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…
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AGFC game warden wins regional honor
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…
Turn Christmas leftovers into ‘Habitat for the Holidays’
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…
Christmas gifts that could save a loved one’s life
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…
Leave Invasive Species in Your Wake this Hunting Season
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…
New trails at Sulphur River WMA offer glimpses of birds and beasts
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…
AGFC monitoring avian influenza in Arkansas
LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is asking waterfowl hunters and wildlife watchers heading to the field to keep an eye out for any 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…
AGFC conservation scholarships lay path toward bright future
LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas students interested in a conservation career may be able to find a little tuition assistance thanks to the colorful wildlife-themed license plates found on cars throughout The Natural State. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s Conservation Scholarship Program is accepting applications for the 2025-26 academic year until Dec. 31, 2024. The…
Special permit-based quail hunts available on two Arkansas WMAs
LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission will hold its first-ever public land draw hunts for northern bobwhite this December and the time to apply begins Dec. 2. Article by Randy Zellers, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. For the 2024-25 hunting season, Stone Prairie WMA in Faulkner County and Little Bayou WMA in…
AGFC stocks Arkansas roadways with conservation license plate
MOUNTAIN VIEW — The 2025 Arkansas Conservation License Plate was unveiled at a special presentation Wednesday night at Ozark Folk Center State Park. The image, a brown trout swimming in prime Arkansas tailwater habitat, is sure to stir emotions in the souls of anglers throughout The Natural State and envy in the eyes of anglers…
Take a chance on conservation with the AGFF’s ‘12 Guns of Christmas’
LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation has the perfect opportunity to contribute to conservation efforts in Arkansas and maybe pick up a fantastic gift for that someone special on your holiday shopping list. Tickets for their annual “12 Guns of Christmas†membership drive are available now. Article by Randy Zellers. Arkansas Game…
Deer clubs step up to feed Arkansans in need
LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas deer hunters working with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s Deer Management Assistance Program and Arkansas Hunters Feeding the Hungry are putting meat in the freezer for hundreds of Arkansas schoolchildren, thanks to a new partnership to better coordinate hunts used to balance their deer herds. Article by Randy Zellers, Arkansas…
AGFC director announces resignation
MOUNTAIN VIEW — Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Director Austin Booth tendered his resignation during today’s monthly commission meeting at the Ozark Folk Center Visitor Center auditorium. Booth’s resignation becomes effective Jan. 4, 2025. He’s been the AGFC director since 2021. Booth explained that the commitments of his family and faith had to be balanced…
USDA NRCS Offers Conservation Assistance to Landowners to Protect Wetlands with One RCPP Easement Project
LITTLE ROCK, Ark., Nov 19, 2024– Private landowners, tribes, land trusts, and other groups wanting to restore and protect critical wetlands through the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) have until Dec 20, 2024, to apply for funding consideration during the 2025 enrollment period. The deadline is for theKKAC Organization…
Breeding ground surveys for mallards show 8 percent jump
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…
Permit-based waterfowl hunt drawings available at AGFC.com
LITTLE ROCK — Applications for the first permit-based hunts of the 2024-25 Arkansas duck season will be available at 3 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 14-11:59 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 17. Although most public hunting opportunities in Arkansas are open on a first-come, first-served basis, hunters looking for a chance at a prime duck hunting spot with minimal…
Former AGFC Commissioner Craig Campbell Dies
LITTLE ROCK — Craig Dobbs Campbell Sr., who served as Arkansas Game and Fish Commissioner from 2006 to 2011, died Nov. 9. He was 76 years old. Campbell was born April 4, 1948, in Helena. He graduated from Helena Central High School in 1966 and moved to Little Rock to attend Little Rock University (now…
CWD found in Conway and Stone counties
LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission recently confirmed that a deer in Conway County and another deer in Stone County have tested positive for chronic wasting disease. Both deer were harvested during the recent alternative firearms season. The Conway County deer was harvested on Ed Gordon Point Remove Wildlife Management Area during the…
Rising water threatens to close deer hunting in portions of east Arkansas
GEORGETOWN – Hunters heading out for opening weekend of modern gun deer hunting season this weekend are urged to keep a close eye on river gauge readings to ensure the area they are hunting is open. Recent downpours throughout the White River Basin have created a large pulse of water that is expected to exceed…
Record your quail hunting adventures to benefit the birds
LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is looking for some input from Arkansas quail hunters about their experiences in The Natural State throughout the season. Much like hunter surveys conducted by die-hard turkey hunters and archery deer hunters, the AGFC Quail Log Book offers a way for bird dog enthusiasts to contribute…
Get a free sausage biscuit at Hardee’s with your hunting license Nov. 6
LITTLE ROCK — Hunters headed to deer camp to get things ready for opening weekend of modern gun deer season may want to make a quick pitstop to fuel up at their local Hardee’s restaurant. All participating Hardee’s restaurants in Arkansas will give a free sausage biscuit to anyone who shows their valid hunting license…