Give the gift of conservation this holiday season

Dec. 2, 2020

Randy Zellers

Assistant Chief of Communications

LITTLE ROCK – With online outlets taking over much of the Black Friday shopping experience this year, many people may find it more difficult than ever to purchase a gift for the outdoors enthusiast in their life. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission may have just what you’re looking for to brighten their Christmas morning. 

Read All About It
What better gift can you give than a subscription to the AGFC’s award-winning magazine, Arkansas Wildlife?

Arkansas Wildlife is one of the country’s best conservation magazines and is chock-full of great photographs and interesting stories about the state’s natural resources. Subscription rates are $12 for a single year, $20 for two years and $25 for three years. The popular Arkansas Wildlife calendar is part of the subscription.

Visit www.agfc.com/ArkansasWildlife to view sample articles from the magazine, purchase gift subscriptions or buy a subscription for yourself.

Keep ‘em Legal
It may not be as shiny and sparkly as a new deer rifle or shotgun for the duck woods, but a gift certificate for an Arkansas hunting or fishing license is one of the best gifts for that hard-to-buy outdoors enthusiast on your list, and you’ll be contributing to the state’s wildlife resources at the same time.

At only $10.50, a basic resident Arkansas hunting license is one of the least expensive in the country. With that license, a person may hunt any small game and take a single deer by whichever legal method they choose. For only $25, however, the hunter on your Christmas list will be entitled to all game species, including bear and turkey, and will be allowed the full statewide season bag limit of six deer. Federal and state duck stamps must still be purchased for waterfowl hunting.

Gift certificates for fishing licenses are just as reasonable, and also are a great way to show you know what your holiday angler really needs. For $10.50, you can give a gift certificate that will cover all of a resident angler’s needs for the year. If they’re a trout angler, just add on $10 to cover the resident trout permit and check them off your holiday shopping list.

The best part about getting a license is knowing you’re helping put money back into conservation. Not only do the funds from license sales go directly to conservation work throughout the state, but with every license purchase, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is able to bring to Arkansas a greater share of federal taxes from guns, ammunition and fishing equipment that is earmarked for conservation in each state.

To purchase a gift certificate, just go to www.agfc.com, and click the green bar at the top of the page that says “Buy Licenses | Check Game.” You can print out a gift certificate after your purchase to present to the lucky outdoors person in your life.

Nature Centers Stocked
Christmas shopping voids may be filled with a visit to the AGFC’s nature centers. With the latest addition coming onboard in Springdale this December, there are five choices across the state to pick from, each with its own gift shop full of items. 

All of the for-sale items have a common thread in that they are linked to nature. Animals, birds, butterflies, and more are found in toys, decorations, stocking stuffers, apparel, and coffee mugs along with books and entertainment choices.

Visit www.agfc.com/naturecenters to view each nature center’s page to find out more about its hours of operation and the experiences available there.

One Last Grand Gift Idea
While you’re at a nature center, the AGFC has an even better offer for the waterfowl-focused gift buyer. While supplies last, anyone who purchases a license or stamp at an AGFC nature center will receive a free softcover copy of Brent Birch’s book, “The Grand Prairie.”  This book, written by the co-creator of Greenhead Magazine and co-founder of the Arkansas Waterfowler Hall of Fame in Stuttgart, is filled with the tales of famous duck camps, duck callers and the rich history of waterfowl hunting in Arkansas.

The book, valued at $55, would be a welcome sight to any duck hunter interested in the motivation that drives normal men and women to stand in freezing water and pray for rainy holiday weather. For more information about the book, visit www.arkansasgrandprairie.com.