Outdoor column: Elk hunting, water trail offer adventures for some
A couple of events are coming up that may interest some, not all, of you readers. One is the deadline for applying for Arkansas elk hunting permits. The other is the opening of a water trail in southeast Arkansas.
Every year since 1998, we run across someone or several someones who laments not applying for an elk permit. “I didn’t know. “I forgot.” “Nobody told me.” “Aw, no use applying because I won’t get drawn.”
Forget all these. Just go online to www.agfc.com, look for Licenses and Permits and follow the instructions.
The deadline for applying for public land elk permits is midnight Wednesday. The applications and the permits are free. The applications are available only on the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission website. One additional permit for the September hunt in elk compartment 4 is issued to the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation for fundraising purposes. Eighty-five percent of the proceeds from this granted permit is returned to Arkansas for wildlife habitat work. In addition, a youth permit for the December hunt goes to the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation for fundraising activities.
The drawing for the public land permits will be June 25 on the Newton County Courthouse Square during the Buffalo River Elk Festival in Jasper. Winners don’t have to be present. One permit will be issued at the festival to an Arkansas resident who completes an application during the festival. For this one, the winner must be present.
Permits for public land elk hunting are available to Arkansas residents and Lifetime Sportsmen Permit holders only. Two permits will be reserved for youths under 16 years of age to hunt in Compartment 3, which is mostly the Gene Rush Wildlife Management Area. Youths under 16 (as of Sept. 26, 2011) applying for an elk hunt automatically will be entered into this drawing. Youths not selected for the special youth permit may be drawn for one of the other permits. Applicants must be 6 years old by Sept. 26 to apply for public land permits.
Many Arkansans who apply for the permits send donations to the elk program, and this money is used for food plots, prescribed burning and other work in the elk area. A donation to the AGFC for the elk program is not a requirement for permit application, nor does a donation improve chances of being drawn for a permit.
If you enjoy canoeing, kayaking or just poking around in a john boat, the brand new Arkansas Post Water Trail is something to check out. It officially opens Saturday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Moore Bayou Access near Arkansas Post National Memorial in Arkansas County.
This water trail provides wonderful wildlife viewing opportunities, according to Kirsten Bartlow, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Watchable Wildlife coordinator. “Paddlers can enjoy the narrow channel of Moore Bayou and watch for migratory song birds and aquatic mammals,” Bartlow said. “Or, the open water around Arkansas Post National Memorial is a great place to watch resident bald eagles and wintering flocks of ducks and geese.” The area also is home to the American alligator.
The water trail is a partnership among the AGFC, Arkansas Canoe Club, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and National Park Service.
Waters around Arkansas Post also provide great fishing opportunities. The area boasts excellent crappie, bream and black bass.
