Outdoor Briefs

Application period for WMA turkey hunt is open

LITTLE ROCK Arkansas turkey hunters may apply now through Jan. 17 for limited permits on several Arkansas Game and Fish Commission wildlife management areas for the 2008 spring turkey season.

Applications may be submitted at www.agfc.com and will be available from license dealers and AGFC offices throughout the state.

Online applications must be submitted and paper applications must be postmarked on or before Jan. 17 to be eligible for the computer drawings.

Selected applicants must pay a $10 processing fee.

Applicants under 16 must have a hunter education card.

Draw results will be available at www.agfc.com after the first drawing in January. Applicants can go to the Web site and type in their applicant ID number (either driver's license, Social Security or hunter education number) and date of birth to view the information.

Quota permit hunts are planned on Beryl Anthony Lower Ouachita, Camp Robinson Bell Slough, Cut-Off Creek, Dr. Lester Sitzes III Bois d'Arc, Gulf Mountain, Harold E. Alexander Spring River, Hobbs State Park Conservation Area, Holland Bottoms, Lafayette County, Moro Big Pine, Rex Hancock Black Swamp/Cache River NWR, Shirey Bay Rainey Brake and Sulphur River wildlife management areas.

A quota hunt is also scheduled for Felsenthal NWR on April 10-12 and April 17-19, Holla Bend NWR on April 12-13 as well as on Pond Creek NWR on April 19-20.

Several WMAs in Arkansas will hold youth turkey hunts, and they include Bayou Meto, Beryl Anthony Lower Ouachita, Big Lake, Choctaw Island, Cut-Off Creek, Gulf Mountain, Harold E. Alexander Spring River, Hobbs State Park Conservation Area, Holland Bottoms, Lafayette County, Madison County, Moro Big Pine, Rex Hancock Black Swamp/Cache River NWR, Rick Evans Grandview Prairie/Hope Upland, Sulphur River, Trusten Holder, U of A Pine Tree WDA, W.E. Brewer Scatter Creek, Felsenthal NWR, Holla Bend NWR and Pond Creek NWR.

The spring 2008 turkey season will begin with the youth hunt on March 29 to 30 for zone 17 and April 5 to 6 for the rest of the state. A hunter education card is not required for the general youth hunt, only the permit youth hunt. Youths without a hunter education card during the general youth hunt must be under direct supervision of a holder of a valid hunting license at least 21 years of age.

The rest of the season will be April 12 to May 2 in zones 1, 2, 3, 4B, 5, 5B, 6, 7, 7A, 8, 9 and 10; April 12 to 25 in zones 1A, 4, 4A, 5A and 9A and April 5 to 27 in zone 17.

Bear adorns conservation license plate

LITTLE ROCK A leaping largemouth bass, a mallard drake in flight, a woodpecker listening for grubs.

Those are a few images on the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission's license plates, which debuted with a popular white-tailed deer in 2000.

The ninth plate in the annual series - a sow black bear with her cub in the Arkansas highlands - became available Jan. 1.

Proceeds from Arkansas's conservation plates are used for conservation-related college scholarships and other conservation education needs.

The scholarship fund that began in 1999 stood at $1.4 million by October 2007.

Animals depicted on the plates have no connection to the use of money raised by the plates.

Proceeds from the ivory-billed woodpecker plate, for example, are not used for ivory-billed woodpecker habitat.

The idea of specialty plates to raise money for causes has been around for decades, although Arkansas's conservation series has taken off, perhaps because each year brings a new plate. Excellent artwork hasn't hurt, either. Through last November, 31,259 plates had been sold.

In Arkansas, the money raised from the license plates goes to scholarships. High school seniors, college students and graduate students studying conservation or wildlife law enforcement may apply for a conservation scholarship. Applicants must be full-time students and Arkansas residents with a 2.5 grade-point average. Applications must be submitted by June 1 for fall semesters. For a list of all the requirements, call the AGFC Human Resources Division, (501) 223-6300.

Applying for a conservation license plate is easy. Start by downloading a form from the Office of Motor Vehicles specialty plates Web site, www.arkansas.gov/dfa/motor_vehicle/mv_plates.php. Read the instructions, fill out the form and proceed by mail or in person.

By mail - Send the form to the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, Special License Unit, P.O. Box 1272, Little Rock, AR 72203.

In person - Apply at any of these DFA offices: Fayetteville, Jonesboro, Texarkana, West Memphis, Harrison, Russellville, Conway, Mountain View, Van Buren, El Dorado, Magnolia, Monticello, Hot Springs (airport office) or the Charles Ragland Taxpayer Services Center, 1900 W. Seventh St., Little Rock.

A conservation plate may be purchased with a gift certificate available at AGFC headquarters, 2 Natural Resources Drive in Little Rock.

The license plates cost $35 ($25 goes to the AGFC Conservation Scholarship Education Fund; $10 goes to DFA), above the cost of a current plate. Plate purchasers have the option of keeping the same expiration date as the plate being replaced or beginning the AGFC plate with a full year's registration.

For more information, call (501) 682-4692.

Russellville man forming fishing group

RUSSELLVILLE Competitive catfishing may be coming to Arkansas. A Russellville man is trying to put together the Arkansas Catfishing Association with a "catch-and-release" format.

Lee Fields hopes the plan comes together early next year. He sees catfishing competition across state borders. "I would like to see Arkansas compete with other states," he said. The Arkansas Catfishing Association, as it will be called, will be modeled after a similar program in Virgina. "I've already received the Virginia Catfish Association's full support along with their rules and regulations," Fields said.

The initial meeting for the group will be held Saturday, Feb. 16, from 4 to 8 p.m. in Russellville at the Lake Dardanelle Visitors' Center Conference Room. Fields would like to hear from all interested catfishing enthusiasts as soon as possible. He can be reached at (870) 577-7289, or email at lee_fields_1999@yahoo.com.

Eagle watching opportunities to abound

LITTLE ROCK Winter is eagle time for many Arkansans and for many visitors to the state.. Migrating bald eagles along with a few golden eagles are in the state along with an increasing number of year-round resident eagles and commonly attract "oohs" and "aahs" from young and old viewers.

Where do you find eagles? Start your thinking with water. The big, majestic birds are usually found around water because fish make up a major part of their diet. The Arkansas River all the way across the state is prime eagle territory in winter. So are the big man-made lakes and even smaller lakes.

For beginners in the eagle viewing game, participation in a state park program can help. Some of these state park eagle events are long-running, annual activities. Dress warm, take the family and head out for a day of wildlife watching.

Samples of Arkansas State Parks eagle events:

Jan. 4-5, Eagle Awareness Weekend, Bull Shoals-White River State Park Over 100 bald eagles winter in the Bull Shoals area each year. This weekend features lake tours, guided bird walks, guest speakers, live bird demonstrations (including a bald eagle) and musical entertainment at Bull Shoals Theater of the Arts. All programs are free, except tours. http://www.arkansasstateparks.com/bullshoalswhiteriver.

Jan. 25-27, 26th annual Eagles Et Cetera Festival, DeGray Lake Resort State Park This is the longest running eagle awareness program in Arkansas. Lake tours, guest speakers, indoor and outdoor programs, live birds of prey shows with a bald eagle and other raptors. All programs, except tours, are free. http://www.degray.com <http://www.degray.com/> .

The 15th annual Eagle Watch Weekend on Beaver Lake will be Jan. 25-27 aboard the Belle of the Ozarks, which will depart from Rocky Branch Marina. Departures to view bald eagles on Beaver Lake in their natural habitat will be at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. each day. Expert guides with help spot the eagles and provide educational narration. For more information, phone 800-552-3803 and visit www.estc.net/belle.

Some tips for eagle outings:

Look for flying eagles in the skies and roosting eagles in treetops. Eagles soar with wings straight out from their bodies; vultures soar with wings in a V shape. Scan the treetops carefully. Sometimes eagles will sit in dead or leafless trees, making them easy to spot, but at other times one may be tucked up in the boughs of a pine tree.

Use binoculars. Bring your own that you're already familiar with using. You can adjust the neck strap for yourself; focus the eyepieces for your own eyes, and practice finding objects while looking through them. If you don't have a pair of binoculars, call ahead to the park you're visiting; it's likely they'll have some you can check out or share.

Take along bird field guides. Even though you're planning to see eagles, you can also view other wintering birds during your outing. Different species are common in the natural divisions of Arkansas, and water areas give glimpses of loons, grebes, herons and a variety of ducks.

Public meetings set for input on 2008-09 hunting regulations

LITTLE ROCK Hunters may voice their opinions about hunting regulations and seasons at one of 11 public meetings across the state Tuesday, Jan. 8.

The meetings are part of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission's annual hunting regulations process. They are held to give hunters and other interested parties the opportunity to make comments and proposals for the 2008-09 hunting seasons.

Comments may be verbal or written. Written comments may be submitted at one of the meetings or mailed to the AGFC, Hunting Regulations Proposals, 2 Natural Resources Drive, Little Rock, AR 72205. Comments can also be made on the AGFC Web site at http://www.agfc.com/hunting/public-meeting.aspx <http://www.agfc.com/hunting/public-meeting.aspx> . The deadline for comments is Jan. 31.

The 11 meetings will be held from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. AGFC personnel will make an initial presentation and accommodate those wishing to speak. Visitors may arrive and leave at any time during the meeting. Meeting sites include:

Russellville, AGFC Regional Office, 1266 Lock and Dam Road.

Little Rock, AGFC Central Office, 2 Natural Resources Drive.