All posts in Outdoors

HOT SPRINGS — Game wardens patrolling Natural State waterways reported no boating fatalities over the course of last weekend’s Independence Day celebrations, thanks in part to increased boating safety presence throughout the state. According to Sydney Grant, boating law administrator for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, 121 AGFC game wardens worked 2,400 hours, patrolling…

LITTLE ROCK — The Witt Stephens Jr. Central Arkansas Nature Center in Little Rock provided plenty of canvas space for a recently unveiled collection of murals. Work by Fayetteville artist Jason Jones was revealed to the public June 24 on four exterior walls of the center at 602 President Clinton Ave. in the River Market…

SMACKOVER — Members of a coordinated response team were able to release just over a dozen turtles, frogs and other reptiles recovered from the recent oil spill near Smackover into the Ouachita River yesterday. The animals were cleaned and monitored by professional oil recovery contractors before release. The spill, which affected portions of Holmes Creek…

LITTLE ROCK — Even though deer season is months away, there’s plenty of planning to be done now for landowners looking to increase the attractiveness of their land to deer during this fall’s hunting seasons. Jeremy Brown, Deer Management Assistance Program Coordinator in the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s Private Lands Habitat Division, says successful…

LITTLE ROCK — Citizen scientists across Arkansas can help the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission keep tabs on this year’s eastern wild turkey and northern bobwhite hatch by reporting any birds of these two species they see during their summer travels. According to David Moscicki, Turkey Program coordinator for the AGFC, biologists can combine data…

LITTLE ROCK — Mark your outdoor days with the Arkansas Wildlife calendar! The 40th edition will be published July 1, but it’s not too late to get a copy for your kitchen, office, garage or business. If you order a subscription to Arkansas Wildlife magazine (the calendar is the July-August issue) by July 15, the 2024-25 calendar will be…

LITTLE ROCK — As if on cue, a bear sighting near Rock Creek Monday morning reminded everyone that Arkansas is home to the most successful reintroductions of a large carnivore in history. The Natural State’s Bear population is definitely a source of pride for many wildlife enthusiasts here in Arkansas, but it also means the…

Get the kids and all the family together and enjoy a weekend of free fishing, all on the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders has proclaimed June 7-9 as Free Fishing Weekend in Arkansas, and anyone (Arkansan or nonresident) of any age may fish the waters of Arkansas without a fishing license…

LITTLE ROCK — If you’re looking for a place to hunt white-tailed deer this fall in Arkansas, don’t miss the opportunity to apply for one of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s permit-based deer hunts on a wildlife management area near you. Applications for these draw hunt opportunities are available from 8 a.m. June 1-11:59…

LITTLE ROCK — Families looking for a great weekend getaway next weekend may want to take a look at one of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s four warmwater fish hatcheries on June 8 to enjoy a free fishing derby in one of each hatchery’s ponds. “This is the one time of year the public…

MONTICELLO, Ark. — Anglers looking to fish in one of southeastern Arkansas’s most popular fisheries will once again be able to launch their boats at Lake Monticello’s Hunger Run Access. The city of Monticello will officially open the boat ramp adjacent to the lake’s newly renovated dam this Friday. Kris Nault, regional fisheries supervisor in…

LITTLE ROCK — According to the latest harvest statistics compiled through the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission licensing system, Arkansas hunters harvested 9,335 turkeys during the 2024 annual turkey season, a few hundred birds more than last year. This is the third year in a row of an upward harvest trend. David Moscicki is the…

LITTLE ROCK — Snakes scare a lot of people. According to Web MD, half of the people in the world feel anxious about snakes while 2 to 3 percent of people experience ophidiophobia – a fear of snakes so extreme that it interferes with life. Top photo: The flattened head of a scared eastern hognose…

EL DORADO — The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission passed a host of regulations changes to take effect during the 2024-25 hunting season and 2025 fishing year at today’s scheduled meeting at the El Dorado Chamber of Commerce.  The changes, originally announced in February, have received healthy public comment, garnering input from more than 36,000…

HERMITAGE, Ark. – Anglers are gearing up for the 1st Annual Hermitage Fire Department Catfish Tournament Fundraiser, set to take place at Moro Bay State Park on June 1, 2024. Organized by the Hermitage Fire Department, this event promises an evening of fishing fun while supporting a worthy cause. The tournament welcomes two adults per…

LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and U.S. Department of Agriculture need the public’s help collecting sightings of black vultures outfitted with special tags fitted to their wings. The birds are part of a multi-year study to better mediate conflicts with black vultures. Birdwatchers, livestock owners and landowners are encouraged to report…

MONTICELLO — The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is hedging its bets with bringing trophy-class bass fishing back to Lake Monticello with today’s release of roughly 9,000 special fish. These fish are the first segment of a stocking totaling 22,000 Florida largemouth bass from Red Hills Fishery in Georgia that are the offspring of fish…

LITTLE ROCK – Many species of wildlife have their young in spring, and many well-meaning Arkansans regularly call the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission to report deer fawns and other young wildlife that look abandoned. But moving these animals can actually cause more harm than good. Most wildlife cannot be with their young nonstop. They…

Springtime and fishing in The Natural State go hand-in-hand. Whether you’re wading a trout stream or jigging for crappie on an oxbow lake, be on the lookout for a migratory raptor that may cause a bit of envy with its fishing prowess. Top photo: Osprey are the only Arkansas raptor that plunge into the water,…

LITTLE ROCK — Thousands of young hunters took to the woods last weekend for Arkansas’s annual youth turkey hunt, taking advantage of a bright, sunny opening morning followed by a moderately cloudy Sunday hunt, and the birds seemed to cooperate in stellar fashion. By the time the pollen settled Sunday night, hunters aged 6 to…