Three elk permits available onsite at Buffalo River Elk Festival
JASPER – If you didn’t get around to applying for one of Arkansas’s coveted public land elk-hunting permits in May, you still have a shot to claim one of the best big-game tickets in The Natural State. Three special public land elk hunting permits will be available to register for on-site at the Buffalo River Elk Festival, June 22-23.
“We want to offer multiple ways for people who are serious about wanting an Arkansas elk tag to get a chance,” said Wes Wright, elk program coordinator for the AGFC. “It also adds a little extra excitement to the drawings at the festival.”
One on-site permit is for either a bull or cow elk, and the other two are for antlerless elk only. While thousands of applicants apply for the main public land permits, only a few hundred have their name in the hat for the on-site tags.
“People can register for the on-site permits from 1 to 4 p.m. on Friday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Newton County Senior Center,” Wright said. “The regular permits are drawn from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday, and we wrap up the elk permit drawings with the onsite permits at 5 p.m.”
Applying for an onsite permit is free, but applicants must have a current resident sportsman’s license when they apply.
“Youth and adults who are residents of Arkansas are eligible for all three on-site tags,” Wright said.
As with online hunt permits, anyone with 12 or more violations points on their license is ineligible to apply for an elk permit.
Wright says despite the recent discovery of chronic wasting disease, the elk herd remains stable.
“Before CWD was found in Arkansas, the herd had been slowly increasing,” Wright said. “Now we have regulations in place that let deer hunters take any elk that goes outside the elk management zone.”
All elk harvested in Arkansas must be submitted for a mandatory CWD test upon harvest.
“Samples tested from previous hunts have shown the CWD prevalence remains low in the elk herd,” Wright said. “But it’s just good practice to get any deer or elk from the CWD endemic zone tested. The test is free for all elk and if it comes up positive, we can help the hunter dispose of the meat properly.”
Snakeheads undetected in Pool 2 of Arkansas River
DUMAS – Recent electrofishing surveys for northern snakeheads, which have been found downstream of Wilbur D. Mills Dam in Desha County, have not been able to locate any of the invasive species in the river or backwaters upstream of that dam.
Mike Sundberg, fisheries biologist specialist at the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Monticello office says an angler reported a snakehead in Old Merrisach Lake last year, and biologists were able to electrofish and eliminate eight more of the fish from that body of water, which is nearby but isolated from the river. This year, biologists sampled Coal Pile Lake, Moore Bayou, Post Lake, Merrisach Lake and Post Canal as well as Old Merrisach Lake.
“No snakeheads were found in the river or canal and only one was caught in Old Merrisach Lake during our electrofishing samples,” Sundberg said. “We will continue to monitor for the species upstream of the dam and keep an eye on any population growth in Old Merrisach as well.”
Biologists first documented northern snakeheads, an invasive species from Asia, in Arkansas in April 2008 when a farmer near Brinkley reported one wriggling along a gravel farm road near a shallow ditch. The species is similar to bowfin, and has a primitive lung that allows it to gulp air for oxygen and survive for a short time out of the water. Despite a massive effort by fisheries biologists to eradicate the species in the area where it was discovered, some persisted and have been able to spread through portions of the White River and even as far as Mississippi. While it’s unclear what impact the snakeheads will have on shallow-water fisheries in Arkansas, biologists ask anyone who catches a snakehead to kill it and report it to their local AGFC office as soon as possible.
Biologists box bass, crappie at DeGray Lake
ARKADELPHIA – More than 11,000 cubic feet of new cover for anglers to fish sits at the bottom of DeGray Lake in Clark and Hot Springs counties, thanks to the efforts of Arkansas Game and Fish Commission staff from across the state. Two-hundred and forty near-permanent fish attractors were dropped in various locations of the 13,800-acre Corps of Engineers reservoir.
The attractor design, originally developed by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, offers excellent cover for fish. A 3½-foot cube of 1½-inch rigid PVC is constructed, then enhanced with 50 feet of 4-inch black corrugated pipe. The inert plastic lasts decades and is the same materials used in drinking water and water drainage lines.
“Fish of all sizes can use this cover,” Hobbs said. “Algae will form on the surface of the cubes, which attracts baitfish. Baitfish attract larger fish. And the complex cover lets fish get around and even inside of the cube and drain pipe.”
In addition to being popular with bass, bream and crappie, Georgia cubes have proven easy to mass produce and distribute. Biologists were able to distribute 10 such structures at 24 locations stretching from Caddo Bend to Lennox Marcus in one day.
“We had 35 staff members cutting, gluing, tying and sinking these cubes all day, but we managed to complete the project much faster than we originally anticipated,” Hobbs said. “Three specially designed habitat barges worked nonstop, dropping off bundles of cubes.”
Hobbs says this is the fourth large-scale habitat project undertaken by AGFC biologists in the last two years.
“We all add cover whenever we can to our local lakes, but these are all-hands-on-deck affairs that can accomplish in one week what would take a single district an entire summer,” Hobbs said. “We’ve done these major projects at Greers Ferry, Lake Chicot, Bull shoals and now DeGray.”
The Greers Ferry and Bull Shoals projects used natural cover in the form of cedar trees which lined the shore of those lakes, but Chicot and DeGray saw artificial cover instead.
“Both of those lakes had large cedars that needed to be removed, which will last a long time underwater,” Hobbs said. “The Corps has been a great partner in letting us cut some of these trees at those locations, but the habitat along the shore of DeGray is a little different. It’s mostly elm, sweetgum and other soft woods that deteriorate quickly. So we opted for these artificial attractors here.”
Fish will benefit from the habitat, but Hobbs says these attractors are no substitute for the deep grass once prevalent at DeGray.
AGFC unveils new email address for reporting sick animals
LITTLE ROCK – Jenn Ballard, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s veterinarian, has introduced a new program to report sick or dead animals and fish that she hopes will help the agency stay on top of health problems affecting wildlife.
If someone encounters a sick or dead animal or fish — anything other than a deer – the AGFC asks that it be reported via email to agfc.health@agfc.ar.gov. Those reports will be reviewed by the AGFC’s fish and wildlife health professionals and, if possible, investigated in person. If more information is needed by the investigators, the person submitting the report may be contacted.
Dr. Ballard said adding an email submission system to the AGFC’s new Fish and Wildlife Health Program has been “on my mind” since she started with the agency 18 months ago.
“It’s kind of filling a gap,” Dr. Ballard said. “If people find injured wildlife, they can still go to a licensed rehabilitator. For deer road kills, our CWD line (1-800-482-9262) is still available and is where to go for that.
“But for sick animals or dead animals that we need to investigate because of the mortality, this email system allows people to report things, attach photos, details, and a location. That’s the main thing. We may not be able to respond to every submission personally, but by having it centralized, we will be able to look for patterns and determine if they are more regional or statewide issues.”
When submissions are made, an automated response is generated that reminds people to never pick up or handle sick, injured or dead wildlife unless asked to by AGFC personnel and if aware of how to do so safely. Also, if rabies is suspected, the submitter is asked to contact the state Department of Health, the state agency that handles rabies cases.
With an injured animal that may only require rehabilitation, people can access a list of licensed rehabilitators on the agency’s website at www.agfc.com/en/resources/wildlife-conservation/wildlife-rehabilitation/. It is unlawful for anyone to rehab wildlife in Arkansas without a state or federal rehabilitation permit. Also, deer, elk and bears may not be rehabbed due to disease transmission and safety risks.
Dr. Ballard is being assisted in the program by A.J. Riggs, recently promoted to the role of AGFC health biologist, based in Russellville; and by Kelly Winningham, a fish pathologist at the Andrew Hulsey Fish Hatchery in Hot Springs, who will handle fish issues.
“We will read all the emails submitted and keep an eye out for issues that could have population-level impacts in the state,” Dr. Ballard said. “The key for the public is being safe around those situations and passing along the information.”
Dr. Ballard said that in the past, many calls about sick of dead wildlife have gone to AGFC regional offices or to the main headquarters through telephone calls, the agency’s Facebook page, the Ask AGFC email and other means. “We don’t have a way to centralize or track that information.” Dr. Ballard said. “We appreciate the public helping us keep an eye out for these issues and to be safe with these animals and not necessarily pick them up.”
AEDC receives $65,000 from Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation
LITTLE ROCK – The Arkansas Economic Development Commission announced today it has received $65,000 for its Division of Rural Services Unpaved Roads Grant Program. The funding was made possible through the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation with private funds that were contributed by the now dissolved Arkansas Water Foundation.
Pat Fitts, director of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) said: “This is a wonderful example of how public and private partnerships can improve rural roads while benefiting water quality and aquatic species. It’s a win-win for all agencies involved, as well as the counties that will benefit.”
“Currently, there are more requests from counties than there are funds available,” said Alex Johnston, director of AEDC Division of Rural Services. “The generosity from the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation means that we will be able to fund more projects than we have in recent years.”
Established in 2015, the Arkansas Unpaved Roads Grant Program works to reduce the impact of sediment and runoff in streams, rivers and drinking water supplies while reducing county maintenance costs. The program is a joint venture among 14 organizations, including AGFC, Arkansas Natural Resources Commission (ANRC), and AEDC.
“Protecting the water resources Arkansas enjoys benefits the state’s citizens and generations to come,” said ANRC Director Bruce Holland, “and we appreciate the joint effort from our sister state agencies and other stakeholders.”
The Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation will disperse the money over two periods – $30,000 for projects in the remainder of Fiscal Year 2018, and $35,000 for projects in Fiscal Year 2019 to begin July 1, 2018.
All Arkansas counties are eligible to apply for program funding, regardless of size or population. Eligible projects must focus on both unpaved road improvements and sediment reduction. Only projects that provide some form of environmental benefit will be considered. For more information on the Division of Rural Services or an application for the Arkansas Unpaved Roads Grants Program, visit www.ArkansasEDC.com/Rural-Services.
