09-10-2007, 04:10 PM
LITTLE ROCK - It's no secret that Arkansans are passionate about hunting and fishing, but a recent national survey clearly illustrates the importance of the outdoors to Arkansas residents.
According to preliminary data from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's 2006 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation, Arkansas ranked fourth in participation rates in hunting and fishing. Some 14 percent of Arkansas residents age 16 and older hunted last year, and 21 percent of the state's 16-and-over population went fishing.
The National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation has been conducted every five years since 1955 and is one of the nation's most important wildlife-recreation databases. It's considered the definitive source of information on participation and expenditures associated with hunting, fishing and other forms of wildlife-related recreation nationwide. The survey is carried out by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, with data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Montana had the highest rate of hunting participation in 2006 at 19 percent, while Alaska and Minnesota had the highest fishing participation at 28 percent. Texas had the highest total number of hunters with 1.1 million residents going hunting at least once last year, and Florida was first in total number of anglers with 2.8 million.
In addition to hunting and fishing, the survey counted wildlife watchers. Some 40 percent of Arkansas's 16-and-over population took part in wildlife-watching activities last year. Wildlife watching includes feeding, closely observing and photographing wildlife. With hunting, fishing and wildlife-watching combined, half of the state's residents age 16 and over took part in some form of wildlife-associated recreation last year.
"We're encouraged to see the number of Arkansans who are participating in wildlife-associated recreation," said Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Director Scott Henderson. "But we still need to be vigilant in our attempts to get more Arkansans involved in the outdoors. It's especially important that we expose the state's youth to these activities, to make sure they appreciate what we have and to pass on a conservation legacy for future generations."
Nationwide, more than 87 million Americans, or 38 percent of the U.S. population age 16 or older, took part in hunting, fishing or wildlife-watching in 2006. They spent $120 billion pursuing those activities last year, an amount that is equal to 1 percent of the nation's gross domestic product. Some 30 million Americans (13 percent of the 16-and-over population) fished last year, and 12.5 million (5 percent) hunted in 2006.
The number of wildlife watchers (71 million) exceeded the number of hunters and anglers (34 million), but hunters and anglers spent much more money pursuing their activities, $75 million last year compared to $45 million spent by wildlife watchers. (Some people took part in both hunting/angling and wildlife watching, so the total doesn't equal the 87 million listed in the preceding paragraph.)
The survey also shows trends in participation based on comparisons to past surveys. One disturbing national trend was a 12 percent drop in the number of anglers since 2001. The survey also showed a 4 percent decline in the number of hunters, but it is not considered statistically significant.
The number of Americans taking part in wildlife-associated recreation increased from 77 million in 1996 to 87 million last year, but the percentage of those people who hunted and fished declined from 51 percent in 1996 to 39 percent last year. Wildlife watchers have maintained their proportion in the overall increase but sportspersons have not.
"This shows that we must remain steadfast in exposing new sportspersons, especially our youth, to the abundant outdoor opportunities here in The Natural State," Henderson said.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service carried out the survey at the request of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. It was developed with assistance from state conservation agencies, national conservation groups and wildlife-related recreation industries.
The survey provides estimates of wildlife-associated recreationists for 2006, but it isn't designed to count the total number of active and potential recreationists, given that many individuals could be considered hunters, anglers or wildlife watchers even though they didn't participate in 2006.
Information cited here is from preliminary reports. The final national report is scheduled for release in October, while the final state reports will be released in November.
The 2006 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation State Overview report, as well as previous surveys and reports, can be found at http://federalaid.fws.gov/surveys/surveys.html.
Rick Hampton a figure in major Arkansas outdoor changes
BAYOU METO - For a commissioner with an abbreviated term, Rick Hampton was involved in many milestone events and changes for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.
His time on the commission was a bit less than 5 ½ years. He was appointed to fill a vacancy, but it was a time of new directions and growth for the state agency. And these years were just a small portion of Hampton's lifetime outdoor interests, especially with waterfowl.
Hampton joins Sen. Jim Hill of Nashville and Phyllis Speer of Buffalo City as 2007 inductees into the Arkansas Outdoor Hall of Fame. The annual Outdoor Hall of Fame banquet and fund raising will be Friday, Sept. 14, at Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock.
Today, Rick Hampton lives and farms land that his ancestors acquired in 1843. It is in Arkansas County between Stuttgart and DeWitt - Bayou Meto country, an area with international renown for waterfowl, ducks in particular.
Hampton's grandfather John Hampton was a leader in the rise of duck hunting in the Grand Prairie region of Arkansas. Hampton Reservoir became a symbol of the adaptability of rice irrigation facilities in warmer months to duck habitat in colder times.
Rick's father Wayne was also a commissioner with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and resigned to become a highway commissioner. Some years later when veteran U.S. Senator John McClellan died, Governor David Pryor appointed Kaneaster Hodges of Newport to fill out the senatorial term. Hodges was on the Game and Fish Commission. Then Pryor tapped Hampton in January 1978 to take Hodges' remaining term.
A year and a half later, the AGFC commissioners fired Andrew Hulsey as director, an action that surprised most Arkansas residents. Hulsey's replacement came a few weeks later by means of a phone conversation, Hampton said. "I talked to Henry Gray, King Henry they called him, who was head of the highway department. Henry hunted ducks with us down here. Henry told me, "˜I have your Game and Fish director working for me now.' That was Steve N. Wilson."
With Wilson on board, Hampton and the other commissioners plowed new ground.
Bear hunting was resumed in Arkansas after being closed a half century. Bears had been restored in the mountain areas with imports from northern areas.
Canada geese were brought back to Arkansas in a major restoration program involving surplus birds and eggs from northern areas and commercial hatching facilities in Arkansas, in addition to federal wildlife refuges. It wasn't long before the Canada geese had multiplied to the point that limited hunting of them began.
Elk were brought back to Arkansas after a complete absence of more than a century. Fellow commissioner Hilary Jones was the leader of this effort, and Hampton and other commissioners provided strong support. Limited hunting of elk began in 1998.
Developments to improve the control of water on Bayou Meto Wildlife Management Area, near Hampton's home, were intensified in his time as a commissioner.
Hampton wound up serving his last two years on the AGFC as its chairman, due to another resignation.
Hampton grows rice on the land his family has worked for so many years. But the acreage includes woods and bottomlands - superb habitat for not only ducks but deer, turkey, squirrels and other wildlife. The reservoirs than produce irrigation water for rice, the same reservoirs that are used by ducks have still another function for Hampton. "We raise crappie in the reservoirs." These result in a frequent entrée on the Hampton dinner table, prepared by his wife Judy, now retired from a teaching career.
The Hampton family includes two sons and three grandchildren.
For more information and tickets to the Outdoor Hall of Fame banquet, phone Steve Smith or Wendy Glover at (501) 223-6396.
2006 deer season ranks No. 5 in Arkansas records<br />
LITTLE ROCK - The final statistics are in, and they confirm that the 2006-2007 deer hunting season was a good one - ranking fifth in the all-time Arkansas records.
A total of 165,663 were tallied by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, a notable 25 percent increase over the previous year.
The deer of the state are healthy, too. The 2006 deer summary compiled by Corey Gray, AGFC's deer program coordinator, showed Arkansas deer are in good shape from studies of deer checked. The kidney fat index, a key measurement used by scientists, was well above the target index for Arkansas.
Average age of deer was 2.5 years, and this has increased from a decade ago.
Average dressed weight of bucks was 135 pounds, above the target average for the state. Heaviest bucks were the Delta with Crowley's Ridge close behind.
Average dressed weight of does was 80 pounds, matching the target average weight for the state.
In the years since deer records were begun in 1938, last season ranks behind only 1999 with 194,687, 2000 with 182,132, 1998 with 179,225 and just a little behind 1997 with 167,305. The rules in all those years were more liberal than in 2006, particular with the hunting of does, female deer.
It was only 20 years ago, 1987, that Arkansas passed the 100,000 mark for the first time in numbers of deer checked by hunters. In 1977, just 30 years ago, a total of 27,790 deer were checked. That's for all of Arkansas.
In 2006, including archery season that stretched to February 2007, the total of 165,663 deer checked included 90,028 antlered bucks, 12,747 button bucks and 61,179 does. Most of the increase in 2006 over 2005 was in antlered bucks, and the season limit was raised from one to two in six deer zones - 1, 2, 6, 7, 8 and 10.
Modern gun hunting, as always, accounted for the biggest portion of the deer - 122,673. Muzzleloader hunting came next with 24,851. Archery (compound and longbow) had 10,614 deer, and crossbow hunters took 4,608.Another 2,917 was listed in AGFC statistics as "unknown," meaning the type weapon was absent on check sheets.
Again, the leading deer counties in numbers of deer taken were in a block in south Arkansas.
Union County (El Dorado) was the leader with 7,363 deer. Second was Dallas County (Fordyce) with 5,907. Clark (Arkadelphia) was third with 5,795, and Cleveland (Rison) was fourth with 5,775. Bradley (Warren) was fifth with 5,520. Ouachita (Camden) was sixth with 5,477. Drew (Monticello) was seventh with 5,037, Ashley (Hamburg and Crossett) eighth with 4,964, Calhoun (Hampton) ninth with 4,852, Grant (Sheridan) 10th with 4,604, Columbia (Magnolia) 11th with 4,444 and Nevada (Prescott) 12th with 4,171.
Outside of this south Arkansas block, Arkansas County (Stuttgart and DeWitt) ranked 13th with 3,756 deer checked by hunters.
According to preliminary data from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's 2006 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation, Arkansas ranked fourth in participation rates in hunting and fishing. Some 14 percent of Arkansas residents age 16 and older hunted last year, and 21 percent of the state's 16-and-over population went fishing.
The National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation has been conducted every five years since 1955 and is one of the nation's most important wildlife-recreation databases. It's considered the definitive source of information on participation and expenditures associated with hunting, fishing and other forms of wildlife-related recreation nationwide. The survey is carried out by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, with data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Montana had the highest rate of hunting participation in 2006 at 19 percent, while Alaska and Minnesota had the highest fishing participation at 28 percent. Texas had the highest total number of hunters with 1.1 million residents going hunting at least once last year, and Florida was first in total number of anglers with 2.8 million.
In addition to hunting and fishing, the survey counted wildlife watchers. Some 40 percent of Arkansas's 16-and-over population took part in wildlife-watching activities last year. Wildlife watching includes feeding, closely observing and photographing wildlife. With hunting, fishing and wildlife-watching combined, half of the state's residents age 16 and over took part in some form of wildlife-associated recreation last year.
"We're encouraged to see the number of Arkansans who are participating in wildlife-associated recreation," said Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Director Scott Henderson. "But we still need to be vigilant in our attempts to get more Arkansans involved in the outdoors. It's especially important that we expose the state's youth to these activities, to make sure they appreciate what we have and to pass on a conservation legacy for future generations."
Nationwide, more than 87 million Americans, or 38 percent of the U.S. population age 16 or older, took part in hunting, fishing or wildlife-watching in 2006. They spent $120 billion pursuing those activities last year, an amount that is equal to 1 percent of the nation's gross domestic product. Some 30 million Americans (13 percent of the 16-and-over population) fished last year, and 12.5 million (5 percent) hunted in 2006.
The number of wildlife watchers (71 million) exceeded the number of hunters and anglers (34 million), but hunters and anglers spent much more money pursuing their activities, $75 million last year compared to $45 million spent by wildlife watchers. (Some people took part in both hunting/angling and wildlife watching, so the total doesn't equal the 87 million listed in the preceding paragraph.)
The survey also shows trends in participation based on comparisons to past surveys. One disturbing national trend was a 12 percent drop in the number of anglers since 2001. The survey also showed a 4 percent decline in the number of hunters, but it is not considered statistically significant.
The number of Americans taking part in wildlife-associated recreation increased from 77 million in 1996 to 87 million last year, but the percentage of those people who hunted and fished declined from 51 percent in 1996 to 39 percent last year. Wildlife watchers have maintained their proportion in the overall increase but sportspersons have not.
"This shows that we must remain steadfast in exposing new sportspersons, especially our youth, to the abundant outdoor opportunities here in The Natural State," Henderson said.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service carried out the survey at the request of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. It was developed with assistance from state conservation agencies, national conservation groups and wildlife-related recreation industries.
The survey provides estimates of wildlife-associated recreationists for 2006, but it isn't designed to count the total number of active and potential recreationists, given that many individuals could be considered hunters, anglers or wildlife watchers even though they didn't participate in 2006.
Information cited here is from preliminary reports. The final national report is scheduled for release in October, while the final state reports will be released in November.
The 2006 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation State Overview report, as well as previous surveys and reports, can be found at http://federalaid.fws.gov/surveys/surveys.html.
Rick Hampton a figure in major Arkansas outdoor changes
BAYOU METO - For a commissioner with an abbreviated term, Rick Hampton was involved in many milestone events and changes for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.
His time on the commission was a bit less than 5 ½ years. He was appointed to fill a vacancy, but it was a time of new directions and growth for the state agency. And these years were just a small portion of Hampton's lifetime outdoor interests, especially with waterfowl.
Hampton joins Sen. Jim Hill of Nashville and Phyllis Speer of Buffalo City as 2007 inductees into the Arkansas Outdoor Hall of Fame. The annual Outdoor Hall of Fame banquet and fund raising will be Friday, Sept. 14, at Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock.
Today, Rick Hampton lives and farms land that his ancestors acquired in 1843. It is in Arkansas County between Stuttgart and DeWitt - Bayou Meto country, an area with international renown for waterfowl, ducks in particular.
Hampton's grandfather John Hampton was a leader in the rise of duck hunting in the Grand Prairie region of Arkansas. Hampton Reservoir became a symbol of the adaptability of rice irrigation facilities in warmer months to duck habitat in colder times.
Rick's father Wayne was also a commissioner with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and resigned to become a highway commissioner. Some years later when veteran U.S. Senator John McClellan died, Governor David Pryor appointed Kaneaster Hodges of Newport to fill out the senatorial term. Hodges was on the Game and Fish Commission. Then Pryor tapped Hampton in January 1978 to take Hodges' remaining term.
A year and a half later, the AGFC commissioners fired Andrew Hulsey as director, an action that surprised most Arkansas residents. Hulsey's replacement came a few weeks later by means of a phone conversation, Hampton said. "I talked to Henry Gray, King Henry they called him, who was head of the highway department. Henry hunted ducks with us down here. Henry told me, "˜I have your Game and Fish director working for me now.' That was Steve N. Wilson."
With Wilson on board, Hampton and the other commissioners plowed new ground.
Bear hunting was resumed in Arkansas after being closed a half century. Bears had been restored in the mountain areas with imports from northern areas.
Canada geese were brought back to Arkansas in a major restoration program involving surplus birds and eggs from northern areas and commercial hatching facilities in Arkansas, in addition to federal wildlife refuges. It wasn't long before the Canada geese had multiplied to the point that limited hunting of them began.
Elk were brought back to Arkansas after a complete absence of more than a century. Fellow commissioner Hilary Jones was the leader of this effort, and Hampton and other commissioners provided strong support. Limited hunting of elk began in 1998.
Developments to improve the control of water on Bayou Meto Wildlife Management Area, near Hampton's home, were intensified in his time as a commissioner.
Hampton wound up serving his last two years on the AGFC as its chairman, due to another resignation.
Hampton grows rice on the land his family has worked for so many years. But the acreage includes woods and bottomlands - superb habitat for not only ducks but deer, turkey, squirrels and other wildlife. The reservoirs than produce irrigation water for rice, the same reservoirs that are used by ducks have still another function for Hampton. "We raise crappie in the reservoirs." These result in a frequent entrée on the Hampton dinner table, prepared by his wife Judy, now retired from a teaching career.
The Hampton family includes two sons and three grandchildren.
For more information and tickets to the Outdoor Hall of Fame banquet, phone Steve Smith or Wendy Glover at (501) 223-6396.
2006 deer season ranks No. 5 in Arkansas records<br />
LITTLE ROCK - The final statistics are in, and they confirm that the 2006-2007 deer hunting season was a good one - ranking fifth in the all-time Arkansas records.
A total of 165,663 were tallied by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, a notable 25 percent increase over the previous year.
The deer of the state are healthy, too. The 2006 deer summary compiled by Corey Gray, AGFC's deer program coordinator, showed Arkansas deer are in good shape from studies of deer checked. The kidney fat index, a key measurement used by scientists, was well above the target index for Arkansas.
Average age of deer was 2.5 years, and this has increased from a decade ago.
Average dressed weight of bucks was 135 pounds, above the target average for the state. Heaviest bucks were the Delta with Crowley's Ridge close behind.
Average dressed weight of does was 80 pounds, matching the target average weight for the state.
In the years since deer records were begun in 1938, last season ranks behind only 1999 with 194,687, 2000 with 182,132, 1998 with 179,225 and just a little behind 1997 with 167,305. The rules in all those years were more liberal than in 2006, particular with the hunting of does, female deer.
It was only 20 years ago, 1987, that Arkansas passed the 100,000 mark for the first time in numbers of deer checked by hunters. In 1977, just 30 years ago, a total of 27,790 deer were checked. That's for all of Arkansas.
In 2006, including archery season that stretched to February 2007, the total of 165,663 deer checked included 90,028 antlered bucks, 12,747 button bucks and 61,179 does. Most of the increase in 2006 over 2005 was in antlered bucks, and the season limit was raised from one to two in six deer zones - 1, 2, 6, 7, 8 and 10.
Modern gun hunting, as always, accounted for the biggest portion of the deer - 122,673. Muzzleloader hunting came next with 24,851. Archery (compound and longbow) had 10,614 deer, and crossbow hunters took 4,608.Another 2,917 was listed in AGFC statistics as "unknown," meaning the type weapon was absent on check sheets.
Again, the leading deer counties in numbers of deer taken were in a block in south Arkansas.
Union County (El Dorado) was the leader with 7,363 deer. Second was Dallas County (Fordyce) with 5,907. Clark (Arkadelphia) was third with 5,795, and Cleveland (Rison) was fourth with 5,775. Bradley (Warren) was fifth with 5,520. Ouachita (Camden) was sixth with 5,477. Drew (Monticello) was seventh with 5,037, Ashley (Hamburg and Crossett) eighth with 4,964, Calhoun (Hampton) ninth with 4,852, Grant (Sheridan) 10th with 4,604, Columbia (Magnolia) 11th with 4,444 and Nevada (Prescott) 12th with 4,171.
Outside of this south Arkansas block, Arkansas County (Stuttgart and DeWitt) ranked 13th with 3,756 deer checked by hunters.