Commission sets 2024-2025 hunting seasons, expands hunting and fishing opportunities

EL DORADO — The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission last week adopted a series of rule changes that are expected to take effect during the 2024-25 hunting season and 2025 fishing year.

The changes, originally announced in February, were met with positive public comment, with more than 36,000 respondents. According to Jessica Feltz, a sociologist in AGFC’s research department, more than 100,000 individual comments were collected, analyzed and sorted in the most widespread public comment survey in the agency’s history.

“It took a team of staff to analyze all the comments, remove duplicate entries from the same person, and present the results in a form that commissioners could review,” Feltz said during a presentation at the April commission meeting.

Increasing opportunities for hunters and anglers within a resource’s capacity has been a common theme in many regulatory changes.

The creation of a buck-only archery deer hunt on the first full weekend in September will allow hunters on private land and in Wildlife Management Areas owned or controlled by the Commission to still hunt deer “in velvet.” Such opportunities were available in some states, but hunters participating in controlled urban archery hunts only had them for a short time.

Another rule change that received strong public support was the establishment of an alternative firearms season in place of the traditional muzzleloading season in Arkansas. Muzzleloaders will still be legal this pre-modern gun hunting season, but hunters will be able to use modern straight-wall centerfire rifle cartridges in .30 caliber and larger fired from non-semi-automatic rifles. Hunters have been demanding the change over the past few years, and the Commission moved it forward after initial public opinion polling showed strong support for the change.

Bear hunters in northwest Arkansas continue to see increased harvest opportunities thanks to the large black bear population. The archery limit for black bears in Bear Zone 1 will be increased to an archery hunting limit from 400 to 450 bears.

Duck hunters on AGFC WMAs will once again be able to use motorized decoys that produce movement or simulate wing movement. This change was made to ensure consistency between hunters on private lands and hunters hunting waterfowl on Arkansas’ famous public waterfowl hunting areas.

Standardizing shell limits for duck hunting will provide greater consistency to waterfowl hunting WMAs in Arkansas. All waterfowl-focused WMAs now have a 25-shot limit per hunter. This represents an increase of 10 missiles for some WMAs, but also establishes this limit for some WMAs where none previously existed. The bullet limit is intended to reduce the number of border shots at waterfowl, reduce the number of unrecovered birds, as well as the amount of disturbance caused by excessive shooting.

AGFC’s northern bobwhite program will turn the tables on new opportunities at this year’s WMAs at Stone Prairie and Little Bayou. along with the establishment of the possibility of quail hunting based on permits. Jack Mountain Leased Land WMA and Harold E. Alexander Spring River WMA will also have quail hunting opportunities, all thanks to successful bird recoveries as a result of increased habitat management.

One of the few regulations that goes against the theme of increased opportunities is the removal of the annual modern, antlerless-only deer hunt on private property. The hunt, originally established to encourage the harvest of does to balance the deer herd, has successfully helped change the “buck-only” mindset of many traditional hunters in Arkansas. Participation in these hunts has slowed recently, and biologists have observed some slight reductions in fawn recruitment. Eliminating these hunting days will alleviate some of the pressure on antlerless deer without major changes to harvest limits or regular seasons.

A previously considered regulation to require all hunting dogs to carry collars capable of GPS tracking and some form of remote correction was tabled after the Commission received numerous public comments from hunters who use dogs to hunt deer and other game animals. The original Regulation resulted from ongoing complaints about the encroachment of some hunting dogs following game on or through private land, and the Commission remains very interested in working with hunting dog groups to find a solution to this problem without the need for more stringent regulations.

Another previously proposed regulation tabled at today’s meeting was a possible reduction in the daily bag limit for mallards to one bird per day. During Wednesday’s business meeting, commissioners explained that they remain committed to science-based decisions on any limit and wanted to wait until the results of this year’s waterfowl population and breeding habitat survey are available from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service before making any decisions on reducing the limit. bags.

During his appearance before the Commission, AGFC Director Austin Booth summarized lessons learned from Wednesday’s trip to the nearby Moro Big Pine WMA. The area was created through a partnership between AGFC, the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, The Nature Conservancy and Potlatch Deltic Timber. It is also home to a thriving population of the federally endangered red-cockaded woodpecker, which commissioners and staff had the opportunity to see firsthand during a tour of the area.

“We can learn a lot from Moro Big Pine, and one of them is the importance of conservation partnerships,” Booth said. “I learned that when a red-headed woodpecker tries to make a hole in a tree, it can take up to nine years for the woodpecker to establish itself in that tree. This woodpecker doesn’t do it alone. Multi-generational groups of these woodpeckers work to create this tree house. As humans, we want what we want, when we want it. We often feel instant satisfaction with what is directly in front of us. The reality is that most of the successes we achieve come when we come together over days, weeks, months, and even generations.

The regulations package also includes the dates of the 2024-25 hunting seasons, which will be as follows:

DEER

Early Buck Archery Hunt: September 7-9

Archery Deer: September 28 – February 28

Alternate Firearm (Formerly Muzzleloader Season)

Zones 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 10 and 11: October 19-27 and December 14-16

Zones 4A, 5A, 14 and 15: October 19-27 and December 21-23

Zones 9, 12, 13, 16, 16A and 17: October 19-27

A modern gun

Zones 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 10 and 11: November 9 – December. December 1 and 26-28

Zones 4A, 5A, 14 and 15: November 9 – December. December 8 and 26-28

Zones 4 and 5: November 9-17 and December 26-28

Zones 9, 12 and 13: November 9 – December. December 15 and 26-28

Zones 16, 16A and 17: November 9 – December. 28

Youth Modern Gun Deer: November 2-3 and January 4-5

BEAR

Archery (zones 1 and 2 only): September 18 – November. thirty

Alternative Firearms (Formerly Muzzleloading Season) (Zones 1 and 2 only): October 19–27

Special Contemporary Youth Shooting Bear Hunt (Zones 1 and 2 only): November 2-3

A modern gun

Bear Zones 1 and 2: November 9–30

Bear Zone 3, 4, 5 and 5A: December 21-27

WATER

Special early season teal: September 15-30

Duck, coot and merganser: November 23 – December. December 2, 10–23 and December 27, 2024 – January. 31/2025

Special Youth Waterfowl Hunt: February 8-9, 2025

Hunt for Special Active Duty Soldiers and Veterans: February 9, 2025

White-fronted, Snowy, Blue and Ross’s goose: October 26-November. 3, November 23 – December 2, December 10-23 and December 27 – January. 31

Canada Goose: September 1–October 15, November 23–December 2, December 10–23, and December 27–January. 31

Light-bodied goose protection order (snow goose, blue goose and Ross goose): February 1–7, February 10–April 25

EARLY MIGRATORY BIRDS

Dove (mourning, white-winged and Eurasian hair-dove): September 7 – October. December 27 and 8 – January 15

Virginia Rail and Sora: September 14 – November. 22

Common and purple gallinulas: September 1 – November. 9

Wilson’s Snipe: November 1 – February. 15

Sunshine: November 2 – December 16

A LITTLE GAME

Quail: November 1 – February. 1

Rabbit: September 1-February. 28

Squirrel: May 15-February. 28

In other matters, the Commission:

I heard about the first reading of an ordinance setting a seasonal turkey limit per bird for all non-residents, including young hunters.

Authorized Director Booth to complete purchase of 320-acre property adjacent to Scott Henderson Gulf Mountain WMA.

I listened to a presentation by Ryan Farney, AGFC Feral Hog Program Coordinator, providing an update on the continued progress of the Arkansas Feral Hog Eradication Task Force.

Stephen Kelly, a local hunter and angler, was recognized and he informed the Commission about how spending time outdoors in southern Arkansas helped shape his life.

Don Miller, representative of Murphy USA and the City of El Dorado, was recognized and welcomed the Committee with a presentation of the opportunities available in the city and the many amenities provided to enhance the quality of life and educational opportunities for El Dorado residents and visitors.

The stolen temporary shelter was authorized to be removed from the agency’s stockpile.

Approved a protocol to update AGFC’s volunteering policy in the AGFC Policy and Procedure Manual.

Award-winning retiring game warden Sgt. John Crissman, his service weapon for 25 years of service with the AGFC.

The full video recording of the meeting is available on the AGFC YouTube channel.