MORRILTON — Commissioners with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commision heard an update on the agency’s Deer Management Assistance Program during today’s commission meeting at the Dr. T.W. Hardison Visitor Center at Petit Jean State Park. The program has existed in some form since the 1990s, but was formally named in 2001. It provides customized…
UMPIRE, Ark. — The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission last week released 80 leopard darters into the wild thanks to the help of many partners at the state and federal level, as well as Conservation Fisheries, LLC, a private hatchery specializing in propagating rare and threatened species. According to Chance Garrett, fish ecologist for the…
As the fall season approaches, Arkansas’s natural beauty is on full display, with vibrant foliage and crisp air inviting outdoor enthusiasts to explore the state’s many hiking trails. While popular spots like the Ozark Highlands Trail and Pinnacle Mountain get a lot of attention, there are plenty of lesser-known trails that offer a peaceful and…
CROSSETT, Ark. — A recent discovery of water hyacinth, an invasive aquatic plant, has forced the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and Georgia-Pacific Crossett LLC to temporarily close the boating access to the Lake Georgia-Pacific in Ashley County. Fishing is still allowed at the lake, but the boat ramp will be closed while AGFC staff…
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…
The following is a press release from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission: LITTLE ROCK — Going the “extra distance” was something Austin Powell strived for to be a college athlete, and putting that motto to use as an Arkansas Game and Fish Commission game warden has helped him make several big cases in just…