Commission clarifies nonresident deer dog regulations, early archery hunt 

LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission today approved a dozen clarifications to regulations passed during May’s Commission meeting. While most changes were simple clarifications in wording, four changes may affect hunters during upcoming deer and turkey seasons.

The first change was the reinstatement of a $100 nonresident turkey permit that can be purchased by holders of a Nonresident Annual Hunting License. The Commission adopted a separate $325 Nonresident Turkey Hunting License in May to allow hunters only interested in turkey hunting to save money compared to purchasing a $410 annual license and $100 turkey permit. The previous permit was accidentally stricken from the code, but today’s action reinstated it, allowing nonresidents two options for turkey hunting licenses in Arkansas.

The second set of revisions clarifications clarified that handguns used during the new alternative firearms season are required to be non-semi automatic and shoot straight-walled cartridges .30 caliber or larger to match the requirements for rifles during this season.

Arkansas’s new early archery deer hunt also saw a clarification during today’s meeting. The code was modified to ensure hunters could only legally harvest a single buck and no does during this three-day hunt preceding regular archery season.

Finally, a regulation concerning nonresidents who use dogs to pursue deer in Arkansas saw a clarification at today’s meeting. According to the newly modified code, nonresidents using dogs to chase deer, whether for training purposes or hunting, may only do so during the final nine days of regular modern gun deer season in those private and public land zones where it is legal to pursue deer with dogs. They also will be restricted to a limit of one deer while using dogs.

All regulation changes passed today were formally presented during the Commission’s June 20 meeting.

The Commission also authorized a real-estate easement today at White Oak Lake in Ouachita County to allow Ouachita County Electric Coop to run underground fiber-optic cables along an existing easement for overhead power lines along Arkansas Highway 387.

A video of the meeting is available on the AGFC’s YouTube Page.