04-01-2008, 06:10 PM
LITTLE ROCK - Arkansas hunters can begin planning their vacations now that commissioners from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission have formally approved the upcoming season dates. In a 4-2 vote, commissioners passed the seasons for modern gun, archery and muzzleloader deer seasons.
The proposals included calendar adjustments, new codes, code revisions and code clarifications.
Season dates for the 2008-2009 deer hunting season:
Archery: All zones: Oct. 1 to Feb. 28.
Modern Gun: Zones 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 10 and 11: Nov. 8-30.
Zone 4: Nov. 8-9.<br />
Zone 5: Nov. 8-9 and Nov. 15-16.<br />
Zone 4A, 5A, 13, 14 and 15: Nov. 8-Dec. 7.<br />
Zones 4B and 5B: Nov. 8-16.<br />
Zones 9 and 12: Nov. 8-Dec. 14.<br />
Zone 16, 16A and 17: Nov. 8-Dec. 25.
Muzzleloader: Zones 1, 2, 3, 4A, 5A, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 13, 14 and 15: Oct. 18-26 and Dec. 13-15.<br />
Zones 9, 12, 16, 16A and 17: Oct. 18-26 and Dec. 29-31.<br />
Zones 4, 4B, 5 and 5B: Closed.
The statewide Christmas holiday modern gun deer hunt will be Dec. 26 to 28 with the special youth modern gun deer hunt in all zones (excludes certain WMAs where a modern gun or muzzleloader permit is required to hunt) scheduled for Nov. 1 to 2.
During the special modern gun youth deer hunt, holders of 65+ licenses, who are accompanying a hunting youth, will be allowed to hunt deer and take the bag limit legal for the deer zone or WMA in which they are hunting. One other change eliminates the doubling of points for violations on the state's Wildlife Management Areas.
The commission also announced the 2009 opening dates for deer season. Archery deer season will open on Oct. 1, 2009 followed by muzzleloader season on Oct. 17, 2009 and modern gun season on Nov. 14, 2009. The 2008-2009 public meeting dates for various wildlife were also announced. The 2008 waterfowl meetings will be held June 3 from 7-9 p.m., spring turkey on Aug. 26 from 7-9 p.m. and the 2009-2010 general hunting public meetings on Jan. 6, 2009 from 7-9 p.m.
Fall turkey season was also set by the commission:
Turkey Archery Seasons: All Zones: Oct. 1, 2008-Feb. 28, 2009.
Turkey Firearms Season: Zones 3, 5B, 6, and 17: Oct. 11-17, 2008.<br />
Zones 1, 1A, 2, 4, 4A, 4B, 5, 5A, 7, 7A, 8, 9, 9A and 10: Closed.
In other business, the commission:
*Renamed the Dagmar Wildlife Management Area after former commissioner Sheffield Nelson of Little Rock. Nelson served on the commission from 2000 to 2007. He was appointed by former governor Mike Huckabee. The area will now be known as the Sheffield Nelson Dagmar Wildlife Management Area. Nelson grew up in Monroe County where the WMA is located.
*Listened to a presentation from Lake Hamilton resident Mike Ruffin concerning a requested no ski area on the lake in the Big Mazarn Basin. Commission chairman Sonny Varnell said that he wanted to enforce the existing regulations on the lake to see if that would relieve Ruffin's concerns about skiers coming too close to docks and other boats. Varnell agreed to revisit the issue in the future if increased enforcement did not help the situation.
*Heard a presentation from trout biologist Jeff Williams on the final draft of the Bull Shoals and Norfork tailwater trout management plan. The plan is scheduled to be formally adopted at the April commission meeting.
The proposals included calendar adjustments, new codes, code revisions and code clarifications.
Season dates for the 2008-2009 deer hunting season:
Archery: All zones: Oct. 1 to Feb. 28.
Modern Gun: Zones 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 10 and 11: Nov. 8-30.
Zone 4: Nov. 8-9.<br />
Zone 5: Nov. 8-9 and Nov. 15-16.<br />
Zone 4A, 5A, 13, 14 and 15: Nov. 8-Dec. 7.<br />
Zones 4B and 5B: Nov. 8-16.<br />
Zones 9 and 12: Nov. 8-Dec. 14.<br />
Zone 16, 16A and 17: Nov. 8-Dec. 25.
Muzzleloader: Zones 1, 2, 3, 4A, 5A, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 13, 14 and 15: Oct. 18-26 and Dec. 13-15.<br />
Zones 9, 12, 16, 16A and 17: Oct. 18-26 and Dec. 29-31.<br />
Zones 4, 4B, 5 and 5B: Closed.
The statewide Christmas holiday modern gun deer hunt will be Dec. 26 to 28 with the special youth modern gun deer hunt in all zones (excludes certain WMAs where a modern gun or muzzleloader permit is required to hunt) scheduled for Nov. 1 to 2.
During the special modern gun youth deer hunt, holders of 65+ licenses, who are accompanying a hunting youth, will be allowed to hunt deer and take the bag limit legal for the deer zone or WMA in which they are hunting. One other change eliminates the doubling of points for violations on the state's Wildlife Management Areas.
The commission also announced the 2009 opening dates for deer season. Archery deer season will open on Oct. 1, 2009 followed by muzzleloader season on Oct. 17, 2009 and modern gun season on Nov. 14, 2009. The 2008-2009 public meeting dates for various wildlife were also announced. The 2008 waterfowl meetings will be held June 3 from 7-9 p.m., spring turkey on Aug. 26 from 7-9 p.m. and the 2009-2010 general hunting public meetings on Jan. 6, 2009 from 7-9 p.m.
Fall turkey season was also set by the commission:
Turkey Archery Seasons: All Zones: Oct. 1, 2008-Feb. 28, 2009.
Turkey Firearms Season: Zones 3, 5B, 6, and 17: Oct. 11-17, 2008.<br />
Zones 1, 1A, 2, 4, 4A, 4B, 5, 5A, 7, 7A, 8, 9, 9A and 10: Closed.
In other business, the commission:
*Renamed the Dagmar Wildlife Management Area after former commissioner Sheffield Nelson of Little Rock. Nelson served on the commission from 2000 to 2007. He was appointed by former governor Mike Huckabee. The area will now be known as the Sheffield Nelson Dagmar Wildlife Management Area. Nelson grew up in Monroe County where the WMA is located.
*Listened to a presentation from Lake Hamilton resident Mike Ruffin concerning a requested no ski area on the lake in the Big Mazarn Basin. Commission chairman Sonny Varnell said that he wanted to enforce the existing regulations on the lake to see if that would relieve Ruffin's concerns about skiers coming too close to docks and other boats. Varnell agreed to revisit the issue in the future if increased enforcement did not help the situation.
*Heard a presentation from trout biologist Jeff Williams on the final draft of the Bull Shoals and Norfork tailwater trout management plan. The plan is scheduled to be formally adopted at the April commission meeting.