Arkansas Urban Deer Hunt Applications Now Available
LITTLE ROCK, AR –-(Ammoland.com)- Due to increasing nuisance deer complaints, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and four Arkansas cities have joined together to offer limited urban archery hunts to combat the overpopulated deer herd.
Hunts in Horseshoe Bend, Cherokee Village, Heber Springs and Hot Springs Village are scheduled for this fall. These special seasons require more of hunters than most, although it’s worth the effort.
Chosen applicants must pass the International Bowhunter Education Program course before they attend a hunter-orientation class and take shooting proficiency tests. There are two options to meet the bowhunter education requirements.
The first is to take the traditional eight-hour class (see schedule below). The second method is to take the classroom portion online then attend an IBEP Field Day to complete the requirement. The online class can be accessed at www.nbef.org and clicking the distance learning button. There is a $20 charge for the online test. IBEP Field Days will be held after each hunter orientation meeting in each city so a hunter could meet all the requirements in one day using the online class option. Once a bowhunter has received his IBEP card it is good for life and recognized internationally.
The hunter orientation and shooting proficiency test for the Horseshoe Bend, Heber Springs and Cherokee Village hunts will be Aug. 21 at the AGFC Regional Office in Calico Rock beginning at 9 a.m. For the Hot Springs Village hunt, the hunter orientation and shooting test will be held Aug. 28 at the Coronado Center in Hot Springs Village beginning at 8 a.m.
Hunts in Horseshoe Bend, Heber Springs and Cherokee Village will be held Sept. 6-Nov. 12 and Jan. 1-31, 2011. The Hot Springs Village hunt will be held Sept. 13-Sept. 25 and Jan. 10-22, 2011.
There is no bag limit, although the first deer taken by a hunter must be a doe in Cherokee Village, Horseshoe Bend and Heber Springs (not required in Hot Springs Village but strongly encouraged). Deer taken after that may be either sex. Hunters must donate their first deer to Arkansas Hunters Feeding the Hungry. Deer taken in the urban hunts do not count in a hunter’s seasonal bag limit, and the three-point rule does not apply. Hunters must hold an Arkansas SportsmanÂÂÂs License and an Urban Bowhunting Permit.
A $40 fee, which includes Arkansas Bowhunters Association membership, covers liability insurance. Only longbows, recurve bows or compound bows with at least 40-pound draw weight and arrowheads at least seven-eighths of an inch wide may be used in Cherokee Village, Horseshoe Bend and Heber Springs. Crossbows will be allowed in Hot Springs Village. Hunters on private property must have written permission from the landowner. Other regulations also apply.
Pick up an application and a list of all regulations at Arkansas Game and Fish Commission headquarters, 2 Natural Resources Dr. in Little Rock or at the AGFC offices in Jonesboro, Hot Springs or Calico Rock. Applications also are available at city halls, area bow shops and Walmart stores in the areas. Applications must be postmarked by Aug. 1. For more information on the hunts or to be mailed an urban hunt application, call the AGFC at 501-223-6359.
IBEP Class Schedule: July 24 – Cherokee Village/Horseshoe Bend, Omaha Recreation Center in Cherokee Village, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., email tom@monticellonews.net to pre-register. July 31 – Heber Springs, William Carl Garner State Park Visitors Center near Greers Ferry Dam, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., email tom@monticellonews.net to pre-register. Aug. 7 – Hot Springs Village, Coronado Center, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., email tom@monticellonews.net to pre-register.
IBEP Field Days for Online Classes: Aug. 21 – Cherokee Village, Horseshoe Bend/Heber Springs hunts: Orientation/Shooting Test/IBEP Field Day 9 a.m., AGFC Regional Office in Calico Rock, email tom@monticellonews.net to pre-register for IBEP Field Day portion. Aug. 28 – Hot Springs Village hunt: Orientation/Shooting Test/IBEP Field Day, 8 a.m., email tom@monticellonews.net to pre-register for IBEP Field Day portion.