Rich land opens for deer hunters

A wildlife-rich tract of land just outside Arkansas City in Desha County will be opened on a limited basis for deer hunting next fall, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission said Thursday.

It is 1,825 acres and was known as the Wallace Trust, a private operation for several kinds of hunting. Several houses are on the area. AGFC agreed to buy the land last fall for $2,120,650, and the transaction was recently completed.

Some of the money for the purchase is from federal sources, the North American Waterfowl Conservation Act (NAWCA).

The Wallace Trust tract is about a mile from the AGFC's Choctaw Island Wildlife Management Area which was bought several years ago after the agency began receiving funds from Amendment 75, the conservation sales tax. It is close to the Mississippi River.

Next fall, deer hunting will be limited to youths - persons 15 and younger, They will have four weekends to go after deer - Nov. 7-8, Nov. 21-23, Nov. 27-29 and Dec. 12-14. There will be a seasonal bag limit of three deer, of which only one can be a buck. There will be no antler restrictions on the bucks.

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The new tract will be operated as the Choctaw West Unit of Choctaw Island WMA. Some people are living on the tract now, and AGFC chairman Freddie Black of Lake Village said, "When the current residents move out, we'll lock the gates."

Another southeast Arkansas area was formally closed to hunting Thursday.

Coal Pile Lake, a backwater of the Arkansas River north of Dumas was acquired by AGFC last fall through negotiation with a hunting club. "Coal Pile" has a near-legendary reputation among bass fishermen and attracts ducks during the fall and winter. Some former state record largemouth bass were caught there.

Although it is closed to hunting, the lake will remain open for fishing and other recreational use. Black commented, "We need to work on getting the entrance to Coal Pile dredged out. It is dangerous now. Bass boats get up on plane and go in at 50 miles an hour if they know the exact spot to hit."

A preliminary look at several possible changes in fishing rules was give the commissioners by Mike Armstrong, chief of fisheries.

These included study of commercial harvest of turtles in the state. In March a group of conservation organizations asked the AGFC to immediately stop the taking of turtles because of the possibility of disease and because of impact on the turtle populations in the state. The commissioners rejected the request for the emergency closing and put the issue into the regular annual system of fish regulations. After public meetings, the AGFC staff will make recommendations, and the commissioners will decide on changes at their August meeting.

Other issues mentioned by Armstrong included:

Banning alewives and blueback herrings as bait fish. These are members of the shad family not native to Arkansas but sometimes brought in as bait by anglers.

Removing the catch and release restriction for largemouth bass on Lake Ashbaugh in northeast Arkansas and setting a limit of six bass per day.

Changing report submission dates for alligator farmers and dealers. There is one in Arkansas, Armstrong said.

Removing T.J. House Reservoir in Crawford County from the Family and Community Fishing Program at the request of City of Mulberry officials.

Clarify fishing license regulations to include "all aquatic wildlife." This will cover the taking of crawfish for bait and other uses.

Increase the bow-fishing daily limit of catfish from two to five.

Allow use of lures with barbed hooks and treble hooks in restricted areas of the White and North Fork rivers. Live and scent baits will continue to be prohibited.

Expand the catch and release area of the North Fork River from about a mile long to about 2.7 miles long.

Remove the Sylamore catch and release area on the White River.