Arkansas Deer Seasons Set for 2015-16

 

LITTLE ROCK – The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission set the Arkansas deer seasons last week, with modern gun deer season opening Nov. 14, archery season opening Sept. 26, and muzzleloader season opening Oct. 17. The deer season dates are part of the 2015-16 general hunting regulations approved during the Commission’s monthly meeting.

Season dates for the 2015-16 deer hunting season:

Archery –

All zones: Sept. 26-Feb. 29, 2016.

 

Modern Gun –

Zones 1, 1A, 2, 3, 6, 6A, 7, 8, 8A, 10 and 11: Nov. 14-Dec. 6.

Zone 4: Nov. 14-15. Zone 5: Nov. 14-15 and Nov. 21-22.

Zones 4A, 5A, 14 and 15: Nov. 14-Dec. 13.

Zones 4B and 5B: Nov. 14-22.

Zones 9, 12 and 13: Nov. 14-Dec. 20.

Zone 16, 16A and 17: Nov. 14-Dec. 25.

 

Muzzleloader –

Zones 1, 1A, 2, 3, 6, 6A, 7, 8, 8A, 10 and 11: Oct. 17-25 and Dec. 12-14.

Zones 4A, 5A, 14 and 15: Oct. 17-25 and Dec. 19-21

Zones 9, 12, 13, 16, 16A and 17: Oct. 17-25 and Dec. 29-31.

Zones 4, 4B, 5 and 5B: Closed.

The statewide Christmas holiday modern gun deer hunt is Dec. 26-28.

Youth modern gun deer hunts will be held Nov. 7-8 and Jan. 2-3, 2016.

A private land antlerless-only modern gun deer hunt in zones 1, 1A, 2, 3, 6, 6A, 8, 8A, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 16A and 17 will be held Oct. 10-14.

 

The 2016-17 deer season opening dates will be:

Deer (special youth modern gun): Nov. 5, 2016 and Jan. 7, 2017

Deer (archery): Sept. 24, 2016

Deer (muzzleloader): Oct. 15, 2016

Deer (private land antlerless only modern gun): Oct. 29, 2016

Deer (modern gun): Nov. 12, 2016

 

The Commission also approved 2016 turkey season dates:

Zones 1, 2, 3, 4B, 5, 5B, 6, 7, 7A, 8, 9, 10 and 17: April 16-May 1, 2016.

Zones 4, 4A, 5A and 9A: April 16-24, 2016.

Zone 1A: Closed.

 

The special youth turkey season will be held April 9-10, 2016. Turkey zone 1A will be closed for the youth hunt.

In other business, the Commission:

*Approved a statewide program to development community archery facilities. The Community Archery Program will provide matching funds up $15,000 to governmental bodies for development of archery facilities in the state.

*Reviewed the 2014-15 deer harvest. AGFC Deer Program Coordinator Cory Gray told Commissioners that hunters checked 208,075 deer. The harvest was a slight decrease from the previous season harvest of 213,199.

*Approved the purchase of 30 ATVs and two boats for the agency’s Enforcement Division. Total cost of the purchases is $230,000.

*Approved several codes and policies for land use around AGFC lakes.

*Deauthorized the Crown Lake Box Hound Marina Project and the Rock City Yacht Club Project on the Arkansas River.

*Approved a $100,000 capital construction project to make repairs to the heating and air conditioning system at the AGFC central office in Little Rock.

*Authorized AGFC Director Mike Knoedl, on behalf of the AGFC, to resolve encroachment issues on Harris Brake Lake and Upper White Oak Lake.

*Authorized AGFC Director Mike Knoedl, on behalf of the AGFC, to convey a temporary construction easement and a non-exclusive permanent right-of-way easement to Magellan Midstream Partners, across Holland Bottoms and Cypress Bayou wildlife management areas in Lonoke and White counties. The easements will be within an existing pipeline right-of-way.

*Heard a presentation from the director of the National Bobwhite Conservation Initiative on a strategy to restore quail in Arkansas.

*Approved the grant of a surplus trailer to the Camp Robinson Conservation Association.

Arkansas Deer Seasons

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