto Wildlife Management Area may be a bit more visible to hunters and other recreationists accessing the area within the next few months. A staging area is being created near Long Bell Road to help transport trees involved…

LITTLE ROCK — With a cooldown expected this weekend and dry conditions enabling Arkansas Game and Fish Commission staff to prepare dove fields on wildlife management areas, this year’s opening weekend may be one of the best in years. According to David Luker, assistant chief of the AGFC’s Wildlife Management Division, local staff on many…

LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas hunters will be able to hunt many private and public properties for deer earlier this year than anytime since the AGFC was established in 1915, thanks to a new buck-only archery season scheduled Sept. 7-9. Top photo: Col. Brad Young of the AGFC Enforcement Division with a trophy velvet deer he…

LONOKE– August is usually associated with the final trek of summer; the last stretch before school begins and the heat finally breaks. For the AGFC Fisheries Division, it’s time to tag alligator gar. For the second year, excess fry from the Private John Allen National Fish Hatchery in Tupelo, Mississippi, were shipped to the Joe…

The following is a press release from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission: HOT SPRINGS — For many boaters, the Labor Day Weekend is the last gasp to enjoy some waves and water before everyone’s focus shifts to football, falling leaves and weekends at deer camp. Keep these tips in mind when enjoying the water…

LITTLE ROCK — Hunters pursuing their passions on private and public land throughout the 2023-24 hunting seasons reported a scant 19 incidents, and, for the first time since 2018, had no fatalities as a result of hunting accidents in the woods and waters of The Natural State. Top photo: Wearing a full-body safety harness is…

MONTICELLO, Ark. — Black bear population are slowly rising in the bottom land hardwood forest of southern and eastern Arkansas according to wildlife expert, Don White, Jr. Population modeling results from a recent study led by White indicate that the population density of black bears in the West Gulf Coastal Plain — WGCP — of southeastern…

The following is a press release from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission: LITTLE ROCK — High school students can build meaningful experiences in conservation while gaining valuable community service hours toward their graduation thanks to a new organized volunteer program recently launched by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.  Top photo: Students can volunteer…

LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission unanimously voted at Thursday’s meeting to transfer $682,487 to the Arkansas Department of Economic Development’s Rural Services Division to fund grants available to schools throughout the state. Top photo: Mary Beth Hatch, AGFC chief of education, presented a minute order at today’s meeting to transfer nearly…

SPRINGDALE — Break out the shotgun and gather some ingredients now for the nuttiest cooking competition Arkansas has to offer. The World Champion Squirrel Cook Off will take over the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s J.B. and Johnelle Hunt Family Ozark Highlands Nature Center in Springdale beginning at 9 a.m. Sept. 7. Top photo: The…

LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas deer season officially kicks off this year with the new early buck archery hunt scheduled for Sept. 7-9, and that has many bowhunters chomping at the bit to get in the woods. If you’re looking for an early taste of the season to come, The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, Arkansas…

LITTLE ROCK — Jackson Point Hunting Club in Phillips County has provided incredible hunting memories to its members for more than 40 years. Its legacy of wildlife stewardship and responsible use of Arkansas’s natural resources highlighted the 2024 Landowner Conservation Awards Banquet held in late July and earned the group recognition as the Arkansas Game…

HOT SPRINGS — Arkansas summers can be scorching. As temperatures rise, it’s not just us feeling the heat; the fish are feeling it, too. We can beat the heat by lounging by the pool, taking a refreshing swim in a lake or creek, or retreating indoors to enjoy the air conditioning, but bass caught during…

WARREN, Ark. – The Warren Sports Shooting Complex, located at 323 Bradley 38 Rd, Warren, Arkansas, is set to host an exciting shotgun tournament this Saturday, August 10th, at 9:00 AM. Dr. Jonathan Skaggs, the event’s contact person, shared his anticipation for a large turnout, expecting over 25 shooters and numerous fans to gather for…

LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Code of Regulations saw more than 150 changes during the 2024 regulations process, which took place from March through July to help manage Arkansas’s game and nongame wildlife. While most of the changes were simple clarifications and tweaks to existing hunting and fishing regulations, a few major changes rewrote some…