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CONTENTS •


10 A GHOST BIRD LIVES By Mel White

14 LESSONS OF THE IVORYBILL By David Carruth

16 BRINGING BACK THE NATURAL STATE OF THINGS By Jay Harrod

19 KEEPING OUR COMMON BIRDS COMMON By Dan Scheiman, Ph.D. and Ellen Fennell

22 GATEWAY TO THE COSSATOT By Jim Taylor

24 FALL ACTIVITIES ON ARKANSAS NATURAL AREAS By Michael Warriner

28 PHOTOGRAPHING THE NATURAL STATE By Chuck Haralson

34 STUTTGART DUCK-CALLING CHAMPIONSHIP By Mel White & Steven Bell

36 DUCK HUNTING: SCIENCE & PSYCHOLOGY AT WORK By Brian Davis, Ph.D.

42 FEDERAL DUCK STAMP COMPETITION By U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

44 HUNTING LICENSE AND PERMIT REQUIREMENTS

52 THE MANY REWARDS OF DEER SEASON By Terry Horton

58 FALLING FOR TROUT FISHING By Mel White

62 FISHING LICENSE & PERMIT REQUIREMENTS

58

34

42

28

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All Contents ©2005 Arkansas Times

FALL ‘05WildArkansas

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MEL WHITE is a free-lance writer in Little Rockspecializing in travel and natural history. Aformer newspaper reporter and magazineeditor, he is a contributing editor for NationalGeographic Traveler and has written exten-sively for the National Geographic BookDivision. White has written about nature andwildlife in countries including New Zealand,Brazil, Belize, Tanzania, and Madagascar.

C. “CHUCK” HARALSON knows Arkansas.The Arkansas Parks and Tourism chief photog-rapher has traveled all over the state in thepast 25 years, capturing its splendor on film.From wildlife on the White River to fly fish-ermen in mid-cast, Haralson has been thereto record each event, granting his audiencea chance to see a fleeting moment in time. Hiswork invokes a sense of wonder and awe inthe viewer. One gets the sense of seeing thestate through Haralson’s eyes, and what anamazing place it is indeed.

DAVID CARRUTH — “Ducks tremble whenthey hear my name,” Carruth, president of theArkansas Wildlife Federation, said. The LonokeCounty native said he was raised with a greatrespect for “what nature provides for us andwhat God has provided for us.” In additionto the Arkansas Wildlife Federation, Carruthhas been a board member of the NationalWildlife Federation, and Arkansas StateUniversity, as well as serving as president forthe Clarendon Chamber of Commerce. Carruthis also actively campaigning to preserve theCache River in Eastern Arkansas.

“DR. DAN SCHEIMAN is the Bird ConservationDirector for Audubon Arkansas. His goal is toestablish the partnerships needed to accom-plish bird conservation throughout the state,especially at Important Bird Areas. Scheimanreceived his B.S. from Cornell, M.S. from EasternIllinois, and Ph.D. from Purdue, all in wildlifeecology. He has over ten years of bird researchexperience, with an emphasis on grasslandbirds. Since making birds his career, Scheimanhas found a new hobby watching butterflies.”

ELLEN FENNELL, director of development forAudubon Arkansas, has 19 years experience

working for environmental and agriculturalnon-profit organizations in the fields offundraising, program development (commu-nity development and income-generation) andpublic relations. Prior to joining AudubonArkansas, Fennell headed her own consultingfirm in non-profit board development and fundraising. During her career, Fennell has servedin directorial positions in fundraising, grantswriting, public relations and program plan-ning for Heifer International, WinrockInternational and The Nature Conservancy’sArkansas Field Office. Fennell holds a B.A inEnglish from Rhodes College.

JAY HARROD, a spokesperson for The NatureConservancy in Arkansas, has spent much ofhis time working with issues concerning therediscovery of the ivory-billed woodpecker. Buthe’s still been able to pursue his favorite activ-ities — canoeing and fishing. Concerning thestory he wrote about a tall-grass prairie, Harrodsaid, “It was saddening to learn how much ofour prairies in Arkansas we’ve lost. But, at thesame time, it was encouraging to learn thatpeople like Mel Harness, with help from federaland state agencies, are working to preserve orrestore what little remains.”

JIM TAYLOR,a Pine Bluff native and staff travelwriter for the Arkansas Department of Parksand Tourism, resides in Winslow. Through hiswork and independent study, he has learnedquite a bit about Arkansas’s natural featuresand history, as well as birds, butterflies, trees,wildflowers and geology. He has – perhapsfortunately, perhaps sadly – proven adequatelyunimaginative to have accomplished anythingmonetarily rewarding with that knowledge.His current study of spiders has beenfrequently interrupted by fits of believinghimself to be a Campephilus principalis.

TERRY HORTON — “I can remember fishingin the Spring River at a very early age.” Hortonhas served as executive director for theArkansas Wildlife Federation for 13 years, butsays his involvement with the federation hasspanned over 33 years. “My father was amember and I worked as a volunteer,” Hortonrecalled. The Paragould native received his

bachelor’s degree in Wildlife Management fromArkansas State University at Jonesboro. In it’s70th year, Horton and the Arkansas WildlifeFederation will continue their work withnatural resource issues and conservationeducation projects.

BRIAN DAVIS —A Regional Biologist for DucksUnlimited since 2001, Davis is part of nearlya dozen Arkansas DU staff who work diligentlyto deliver conservation education acrossthe state. In addition to the many roles he playsfor the DU organization, Davis also serves asadjunct professor at Mississippi StateUniversity participating in research thatassesses benefits of Arkansas rice fields towaterfowl and other wildlife. He holds amasters degree in Wildlife Ecology and adoctorate degree in Wildlife Science fromMississippi State University.

MICHAEL D. WARRINER is a Field Ecologistwith the Arkansas Natural HeritageCommission in Little Rock as PublicInformation Officer and InvertebrateZoologist. Instilling a better understandingof biodiversity in Arkansans has been amajor goal of his two years. Warriner devel-oped citizen-science iniatives in the formof the Arkansas Tarantula Survey andArkansas Bumblebee Survey. He also devel-oped the first interpretive materialsregarding the rediscovery of the ivory-billedwoodpecker. In August, the ArkansasWildlife Federation awarded Warriner theirConservation Educator of the Year Award.

STEPHEN BELL is executive vice presidentand chief administrative officer for theStuttgart Chamber of Commerce. He is respon-sible for economic and community develop-ment for the City of Stuttgart. Bell helpscoordinate the annual World’s ChampionshipDuck Calling Contest and Wings Over ThePrairie Festival. The duck calling contest beganin 1936 and is now in its 70th year. Prior tojoining the Stuttgart Chamber in 1996, heworked for the Arkansas Press Association.He received his bachelor’s degree fromHendrix College at Conway and a master’sdegree in communication from the Universityof Arkansas at Little Rock.

CONTRIBUTORS •

White

Taylor

Haralson

Fennell

Scheiman

HarrodDavis

Warriner

Bell

Horton Carruth

S


Some have called it “the conser-vation story of the century.” Andalthough this century is still in itsinfancy, there’s no doubt that theannouncement made in our nation’scapital on April 28, 2005, will rankamong the most astounding, impor-tant, and hopeful events in the historyof American wildlife.

On that day, a team of researcherstold the world that they had discov-ered the ivory-billed woodpecker—alegendary species thought to have beenextinct for decades—living in theswamps of Bayou DeView ineastern Arkansas. The significanceof the news was emphasized bythe presence of U.S. Secretary ofthe Interior Gale Norton andSecretary of Agriculture MichaelJohanns at a dramatic news confer-ence in Washington, D.C., along withscientists and members of Arkansas’scongressional delegation.

The team leader, JohnFitzpatrick, director of the CornellLaboratory of Ornithology, spokefor millions of birdwatchers andconservationists when hedescribed the ivorybill as a“magical bird” and said thediscovery was “thrillingbeyond words.”

The black, white, andred ivory-billed woodpeckeronce lived in southern forestsfrom the Atlantic coast to Texas.It was never common, however,and even in the mid-19thcentury, famed bird artist JohnJames Audubon was concernedfor its fate. As the great virginforests of the South were cutdown, and as bottomland hard-wood swamps were drained and

cleared, the ivorybill became rarerand rarer. By the 1920s and ‘30s,even trained ornithologists had diffi-culty finding birds to study. Althoughthe species continued to exist in aremote swamp in Cuba until the 1980s,the last confirmed sighting of an ivory-bill in the U.S. occurred in northeasternLouisiana in the 1940s.

Since that time, there have beencontinuing reports of

i vo r y -b i l l edwoodpeckers.

The greatmajority

h a v e

IVORYBILL •

A Ghost Bird LivesThe ivory-billed woodpecker, thought to be extinct, is found in the swamps of Bayou DeView

By Mel White

Oakwood College Associate ProfessorBobby Harrison hangs a decoy that he

carved of a female ivorybilled woodpecker(holding a grub in her beak) on a tree in the

Cache River National Wildlife Refuge inArkansas.The decoys are used as part ofthe Big Woods Conservation Partnership

search effort.

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come from inexperienced people seeingthe pileated woodpecker, a commonbird that looks something like an ivory-bill, though it is smaller and has lesswhite in its plumage. Occasionally,though, there have been sight reportsof ivorybills that attracted the atten-tion of ornithologists, originating inareas ranging from Florida to Texas.Just a few years ago, a sighting reportedby an experienced wildlife watcher inthe Pearl River swamp along theLouisiana-Mississippi border causedgreat excitement, though extensivesearching failed to find the bird again.

A few true believers continued tosearch for ivorybills in the bottom-land hardwood forests of the South,including the part of eastern Arkansasthat has come to be called “the BigWoods.” Comprising forests alongthe White River, the Cache River,Bayou DeView, and other streams,the Big Woods encompasseshundreds of thousands of acres,some of which is little visitedexcept for the occasional hunteror angler.

THE FIRST SIGHTINGSGene Sparling, an avid

Arkansas outdoorsman,wasn’t looking for anythingin particular as he paddledhis kayak down BayouDeView in February, 2004.He was simply out to havea good time exploring asection of this beautifulstream, lined with tallbald-cypresses and watertupelos, which isprotected as the CacheRiver National Wildlife Refuge. Hespotted a bird that he first thought wasa pileated woodpecker, but that onsecond glance was distinctly different.Sparling’s report attracted the atten-tion of others, who got good, thoughbrief, looks at a bird they believed couldonly be an ivorybill.

Within weeks, a team of dozens ofsearchers—all sworn to secrecy—hadbeen organized by Cornell Universityand the Arkansas Nature Conservancy.On foot and in boats, team memberscombed the area of Bayou DeView, theadjacent Dagmar Wildlife ManagementArea, and south into White River

National Wildlife Refuge. Occasionalsightings continued to be made, allquick fly-bys that offered no chance ofa confirming photograph.

Then one day in April, 2004,David Luneau, a professor at theUniversity of Arkansas at Little Rockwho has long been involved in thesearch for the ivorybill, had his videocamera running as he and brother-in-law Robert Henderson canoed alongBayou DeView. The two men noticed

a bird fly off the trunk of a treein the distance

but could seefew details. When Luneauchecked his video, though, he discov-ered that he had captured a few secondsof the bird.

Months later, Luneau’s video wasenlarged, slowed down, enhanced, andsubjected to highly detailed study andcomparison to determine its subject’sexact size, shape, and coloration. It wasthis brief, almost accidentally shot videothat provided researchers with the proofthey needed to be able to declare thatthe ivory-billed woodpecker had beenrediscovered—an announcement given

the stamp of approval by the presti-gious journal Science.

Almost incredibly, the ivorybillsightings and the search had been keptsecret for more than a year before theformal announcement in April, 2005.Of course, there were rumors in thecity of Brinkley and elsewhere aboutthe out-of-state people frequentingmotels and restaurants, who seemed sointerested in the swamps of the area.But the true importance of what wasgoing on remained within a relativelysmall circle.

Once the announcement of theivorybill’s rediscovery had

been made, though,there was hardly anAmerican who didn’thear the story and knowthe bird’s name. FromCNN to National PublicRadio to the front pages ofcountless newspapers, theevent received tremendouscoverage in the media.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?What does the rediscovery

of the ivory-billed woodpeckermean? For birdwatchers, biol-ogists, and conservationists, ofcourse, it’s a landmark of globalsignificance: One of the mostmagnificent animals to exist onthe North American continent hasreturned from extinction.

In the short term, most of thepredictions of great impact oneastern Arkansas may not live up tothe rhetoric. There are those whohave claimed, sometimes for politicalreasons, that environmentalists wantto stop hunting, fishing, and evenfarming in the region. Of course,nothing could be further from thetruth. It was in part the money andinterest of hunters, as well as otherconservationists, that preserved thehabitat where the ivorybills sightingshave occurred. A coalition of duckhunters and environmentalists, forinstance, saved the Cache River frombeing turned into a sterile ditch decadesago.

Conservationists would like to seesignificant additional land protected,but the areas in question are a drop inthe bucket compared to agricultural

Gene Sparling, a kayaker who first saw the ivory-billedwoodpecker, compares a hole found in a dead tree in the

Cache River National Wildlife Refuge in Arkansas to achart created by Dutch scientist Martjan Lammertink of

holes created by pileated woodpeckers (left side of chart)and ivory-billed woodpeckers.

March 2005.

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acreage in eastern Arkansas, and landadded to national wildlife refuges andother wildlife areas would almostwithout exception be open to huntingand fishing. It’s in the best interest ofbirdwatchers, hunters, anglers, and allconservationists to cooperate topreserve the bottomland forest habitatof eastern Arkansas, whether for theivorybill or mallards or white-taileddeer or catfish.

Many people,politicians included,immediately beganpredicting that theivorybill wouldmean an economic boom in easternArkansas, as thousands of birdwatchersflood the area and spend money onmotels, meals, guide services, and gaso-line. Conceivably, something like thiscould happen someday. First, though,certain things must come to pass.

There needs to be a reasonablechance to see the bird, if people are goingto visit. At this point, more than 20,000person/hours of intense searching haveyielded about seven sightings. One of

those involved in the search has estimatedthe odds of seeing an ivorybill at aboutone in 1.2 million. Far more needs to beknown about where and how the birdslive. And this, of course, bring up anumber of vital questions.

How many birds still exist? In aworst-case scenario, was this bird thelast ivorybill? At the other extreme, isthere a nesting population of ivorybills

somewhere in eastern Arkansas that hassomehow managed to escape detectionfor decades? If so, where are they? Isthere a way to allow people to observethe birds while at the same time strictlyprotecting them from harassment,which might disturb their breeding anddrive them closer to real extinction? Ifa small population of ivorybills exists,is it too late to save them? Have theirnumbers dwindled past the point ofgenetic viability? Or, if they are

protected and additional high-qualityhabitat is provided, can they make acomeback? How much land, and howmany years, would that take?

No one knows the answers to any ofthese questions. For now, searchers willbe back in the Big Woods of easternArkansas, from the Cache River and BayouDeView south along the White River tothe Arkansas and Mississippi rivers, trying

to find more ivory-bills, trying to locatenests, trying tounderstand what canbe done to helpthem. The next

sighting might come from someonefishing on the Cache, or from a deerhunter in White River National WildlifeRefuge, or from a birdwatcher who trav-eled from New York or California to searchfor this “magical” bird.

Ornithologists, birdwatchers, andoutdoorspeople must keep looking andtrying to learn as much as they can, andhope that the next sighting of an ivory-billed woodpecker won’t also be thelast. ��

It's in the best interest of all conservationists to cooperate topreserve the bottomland forest habitat of eastern Arkansas

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GGlory hallelujah! The ivory-billedwoodpecker has been rediscovered in theCache and White river forests of easternArkansas. More than sixty years afterthe last confirmed sighting of the speciesin the United States, a research teamannounced in the spring of 2005 that atleast one male ivorybill still survives invast areas of bottomland forest.

Now, there is even some evidencethat the bird’s range may be bigger thanwe thought, possibly stretching deepinto the White River National WildlifeRefuge, farther south than the originalsightings in the Cache River NWR.

The bird was thought to be extinct.For all practical purposes, it was dead.Now, it lives again here in the NaturalState.

All of us are thrilled at the discoveryof an ivory-billed woodpecker in theCache and White river bottomland forests.We congratulate Gene Sparling of HotSprings, who made the first sighting morethan a year ago while kayaking on theCache River. We’re proud of the dedi-cated employees of the U.S. Fish andWildlife Service, Arkansas Game and FishCommission, Arkansas Natural HeritageCommission, the Nature Conservancy,and all the private landowners who havebeen good stewards of their wildlife-richproperties in that area of the state.

As we celebrate this wonderfuldiscovery, we also must see what wecan learn from this remarkable event.The most important lesson is that the

Lessons of theIvorybillThe woodpecker’s rediscovery provesthe benefits of conservationBy David Carruth, Arkansas Wildlife Federation

CONSERVATION •

Big WoodsConservationPartnership projectvolunteer JimFitzpatrick and hisdog, Drake, set off tosearch for ivory-billed woodpeckersin the Cache RiverNational WildlifeRefuge.

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conservation of the Cache and Whiterivers and the wise stewardship of theirbottomland forests have paid huge divi-dends. For many decades, the late Dr.Rex Hancock of Stuttgart, Citizensto Protect the Cache River Basin, theArkansas Wildlife Federation, otherconservation groups, and natural-resource agencies fought the proposedchannelization of Cache River. ThatCorps of Engineers project would havetransformed Cache River into a straightditch, lined with rocks and barrenbanks. Now, because of the work donemany decades ago by conservationistsand natural-resource agencies, there isa national wildlife refuge on the Cache.It doesn’t take a scientist to realize thativory-billed woodpeckers definitelyprefer dense forests to barren ditches.

It is quite certain that decades agothese Cache River environmentalistsweren’t thinking about ivorybills whenthey went up against the Corps ofEngineers and the other channeliza-tion cheerleaders. Dr. Hancock lovedducks and their beautiful habitats. Heknew it was wrong economically andenvironmentally to ruin the Cache. Heknew mallards would be harmed if theCache was destroyed by the dredge andthe plow. He pressed his battle relent-lessly until the war was won.

The same lesson can be applied toa proposal to deepen the lower WhiteRiver navigation channel. Since the late1970s, the Arkansas Wildlife Federation

and other organizations and natural-resource agencies have been fighting theCorps’ plans to construct a 9-foot-deepnavigation channel in the shallow areasof White River from Newport down-stream for about 250 miles. Theconstruction of this project will be detri-mental to the ivory-billed woodpeckerand many other species of wildlife.

Proponents say it will be aneconomic boon. Realists point to thefact the no Corps of Engineers naviga-tion project produces as much as it ishyped to do. Corps projects are never-ending and forever-expanding. If thepublic sits idly by and lets the channeldiggers and dike builders construct adeeper channel on the White, you canrest assured the project will grow byleaps and bounds through the years. Thecosts will be in the millions of dollars,and will result in the loss of irreplace-able fish and wildlife habitat.

We can make the same argumentthat construction of the massive pumpstation for the Grand Prairie IrrigationProject could impact the habitat of thewoodpecker. The pump’s withdrawalof 158 billion gallons of water out ofthe lower White annually will definitelychange the character of the river andits ecosystems. That is more than eighttimes the amount of water that nearly370,000 residents and businesses incentral Arkansas use in a year, but this$319 million project, which all of usare paying for, will directly serve only

900 farmers. It’s a bad project econom-ically and environmentally—that’s whythere is so much opposition from manyfarmers who live on the Grand Prairieand along White River.

For some reason, there are politi-cians and other Arkansans who believewater will be pumped from the riveronly during flooding events. If thatwere true, there would be almost noopposition to the project. The fact isthat the Corps plans for water to besucked out by the pump even duringthe driest months of summer.

As a resident of Clarendon, only astone’s throw from the ivorybill’s back-yard, I can assure you that these multi-million-dollar Corps of Engineer projectswill be bad for this region of Arkansas.On the other hand, you can be assuredthat the discovery of the ivory-billedwoodpecker will bring positive nationalexposure to this area that will result in aneconomic boon. Already, there are reportsthat some duck clubs are getting so manyreservations from “birdwatchers” for theupcoming fall that they may have littlespace available for duck hunters.

The ivory-billed woodpecker isalive today because of conservationefforts that have taken place over severaldecades. It would be a crime to fail tosee why it is so important to protectareas like the Cache and White riverbottoms. The rediscovery of this birdwill teach us a lesson—if we simply payattention. ��

Cache River National Wildlife Refuge, Arkansas.

A


About decade ago, Mel Harness gotan idea to bring back to life the naturalfeature that had given his small commu-nity its name.

A 30-year resident of Prairie View, inBoone County, Harness hadbecome deeply interested in thetallgrass prairies that once werea prominent part of the regionallandscape. At the time ofEuropean settlement, prairiescovered more than 100,000acres of what is now north-western Arkansas.

Not long after these grass-lands had captured his imagina-tion, Harness was dismayed tolearn that the 10,000-acre prairiethat once surrounded his homehad been reduced to a single 71-acre tract at Harrison, some fourmiles away. Harness says he visited thesite, Baker Prairie Natural Area, manytimes, and even served as a volunteer there.

“I was very intrigued by it,” Harnesssaid. “Certainly visiting Baker Prairie iswhat motivated me and my family tobecome interested in a restoration project.I thought it would be great if there couldbe some prairie restoration at Prairie Viewso that people could see what it lookedlike … or what it could look like.”

That thought led him to seek advicefrom the Arkansas Natural Heritage

Commission and the Nature Conservancy,which co-own and manage Baker Prairie.While part of the same original and vastprairie, the 20 acres the Harnesses ownhad been converted to farmland, whereas

Baker Prairie is a “virgin” prairie, meaningit had never been tilled or developed inany way.

“Both organizations had a lot ofexcitement about doing this,” Harnesssaid. “At the time, very little of this typeof work had been done. And becausesome of the Conservancy’s land does needrestoration, they were very interested inhelping me.”

Besides offering encouragement andeventually helping him develop a main-tenance plan for the plot he hoped to

restore to its native condition, theConservancy and the Arkansas NaturalHeritage Commission provided infor-mation about federal and state grants.

In the end, it would take more than$8,000 to turn 20 acres of tilledpasture back into a tallgrassprairie. Harness didn’t have toinvest any of his own money,though. The bulk of the grantscame from the U.S. NaturalResources Conservation Service(formerly the U.S. SoilConservation Service), and therest came from the WildlifeHabitat Incentive Programadministered by the ArkansasGame and Fish Commission.

The federal money wasprimarily used for site prepara-tion and seed. The first prepara-

tory step was to kill exotic, or non-native,grasses with herbicides. Next Harnesstilled the land so that he could seed it thefollowing winter. Using a list of about 200plants that had been identified at BakerPrairie, Harness went looking for seedson the market.

“We found about fifty varieties ofseeds that were on the list,” he said. “Inaddition to the ones I purchased, I wentto some nearby areas where other nativeplant seeds were available and I collectedthese. This enabled me to get about 25

HARNESS PRAIRIE •

Bringing Back theNatural State of ThingsAn Arkansas family restores a tallgrass prairie near HarrisonBy Jay Harrod,The Nature Conservancy

Mel Harness and familyat prairie.

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additional species.”Last summer, Scott Simon, a biolo-

gist and director of the NatureConservancy in Arkansas, visited theHarnesses’ prairie and was able to iden-tify about 100 native plants.

“Of all the restoration projects I’veseen, this one appears to be the mostsuccessful,” Simon said. “I was absolutelyamazed to see how quickly the restora-tion is taking place. It’s hard to imaginethis beautiful prairie was—just a few yearsago—a common field with very littlebiodiversity. Mel and his family have beenpassionate about this project, and itshows.”

Thomas Foti, chief researcher atthe Arkansas Natural HeritageCommission, is equally enthusiastic.“When Mel Harness first called me severalyears ago, I had a feeling he would do agood job, and he has,” Foti said. “Severalstate agencies and a few individuals havetried prairie restoration, but generally noton as large a scale as he has undertakenor with the number of species he hasmanaged to propagate.”

Plants at the Harnesses’ prairie aren’tthe only things that have become moreabundant and diversified. Most of themoney from the Arkansas Game and FishCommission was used to plant trees suchas dogwoods, redbuds and serviceberriesalong the fencerow surrounding the prop-erty.

“Once the natural habitat began toflourish, we also saw an increase inwildlife,” Harness said. “There are nowsongbirds that come here and nest thatwe’ve never seen before. One of the birdsin some numbers is the dickcissel. It’s abird that requires a prairie-type habitat.There are a lot more hawks now. Andwe’ve seen an increase in insects and alltypes of butterflies and dragonflies. Wehave some grasshoppers that you don’tordinarily see—ones that thrive in undis-turbed prairies and meadows. And wenow have a very large population ofbobwhite quail on the prairie.”

Part of securing the grant from theU.S. Natural Resources ConservationService meant Harness had to assure theagency he’d continue to work towardsimproving the habitat and biodiversity atthe prairie. With help from the NatureConservancy, Harness developed a main-tenance program, much of which revolvesaround the use of fire to restore natural

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conditions.“I burn one-third of the land each

year,” Harness said. “I can also mow it aspart of the plan, which would emulate theeffects grazing animals might have oncehad. In some cases, the grazing or themowing can stimulate the growth of wild-flowers even more than fire.”

Partnerships and cooperative proj-ects in Arkansas make possible such conser-vation successes as the Harnesses’ prairie,said Karen Smith, director of the ArkansasNatural Heritage Commission.

“We applaud the work of Mr.Harness,” Smith said. “The abundanceof the prairie species on his land is a testa-ment to what can be accomplished withlandowners, state and federal agencies,and private nonprofits like the NatureConservancy working together. On theBaker Prairie Natural Area site, we alsobenefit from the efforts of the Friends ofBaker Prairie, Harrison High School, andour contractor, Ozark EcologicalRestoration.”

According to Foti, virgin prairies canserve as models for restoration of wholelandscapes as well as models for speciescomposition, interrelationships, and distur-bance processes. “Mel Harness has donethat and taken an important step towardrestoring an almost-vanished Arkansasecosystem,” he said.

Some seven years after starting therestoration project, Harness feels the workhas been rewarding. “The beauty is inde-scribable,” he said. “People who comeand see the prairie and hear the story fallin love with it. I guess our reason foropening it to the public is so that hope-fully other people will consider doing thesame with their property—restoring itback to its native state.”

VISITING THE HARNESSES’PRAIRIE

The Harnesses’ prairie is privatelyowned, but is open to the public. TheHarnesses maintain two trails on the prop-erty: one that skirts the perimeter of theprairie and one that crosses it. There areno signs at the prairie, which is locatedsome 3.5 miles south of Harrison onPrairie View Road, a Boone County road.

Baker Prairie Natural Area, locatedwithin the Harrison city limits, is open tothe public and has an interpretive trail.For more information about Baker Prairie,visit www.nature.org/ arkansas. ��


WWhat do the Passenger Pigeon,Carolina Parakeet, Eskimo Curlew, andBachman’s Warbler have in common?All four species, once plentiful inArkansas and other regions of NorthAmerica, are now extinct. For decadesthe Ivory-billed Woodpecker was consid-ered to be one of their number. Withthe woodpecker’s recent rediscoveryin the swamps of eastern Arkansas—the“Big Woods” of the Cache-Lower WhiteRivers region—we now know thathabitat conservation efforts there wereeffective in preserving this species from

the fate of extinction.Although no other bird species in

Arkansas is as rare as the Ivory-billedWoodpecker, many species are decliningat an alarming rate either in Arkansas orthroughout their range. Once again weneed a collaborative effort among avariety of public and private stakeholdersto ensure that Arkansas does not losemore bird species.

Audubon Arkansas, the state fieldoffice of the 100-year-old NationalAudubon Society, is about “keeping ourcommon birds common.” Vital to their

survival is preserving the habitat neededto support the various life stages of thesespecies. Audubon’s primary tool forhabitat conservation is the ImportantBird Area (IBA) program.

At every phase, volunteers and“citizen scientists,” working withAudubon staff, are key to successfulimplementation of the IBA strategy.

The first step of the program is toidentify Important Bird Areas—thosesites most important as habitat tosustaining bird species in the state. IBAsmust meet certain criteria. They must

BIRDS •

Keeping Our CommonBirds CommonAudubon’s Important Bird Areas in Arkansas

By Dan Scheiman, Ph.D., Director of Bird Conservation, and Ellen Fennell,Director of Development, Audubon Arkansas

Lord God Bird, painted by George M. Sutton, showsthe female’s head as black instead of red. Usedwith permission of Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

harbor significant numbers of birds ofconservation concern (i.e., speciesknown to be declining in the state) orbirds that are vulnerable because theycongregate in high densities, such asshorebirds in migration or waterfowl inwinter. Sites qualify after considerationby a committee of “citizen scientists,”who function as the IBA TechnicalCommittee. They are then recognizedby the Audubon Arkansas state boardas Important Bird Areas.

Fifty-nine birds of “state conserva-tion interest” use at least one ImportantBird Area for breeding, wintering, orduring migration. Arkansas has 22 recog-nized IBAs with more under consider-ation. IBAs vary in acreage andownership; the smallest is the 60-acre,privately owned Magness Lake, recog-nized for the largest and oldest winteringpopulation of Trumpeter Swans in theSoutheast. The largest IBA in the statethus far is the 1,296,000-acre complexof federal, state, municipal, corporate,and private lands of Shugart/FelsenthalNational Wildlife Refuge designed toprotect the Red-cockaded Woodpecker.

Since the rediscovery of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, the globally impor-tant “Big Woods” has been clearlyrecognized as the crown jewel ofArkansas’s Important Bird Areas. Thelongest contiguous expanse of bottom-land hardwood forest in the LowerMississippi River Valley, the Big Woodsencompasses two national wildliferefuges (Cache River and White River)and three state wildlife managementareas (Black Swamp, Dagmar, andTrusten Holder).

Even before the rediscovery of the“Elvis” of the bird world, the Cache-Lower White Rivers site had been recog-nized as an Important Bird Area byAudubon. The Big Woods is importantbecause of the diversity, numbers, andrarity of the bird species therethroughout the year. The Cache- LowerWhite Rivers IBA is the most importantwintering area for Mallards in NorthAmerica. During migration, thousandsof hawks move through the area on adaily basis. Songbirds such as flycatchers,thrushes, and warblers breed there inabundance; many of these species are

experiencing population declinesthroughout their ranges.

The Cache-Lower White RiversIBA is also important as the site mostlikely to support the return of theSwallow-tailed Kite to Arkansas. For thepast three years, a pair has nested annu-ally in the White River National WildlifeRefuge—the first nesting of this speciesin the state for more than a century.While no young have yet fledged, itappears to be only a matter of timebefore they succeed.

Naming a site an Important BirdArea depends on good data on birdpopulations present. Once recognizedas an IBA, additional monitoring, usuallyby volunteers, is important to ensurethe site remains important as habitat.On-the-ground surveys through birdcounts can tell us how birds areresponding to changes in land manage-ment practices. All conservation actionssuch as monitoring are undertaken byAudubon with landowners who arewilling to involve themselves in habitatconservation.

Audubon Arkansas has made goodstrides in identifying a number ofImportant Bird Areas in the state.Additional IBAs will undoubtedly beidentified over the next few years, sinceArkansas is a wildlife-rich and diversestate. This year, Audubon Arkansas willbe gearing up its efforts to organize assis-tance with identifying and monitoringbirds on IBAs, in cooperation with citi-zens, land managers, Audubon chapters,friends groups, expert birders, and others.

Public outreach and understandingof what an IBA signifies is Audubon’schallenge as well. When an IBA isnamed, Audubon informs local commu-nities of the designation and encouragespeople to take advantage of the recre-ational opportunities at the site.Communities are quick to see that bird-watching is an opportunity worthpromoting to residents and visitors.

Birdwatching is a billion-dollarindustry, with millions of bird watchersin the U.S. alone. When birders travelto see birds they pay for local lodging,food, and gas. Communities near IBAshave the opportunity to cash in onecotourism. The presence of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker in Arkansas is makingecotourism a reality. Educational oppor-tunities, too, abound at IBAs for groups

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of all ages—from grade-school studentsmaking their first foray into nature, toornithology students conductingresearch projects, to Audubon societiesleading public bird walks.

Last but not least, conservationaction may be needed at some sites.Working with willing landowners toimplement best management practices,Audubon can address habitat restora-tion and improvements through targetedconservation measures. Volunteers canassist by undertaking projects such asplanting native vegetation, removingexotic vegetation, trash cleanups, or nestbox installation.

Throughout the IBA process,Audubon will work with landowners, landmanagers, birders, hunters, conservationorganizations, and other stakeholders tocarry out and complement conservationefforts that will ensure that these areasremain important for birds indefinitely.

If you are interested in helpingAudubon Arkansas with its IBA program,or would like to learn more about it,contact [email protected] or clickon www.ar.audubon.org. ��

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T22 ARKANSAS WILD • Fall 2005

The Cossatot River rises in theOuachita National Forest southeast ofMena and tumbles southward across asparsely populated section of west-centralArkansas until entering Gillham Lake, aU.S. Army Corps of Engineers impound-ment completed in 1975.

In the clean, swift-running river abovethe lake live two fishes—the OuachitaMountain shiner and the leopard darter—that are found nowhere on earth except instreams of the Ouachita Mountains. At theCossatot Falls, the river snakes over andbetween jagged, upturned rock strata to

create a stretch of water that challengeskayakers and canoeists as can few places inmid-America. The rock formations, polishedsmooth by the river, yield intriguing imagesto those with cameras. Those are amongthe reasons why the Cossatot has been desig-nated a Wild and Scenic River by the stateand federal governments.

Though local residents, naturalists,whitewater enthusiasts, and photogra-phers evidence a deep devotion to theCossatot, it has never been as widelyappreciated as its merits deserve. Not onlydoes it flow through a relatively remote

area, in the past it had only limited facil-ities for visitors. Last fall, though, newdoors opened that are expected to furtherpublic awareness and understanding ofthe Cossatot. Funded through the state’sAmendment 75 Conservation Tax, a one-eighth-cent sales levy approved by votersin 1996, a new $2.7 million Visitors andEducation Center at the Cossatot RiverState Park/Natural Area has equippedthe park’s employees with a facility andtools adequate to their task of revealingthe river’s significance.

“It is difficult to imagine any Arkansan

COSSATOT •

Gateway to the CossatotA new visitor center welcomes travelers to this beautiful Ouachita riverBy Jim Taylor, Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism

The Cossatot River is the centerpiece ofthe Cossatot State Park with new visitoreducation center and showcases theriver’s significance to the state and ourenvironment.


who would not feel a sense of pride expe-riencing this center for the first time,”said Richard Davies, executive director ofthe Arkansas Department of Parks andTourism. “It is another great example ofthe enduring legacy the people of the stateare building through Amendment 75.”

The 5,484-acre park extends alonga dozen miles of the river’s corridor fromjust above the Ark. 246 bridge east ofVandervoort to about 1.5 miles belowthe U.S. 278 bridge east of Wickes. Thenew visitors center is located just south ofU.S. 278 on a forested ridge overlookingthe Cossatot’s narrow valley from the west.

“A big part of our mission with thisbuilding will be natural resource educa-tion,” said Stan Speight, the park’s super-intendent since its creation in 1988.

Visitors enter the 16,304-square-footfacility through a covered entryway andimmediately find themselves in the GrandRoom, which houses a reception/regis-tration desk, a gift shop with souvenirsand books and other educational items,and a topographic model of the park. Twotouch-screen computer kiosks allow visi-tors to learn about the park’s facilities andnatural assets.

Located off the Grand Room are a1,564-square-foot exhibit gallery, two class-rooms that can be combined to seat 80, awildlife observation room with a treetopview, and park administrative offices.

The exhibits, under the theme “TheCossatot: A River for All Seasons,” relatethe historical use and natural features ofthe river. Exhibit highlights include amodel gristmill with a turning waterturbine, a food-chain diorama featuringaquatic insects enlarged 12 times, and amodel landscape onto which visitors canbring rain with the push of a button andthen observe run-off variations betweendifferent terrains. The exhibits place theriver into its Ouachita Mountain settingand explore the flora and fauna in andalong the Cossatot, while revealingcomplex relationships at the heart of thestream’s ecology.

The two classrooms have audio-visualequipment, internet access, and labora-tory space, and are expected to play aprominent role in the park’s educationmission. As Arkansas State Parks directorGreg Butts observed, “Within a 75-mileradius are more than 60,000 schoolstudents who can benefit from, and beinspired by, this environmental education

center and the remarkable outdoor labo-ratory [the park] that surrounds it.” Thepark staff includes two interpreters toprovide programming for area schools andthe general public. When not scheduledfor school programs and workshops, theclassrooms are available for public rental.

A 15-minute video, “Cossatot: A Rideon the Wild Side,” is shown in the class-rooms upon visitor request. It employscomputer-generated graphics to demon-strate how the Ouachita Mountains wereformed and reveals the river’s character withaerial shots of its corridor and action footageof floaters challenging its whitewater.

The elevated observation roomaffords visitors the chance to see commonArkansas woodland species such as deer,turkey, squirrel, and raccoon, as well asseasonal opportunities to spot breedingand migratory birds.

Since 1988, the Cossatot River StatePark/Natural Area has been jointlymanaged by the parks and tourism agencyand state Natural Heritage Commission toprovide for the stream’s preservation andfor resource-compatible use of the stream.

Current park facilities also includethe Brushy Creek Recreation Area at Ark.246, which has picnic sites, restrooms, ahiking trail, and a pedestrian walkway overthe river. Developed campsites (no hook-ups) and restrooms are available atCossatot Falls, while primitive campingis available in three other areas, one ofwhich also has restrooms. Access to thepark’s interior is by way of gravel roads.The park’s 14-mile River Corridor Trailextends between the Ark. 246 and U.S.278 areas but may be hiked in sections.The Harris Creek Trail is a 3.5-mile loopstarting in the U.S. 278 area.

Though renowned for its whitewater,the Cossatot is not consistently at float-able levels. The stream’s upland water-shed means that it “goes up and downreally, really fast,” Speight said, and it isgenerally floatable for at most a few daysafter significant rainfall. “It’s a pretty shortwindow of opportunity,” he said. TheCossatot is only for very experiencedfloaters, sporting rapids rated up to ClassV in difficulty.

For more information on the parkand its interpretive programs, as well asfloater information, phone (870) 385-2201. Park information, including a linkto a park weather station, is also availableat www.ArkansasStateParks.com. ��

A


After a dry, hot summer, the cooltemperatures of fall are a much-welcome reprieve. Fall is one of the besttimes of year to get out and explore thediverse landscape of Arkansas. Rainswill fill the parched creeks and rivers,while green leaves turn shades of red,orange, and yellow. There will be alot to see and do.

For fall adventures, one ofArkansas’s best-kept secrets is its Systemof Natural Areas. Natural areas are landsmanaged by the Arkansas NaturalHeritage Commission (ANHC) toprotect, and sometimes restore, ecosys-tems that are now rare. If you trav-eled back in time about 200 years,the landscape of Arkansas would lookvastly different. A rice field in the GrandPrairie of the 21st century would be avast tallgrass prairie in the early 19thcentury. The same could be said forcountless other Arkansas ecosystems.The development of Arkansas has comeat a cost, with great portions of ourlandscape destroyed by plow or bull-dozer.

Natural areas protect the last

remnants of Arkansas’s original wildlandscape. As such, they are not gearedtoward heavy public use. For the mostpart, there are no public facilities onnatural areas. The idea is to protect theecosystem and associated animals andplants first. That is not to say, though,that natural areas can never be visitedby humans. They can be, but in a low-impact fashion. Natural areas are greatplaces to experience a wild version ofArkansas. If you like bird-watching,photography, or simply experiencingnature, these are great places to visit.For descriptions, driving directions andmaps to the natural area listed below,and many others, visit www.natural-heritage.com and look under “NaturalAreas.”

BIRD-WATCHINGBird-watching is a popular activity

with many people both in and outsideof Arkansas. The popularity of thisavocation is increasing, with thenumbers of bird-watchers growing eachyear. Fortunately, many of Arkansas’snatural areas are perfectly suited for

bird-watching.One such spot is Warren Prairie

Natural Area in Bradley and Drewcounties. This natural area, located offU.S. Highway 278 between Warrenand Monticello, is one of our state’sunique environments. The site is a mixof a very rare habitat called “salinebarrens,” along with pine woodlandsand bottomland hardwood forests. Thehigh salt concentrations of salinebarrens prevent many woody plantsfrom growing here. The result is anopen, prairie-like site ringed by forestsand open woodlands where salt concen-trations are lower. With the diversityof habitats found here, birding oppor-

Fall Activities onArkansas Natural AreasBY MICHAEL WARRINER, ARKANSAS NATURAL HERITAGE COMMISSION

Shooting star is one of countlessspecies of wildflowers found onArkansas’s natural areas, managed bythe Natural Heritage Commission toprotect and restore threatened ecosys-tems.

Sweeden Creek

NATURAL AREAS •

tunities abound.One of the more notable birds

found at Warren Prairie in the fall andwinter is the rare Henslow’s sparrow.This sparrow is a grassland-dependentspecies that has experienced steepdeclines as its prairie habitat has beendestroyed. Large numbers of Henslow’ssparrows regularly winter at WarrenPrairie, along with a number of othersparrow species.

Recently, Warren Prairie has beenthe site of innovative ecolog-ical management techniquesto restore open loblolly pineforests, once a commonfeature in this region ofArkansas. The long-termgoal of the restoration is toprovide habitat for the feder-ally endangered red-cock-aded woodpecker. In fact,this past summer, a red-cockaded woodpecker wasspotted in the restorationarea at Warren Prairie,possibly checking out itsfuture home.

PHOTOGRAPHYSome of the most

scenic spots in Arkansas canbe found on natural areas.Many well-known andfamiliar photographs of ourlandscape come from suchplaces as Kings River FallsNatural Area or theCossatot River State Park-Natural Area. The goodnews is that there are evenmore areas than these forbudding photographers to

discover.Sweden Creek Falls Natural Area,

located in the Ozark Mountains ofMadison County, is a mix of dryglades, moist woodlands, and forests.The natural area takes its name froman 80-foot waterfall, the eighth highestin Arkansas. With the coming of falland winter rains, Sweden Creek is anatural stop for photographerswanting to capture this magnificentwaterfall. The dramatic landscape ofthe Ozarks can also be captured at oneof the ANHC’s newest natural areas,Garrett Hollow Natural Area inWashington County. Garrett Hollow

is marked by dramatic rock outcrops,steep slopes, and diverse hardwoodforests.

Photographers can also makeinteresting finds by visiting naturalareas. At Middle Fork Barrens NaturalArea in Saline County, a naturephotographer and amateur naturalistfirst noticed and photographed whatwould become Arkansas’s mostrecently discovered plant species, thePelton’s rose gentian.

OTHER NATURAL ENDEAVORSEven if you’re not into bird-

watching or photography, natural areasare still excellent places to simply expe-rience nature. Many people across thestate are unfamiliar with how uniqueArkansas really is. Our state has anincredible diversity of habitats for sucha small geographic area. Many of thesehabitats are very rare, and some ofthe only places they can be experiencedare on natural areas.

For that reason, teachers across thestate use natural areas near their schoolsas outdoor classrooms. Searles PrairieNatural Area in Benton County has

hosted several school groups from thatpart of the state. Lorance Creek NaturalArea is regularly visited by a teacherand his students from a local Little Rockpublic school to examine swampecology. By walking through an actualprairie or testing the water quality ofa healthy stream, students come awaywith real hands-on experiences and agreater appreciation for naturalArkansas. The same can also be said forfamilies. Teaching the next generationthe importance of conservation is vitalfor the future of our state’s naturalresources.

The landscape, flora, and faunaof Arkansas have also inspired artists,from John James Audubon in the 19thcentury to modern-day artists of the21st century. The noted botanical artistKate Nessler created a series of paint-ings based upon the wildlflowers ofBaker Prairie Natural Area. There isnothing stopping other aspiring artistsfrom doing the same. Pack up yoursupplies and find out what natural areashave to offer this fall.

The rediscovery of the ivory-billedwoodpecker has prompted many to


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learn more about its home in the “BigWoods” of eastern Arkansas. A greatplace to experience the Big Woods isat Striplin Woods Natural Area inArkansas County. This natural area islocated right next door to the visitorcenter of the White River NationalWildlife Refuge at St. Charles. StriplinWoods can even be experiencedwithout getting your feet dirty. Auniversally accessible deck leads outfrom the visitor center to the naturalarea. For the more adventurous, StriplinWoods can also be experienced offthe deck as well. This natural area isunique in that it has been protectedfrom human disturbance for years.Many of the trees in the natural areaare quite tall, with some reaching diam-eters of 24 inches.

VISITING A NATURAL AREAThere are a few precautions you

should take when visiting a natural areaduring the fall and winter. Since this timeof year is a popular time to hunt,remember to take the necessary steps(wearing hunter orange) to prevent

hunting accidents. Also, remember thatmost natural areas do not have public facil-ities: Come prepared with food and waterif you plan a day-long trip. Once you areon the natural area, please travel only byfoot to lessen potential damage to sensi-tive habitats. Motorized vehicles, horses,camping, and construction of permanenthunting stands are prohibited on ANHCnatural areas. ��

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An event that began modestly backin the days of the Great Depression hasgrown over the decades to become oneof Arkansas most famous, successful, andexceptional celebrations. It’s the World’sChampionship Duck Calling Contest andWings Over the Prairie Festival, to be heldthis year Nov. 19-26 at locations aroundthe Grand Prairie city of Stuttgart.

It’s fitting that this celebration shouldbe held in a community that calls itself“the rice and duck capital of the world.”The rice fields and bottomland swampsaround Stuttgart have long made it acenter for duck-hunting. Thousands ofsportsmen and -women flock to the GrandPrairie each fall in search of mallards andother waterfowl. Retail stores, manufac-turers, guide services, and other businessesrelated to duck-hunting make a signifi-cant contribution to Stuttgart’s economy.

While the World’s ChampionshipDuck Calling Contest is the centerpiece of

the festival, it’s not the only attraction.Other activities include a carnival andmidway, an arts and crafts fair, exhibits ofthe latest sporting goods and off-road vehi-cles, a 10K race, a duck gumbo cook-off,and—to begin the festival—the QueenMallard Pageant, to be held this year onSaturday night, Nov. 19.

The contest’s beginning dates backto the first “National Duck CallingContest,” held on Main Street in Stuttgarton Nov. 24, 1936, in connection with theannual Arkansas Rice Carnival. Seventeensportsmen entered that original contest.The winner was Thomas E. Walsh ofGreenville, Mississippi, who won withoutthe use of a duck call—making the soundsin his throat. (The only other contestantto win first prize without use of a duck callwas Herman Callouet, also of Greenville,Mississippi, who won in 1942.) Walsh’s1936 victory brought him a hunting coatvalued at $6.60. By 1947, first prize had

grown to $1,000 in cash. Today’s winnerreceives a prize package worth more than$15,000. By the way, the only woman toever win the overall contest was PatPeacock of Stuttgart, in 1955 and 1956.(There are separate categories today forwomen and young people.)

As the festival has grown in popularity,more and varied events have been added towhat is now a week-long schedule. The Chickand Sophie Major Memorial Duck CallingContest, for example, is open to any high-school senior in the United States. Winnersreceive college scholarships that can be appliedto any field of study. The contest honorsChick and Sophie Major, local residents whowere waterfowl enthusiasts. Chick Major waswell-known as the maker of the famous DixieMallard Duck Call. He was also stepfatherof Pat Peacock, the only women to win theworld championship.

The Friday night Sportsman’sDinner and Dance begins with a barbecue

DUCK CALLING •

Stuttgart’s duck-calling championship is the highlight of a week-long festival By Mel White & Stephen Bell

Children learn to blow a duck call at the Riceland FoodsChildren’s Duck Calling Class, conducted each year duringthe Wings Over the Prairie Festival. Children ages 4 to 8may participate.

World championduck caller BernieBoyle of Danville,Iowa, and QueenMallard Whitney

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dinner at 6:30. At 8 p.m., the live musicstarts and continues until midnight fordancing. Be sure to call the StuttgartChamber of Commerce in advance fortickets to the dinner and dance, alwaysone of the highlights of the festival.

One of the most popular events atthe festival, and one of the best-knownannual parties in Arkansas, is the DuckGumbo Cook-off. While for some peopleit’s mostly an excuse to mix and mingleand listen to zydeco music (and admirethe wild booths that the contest teamsbuild), it’s also a serious competition, with48 teams trying to convince judges thattheir duck gumbo recipe is best. The FoodNetwork recently featured the event onits popular show “All American Festivals.”

Speaking of competition, the Great10K Duck Race attracts runners whochallenge themselves on a 10,000-meter(6.2-mile) course. Because this is theGrand Prairie of eastern Arkansas, ofcourse, the route is just about as flat asanyplace can be this side of the BonnevilleSalt Flats. The level course and cool fallweather mean a chance for all runners toset personal bests. Every runner whoenters the Great 10K Duck Race receivesan official T-shirt, and awards are givento winners of individual age divisions.

Duck-calling competitions in variouscategories take place during the festival,but the premier contests take place on theconcluding Saturday of the festival, onMain Street in downtown Stuttgart. Firstis the Arkansas State Championship,followed by the Women’s WorldChampionship, and finishing with theWorld’s Championship. Dozens of stateand regional competitions lead up to thisfinal contest, with callers making their wayto Stuttgart by winning sanctioned events.As in all the competitions, contestants have90 seconds to perform a hail call, a matingcall, a feed call, and a comeback call.

Last year’s winner was Bernie Boyleof Danville, Iowa, who also won in2002. Previous winners’ home stateshave ranged from California toWisconsin, from Texas to Tennessee—with several, fittingly, from Stuttgart,“rice and duck capital of the world.”

For information on the World’sChampionship Duck Calling Contestand Wings Over the Prairie Festival,contact the Stuttgart Chamber ofCommerce at 870-673-1602 or visitwww.stuttgartarkansas.com. ��

An exhibitor at theWings Over ThePrairie Festival

touches up a duckcall in hopes ofmaking a sale.

E


Even during those weeks whensummer is in high gear, thoughts ofwaterfowl populations are not far fromthe minds of many Arkansans. Ardenthunters realize that May and July areperiods when the U.S. Fish and WildlifeService conducts its annual breedingwaterfowl population and habitatsurveys. Since 1955, biologist/pilotshave been flying transects to survey over1.3 million square miles of land forbreeding waterfowl in parts of Alaska,Canada, and the northern UnitedStates. Recently added transects nowboost the totaled surveyed area to over2 million square miles! These scien-tific surveys are the most comprehen-sive of any wild animals worldwide.

During aerial reconnaissance, biol-ogists count numbers of breeding ducksand the wetlands that are crucial fornesting hens and their broods. Theseand other data help establish waterfowlhunting season length and bag limits.Although the number of breeding ducksand subsequent fall flight do not guar-antee hunting success, hunters oftenuse survey results as a barometer for theforthcoming season. In recent years,especially in the southern United States,duck numbers and subsequent harvesthave fallen short of many hunters’expectations.

Knowing a bit more about duckbiology and the harvest regulationsprocess can help us better understandwhat might be happening. Most speciesof wild ducks are relatively short-lived.The average wild mallard lives only afew years, even in the absence ofhunting. Most ducks find new mateseach year, and the female cares for theyoung. Longer-lived waterfowl, suchas swans and geese, do not lay as many

eggs or engage in multiple nestingattempts during a single breedingseason, and so have a lower repro-ductive rate. This is one biolog-ical explanation why we canhave greater harvest rates formost ducks than for geese andswans.

The status of the prairiebreeding ground wetlands (the“May ponds”) also is funda-mental to duck production. Likenearly everything in life, thereare ups and downs. As the oldadage goes, “We have good daysand bad days”: The stock marketrises and falls, the price of gaso-line fluctuates, and so forth.Prairie pothole wetlands alsoendure good and lean times.Since records have been kept,prairie wetlands have receivedabundant rainfall on a cycle ofabout every seven to ten years.Precipitation fills wetland basinsand they are revitalized withinsects and other foods forbreeding ducks. Dry periodseventually return, though; manyponds dry up, and duck produc-tion declines. Dry periods are impor-tant, though, because they restoreproductivity to the wetlands.

As you might imagine, duckpopulations respond to these changingconditions. The 1930s, parts of the1950s and early 1960s, and much ofthe 1980s were dominated by droughtin the northern prairies. Other periodswithin this time frame saw wet cycles.How did ducks respond? During initialwet cycles, we observed a robust fallflight with 10–11 million breedingmallards in parts of the 1970s and in

1999-2000. In the mid-1980s,during drought, there were only 5-6 millionbreeding mallards, and in 1962 lowduck populations caused by droughtresulted in a 23-day season and onemallard allowed per day.

Waterfowl hunting regulations inthe past were set annually in responseto habitat conditions. Prior to 1995,harvest regulations tracked waterfowlpopulations. That is, when duck popu-lations were high (e.g., in the 1970s),harvest was liberal; in some of thoseyears hunters could legally harvest ten

DUCK HUNTING •

Duck Hunting:Science and psychology at workBrian Davis, Ph.D., Regional Biologist, Ducks Unlimited

The mallard, or "greenhead," is the most commonand sought-after species of duck for hunters in

the fields and swamps of Arkansas.

ducks per day of some species. Prairiedrought and low duck populations inthe late 1980s restricted waterfowlharvest to three ducks.

Although adjusting legal harvest inthis manner seems logical, the approachdoes not permit regulators andmanagers to understand what affect, ifany, harvest has on duck populations.Waterfowl populations are subject tomany factors that can’t be controlled,such as weather, diseases, and preda-tors. Often, these factors operatetogether and are quite complex in theyways they affect populations.

In 1995, the Fish and WildlifeService implemented a system calledAdaptive Harvest Management (AHM).This process involves detailed mathe-matical models to establish huntingregulations in a systematic way, whilealso providing the basis for learningmore about the relationship betweenharvest and population size. AHMpredicts season frameworks based onthe numbers of breeding mallards andCanadian wetlands, instead of merelybasing regulations on annual changesin duck populations. With AHM, thereis greater opportunity to distinguisheffects of harvest on ducks because thereare relatively consistent and well-definedsets of regulatory frameworks. Thissystem was designed to cope with uncer-tainty and differences of opinion aboutthe biological impacts of hunting regu-lations. AHM also attempts to maxi-mize hunting opportunity while stillmaintaining mid-continent mallardpopulations at target levels establishedby the North American WaterfowlManagement Plan.

As a result of a period of relativelyhigh duck populations, good pondnumbers, and AHM, 2004 marked thetenth consecutive year of liberal seasonscomposed of 60-day seasons and 6-duckdaily bag limits. In recent years, somehave been concerned that liberal seasonshave caused duck populations to decline.Some hunters argue that ducks are introuble and drastic intervention is neces-sary.

However, are things really this dire?No! From 1961-1969, annual estimatedharvest of ducks in Arkansas never oncereached 400,000 birds. In four of thosenine years, total duck harvest was below200,000. From 1970-1981, prairie rains

“made friends” with Arkansas duckhunters. In 1970, annual harvest roseto about 700,000 ducks and climbedto over 800,000 in 1977. In other yearsduring that period, total duck harvestwas slightly less but still hovered around500,000-700,000 ducks. Rememberthe dry 1980s? Total annual duckharvest in Arkansas never surpassed500,000 from 1982-1993.

More recently, we have witnessedone of the most endearing times inwaterfowl history, with the drenchingof the prairie pothole region in the mid-1990s. You can probably remember theresult: awesome harvests! In 1994, weharvested more than 700,000 ducks inArkansas. Since 1995, though, we haveharvested at least a million ducks annu-ally in Arkansas; that is unprecedentedin the Natural State’s waterfowlinghistory! The harvest total for 2004-2005 was unavailable at the time of thiswriting, but Arkansas harvested 1.13million ducks in 2003-2004, although

many hunters expressed dissatisfactionwith the season. Over the entire conti-nent, 16.1 million ducks were harvestedin 1999; the harvest dropped to 12.7million in 2002, but it slightly increasedto 13.3 million in 2003. Arkansans havebeen reaping a pretty good portion ofthe waterfowl harvest in recent years!

What has happened to waterfowlpopulations during this long tenure ofliberal seasons? In 1992, there were 7million breeding mallards. The popu-lation rose to almost 12 millionbreeding pairs in 1999, and has sincedeclined to 8.4 million in spring 2004—still above the long-term average.Preliminary data from traditional surveysestimated there were 6.8 millionbreeding mallards in 2005. However,once numbers of breeding mallardsfrom surveys in the eastern UnitedStates are compiled and added to tradi-tional survey data, total breeding pairsof greenheads should be similar to 2004.Pintail and scaup are the only common

Acorns, invertebrates, and other types offood found in flooded woodlands in winterare vital for the breeding success ofmallards and other duck species.

Arkansas duck hunters and conservationists now

have a choice.Either plate is $25 per year plus a $10 plate fee to the state. A portion

of the proceeds from each license plate is earmarked for conservationand habitat programs in Arkansas.

Plates can be ordered through any state revenue office, and arestocked for immediate pick up at select locations.

Questions? Call your local revenue office or contact Jeff Lawrence at 501-728-4949 or [email protected].

species that cause significant concernamong biologists. Reasons for theirprecipitous declines are currently beingstudied across North America, but thedeclines are not believed to be hunting-related.

So, what has been the cause of griefamong duck hunters in recent years?There is not an easy explanation, butthere are several influential factors. Oneof these may be the number of juvenileducks in the population. The numberof hens that nest, their persistence inrenesting, and their ability to fledgeducklings all have great influence onpopulation size. Abundant large tractsof grassland and overall wet habitatconditions are important influences onduckling survival. Increased numbersof young ducks in the population arebeneficial tohunters not onlybecause there aremore ducks topotentially harvest,but the naiveté ofyoung birds alsomakes them vulnerable to hunting thanare adult ducks. Mallard populations in1999 contained a wealth of juveniles,and we harvested nearly 2 million ducksthat year—this is astounding!

Recently, such as in 2002, Canadianpotholes were at some of their lowestlevels ever, yet AHM models allowedfor a liberal season because mallardpopulations remained reasonably high.Although many hunters interpreted theliberal regulations to mean that harvestshould be outstanding, the number ofjuvenile birds had declined. In drieryears there typically are proportionatelymore adult ducks. During years whenjuvenile recruitment of ducks hasdecreased, we are left to hunt older,wiser ducks that have already witnessedour decoy spreads, spinning-wingdecoys, flags, hail calling, and othertechniques.

Reduced duck populations arecoupled with greatly increased huntingpressure. From 1970-1990, the averagenumber of days that an active adultwaterfowler hunted in Arkansas was10.5. However, from 1990-2002, therehas been (generally) an increasing trendthat peaked at 16 days hunted per activehunter in Arkansas in 1999, and hasaveraged about 14.5 days. In the entire

Mississippi Flyway (excluding Arkansas),this average never exceeded 11 dayshunted per hunter. Thus, hunters arespending more days afield than everbefore hunting waterfowl in Arkansasand throughout the flyway. Seasonlength and days hunted have a muchgreater influence on harvest than dobag limits, and increased hunting pres-sure can make it much more difficultto hunt older, wiser ducks that findthose “safe places.”

Although some hunters becomefrustrated when they see large concen-trations of ducks in closed areas, theducks more actively seek these areas ashunting pressure increases. We contin-ually observe ducks night feeding,concentrating in areas closed to hunting,avoiding spinning-wing decoys, and

doing other things to enhance theirsurvival. In addition to surviving, theytake advantage of the safety of theseareas to rest, build energy reserves, andperform other basic biological func-tions.

Factors related to habitat on thewintering grounds can also influenceduck distribution and abundance.Flooded rice fields, a great resource forwintering waterfowl, are changing inthe Arkansas Delta and in other regionsof the South. Researchers at MississippiState University and collaborating agen-cies, with support from DucksUnlimited, have studied the dynamicsof rice harvest in Arkansas, Louisiana,

and Mississippi. Earlier-maturing vari-eties of rice are now being harvested inlate August, September, and earlyOctober. The result is that between riceharvest and the first week of December,about 72 percent of waste grain disap-pears, either because it re-sprouts or iseaten by small mammals or other birdssuch as blackbirds. Thus, relying onparticular fields as primary hunting sitescould affect hunter success because theamount of waste grain available to feedmallards and other waterfowl might bepretty meager, even before birds arrive!

Waterfowl managers have foundthat ducks will avoid habitats andsearch elsewhere when food dropsbelow 55 pounds per acre. In Arkansasrice fields, the amount of waste grainin early December is only about 70

pounds per acre.Thus, although westill experiencegreat hunts in ricefields at certaintimes and places,this factor could be

influencing mallard use of rice fieldsand subsequently affecting huntersuccess. A diversity of other habitats,including moist-soil impoundments,can be especially attractive to ducksand help increase harvest. Intensivehabitat management is becoming moreimportant to draw and harvest appre-ciable numbers of ducks, especially inlean years when duck recruitment islower because of poorer breedingground conditions. This will be thesubject on an article in the spring 2006Arkansas Wild.

Despite frustration among someArkansas waterfowl hunters in recentyears, from a statewide perspective we


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continue to harvest great numbers ofducks. Hunters have learned that recentliberal seasons do not guaranteeoutstanding hunting quality. We havealready learned a great deal about therelationship of waterfowl populationsto harvest from using AHM.Populations of most ducks, such asmallards, have done well during the pastten years of liberal harvest. Probably thecore of frustration is that there are a

lot of hunters competing for ducks.There are tens (and in some yearshundreds) of thousands of acres ofhabitat for ducks to use in Arkansas, andsome of this habitat is undoubtedly inpoor condition. The number of water-fowl hunters in Arkansas has increasedfrom approximately 35,000 in 1994 tomore than 94,000 in 2001, resulting inmore hunters spending more time afield,hunting more days, and hunting increas-ingly educated birds.

Despite the dissent among somewaterfowl hunters in recent years, othershave expressed positive views whendiscussing duck seasons. We knowthrough past hunter surveys that, if sacri-fices must be made, most hunters wouldprefer to maintain season length but giveup a bird or two in the bag. Others feel,though, that if a liberal harvest is biolog-ically justified, then why are successfulhunters penalized for the sake ofattempting to increase hunting qualityfor those that are less successful? Besidessafeguarding waterfowl populations, oneother goal of AHM is to seek to meetthe sociological desires of hunters. Thus,

sociological aspects of hunter satisfac-tion will probably receive increased atten-tion in ensuing years.

In closing, I hope that your water-fowl season in 2005-2006 meets orexceeds your expectations. But alwayskeep in mind that the real threats towaterfowl and hunting are lurking inthe prairies in the form of habitatdestruction in the Missouri Coteau andother critical habitats. Unbroken nativeprairie grassland is now being convertedto soybeans and other crops at alarmingrates. Loss of grassland there and else-where, and wetland drainage, are thereal threats to North American ducksand other wildlife. Supporting legisla-tion that promotes land managementpractices that are favorable to ducks,and that meets the needs of landowners(e.g., rotational grazing, CRP, WRP),is one of the most valuable contribu-tions that you can make to the water-fowl resource. The ducks will take careof themselves so long as we ensure theyhave grass and water in their northernhinterlands. Happy hunting in 2005-2006! ��

The "Big Woods" of eastern Arkansas,including the Cache and White river region,is the most important wintering area formallards in the world.

T


They’re officially called FederalMigratory Bird Hunting and ConservationStamps, but everyone knows them as“Duck Stamps.” Originally created in 1934as the federal licenses required for huntingmigratory waterfowl,Duck Stamps haveevolved into some-thing much moresignificant.

Wildlife artistscompete each year forthe honor of havingtheir work chosen asthe stamp design, andthe winner is assureda large income fromsales of prints andother items bearingreproductions of theartwork. Manyhunters collect anddisplay stamps andprints.

More impor-tantly, federal DuckStamps are a vital toolfor wetland conser-vation. Ninety-eight cents out of everydollar generated by the sales of federalDuck Stamps goes directly to purchaseor lease wetland habitat for protectionin the National Wildlife Refuge system.Understandably, the Duck Stamp programhas been called one of the most successfulconservation programs ever initiated andis a highly effective way to conserveAmerica’s natural resources.

This year, for the first time in its 71-

year history, the design for the next federalDuck Stamp will be chosen outside ofWashington, D.C. The U.S. Fish andWildlife Service has announced that the2005 Federal Duck Stamp Art

Competition, one of the nation’s oldest andmost prestigious wildlife art competitions,will be held in Memphis September 14-15.

Along with its move to Memphis, thecompetition will be co-hosted for the firsttime by Ducks Unlimited and the GreaterMemphis Arts Council, creating a region-ally unique collaboration of art and wildlife.A week of special events surrounding thecompetition begins September 11. Itincludes the Duck Stamp competition and

preview, which are free and open to thepublic, an exhibit of winning art from pastcompetitions, artists’ seminars, a family dayand a judges’ dinner. The week culminateswith the Ducks Unlimited Outdoor Expo,

September 17-18 atthe InternationalAgricenter nearDucks Unlimitedheadquarters.

“We are veryexcited to work withDucks Unlimitedand the GreaterMemphis ArtsCouncil to bring theFederal Duck StampArt Competition toMemphis this year,”said U.S. Fish andWildlife Serviceacting director MattHogan. “The DuckStamp is one of theworld’s great conser-vation successes,raising hundreds ofmillions of dollars to

fund important habitat acquisitions forthe National Wildlife Refuge system.We hope that by bringing the competi-tion to the banks of the Mississippi River,more Americans can be introduced to theDuck Stamp and the network of publiclands it supports.”

“This is a great opportunity to tellthe Duck Stamp story in an area rich inthe traditions and history of duck huntingand a commitment to conservation,” said

Federal Duck Stamp Competition

Comes to the Mid-SouthMEMPHIS WILL HOST ANNUAL EXHIBIT AND ANNOUNCEMENT OF WINNERBy U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

DUCK STAMP •

2005/2006 Federal Duck Stamp by Mark Anderson


Ducks Unlimited executive vice presidentDon Young. “The sale of Duck Stampsand wildlife art plays an integral role inproviding money for restoring andprotecting waterfowl habitat. It’s a rela-tionship that Ducks Unlimited membersknow well, and we’re excited to work withthe Fish and Wildlife Service, the GreaterMemphis Arts Council, and the MemphisCollege of Art to tell the Duck Stamp story.Anyone can support wetlands restorationand protection of waterfowl habitat bypurchasing a Duck Stamp. It’s that easy.”

“We are delighted to partner withthe U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service andDucks Unlimited to host the oldest andmost prominent U.S. government-spon-sored art competition,” said Susan Schadt,Greater Memphis Arts Council presidentand CEO. “Given the high level of interestin duck hunting and wildlife conservationin this region, we believe this will be anevent that will bring national recognitionto the Memphis area.”

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Serviceselects the panel of judges, which is keptsecret until the day judging begins.Competition judging begins at 10 a.m.on September 14 and continues onSeptember 15, with the winning artworkidentified that afternoon. The winningartist flies to Memphis September 17 tobe featured with the winning entry duringthe Ducks Unlimited Outdoor Expo onSeptember 17-18. The public can viewthe entries beginning Sunday, September11, continuing throughout the week atthe Memphis College of Art, 1930 PoplarAvenue in Overton Park.

All waterfowl hunters 16 years of ageor older must possess a federal DuckStamp to hunt, but anyone can enjoy itsbenefits. A valid Duck Stamp providesfree admission to any national wildliferefuge in the country that is open to thepublic. Refuges offer unparalleled outdoorrecreation opportunities, ranging fromhunting and fishing to birdwatching,hiking, and photography. Habitat acquiredwith Duck Stamp dollars benefits morethan just waterfowl, supporting hundredsof species of migratory birds and otherwildlife, including dozens of threatenedand endangered species.

The recent rediscovery of the ivory-billed woodpecker—thought to be extinctin the U.S. for more than 60 years—occurred on Cache River National WildlifeRefuge in Arkansas. A significant portion

of its acreage waspurchased with DuckStamp dollars.

Since the program’sinception, sales of federalDuck Stamps to hunters,stamp collectors, and otherconservationists havegenerated more than $700million used to acquire andprotect more than 5.2million acres of crucialhabitat at hundreds ofnational wildlife refuges innearly every state in thenation.

Famed wildlife artistand conservationist J.N. “Ding” Darling,who was then director of what would laterbecome the Fish and Wildlife Service,created the image for the first federal DuckStamp in 1934. In doing so, Darlingbegan what would become an annualtradition of featuring the work of someof the nation’s finest wildlife artists on thestamp. For the first 15 years of the stamp’sexistence, an artist was commissioned todesign the stamp. Soon, artists begansubmitting their artwork unsolicited forpossible inclusion on the stamp.

In 1949, the first federal Duck Stampart competition was held at the Interior

Department in Washington, with a panelof judges selecting an image of two trum-peter swans by Walter Weber to becomethe 1950-51 stamp from among 88entries. The competition is now an annualtradition, with hundreds of artists fromaround the nation competing for thehonor of being the next federal DuckStamp artist. Winning the competition isa significant boost for each winning artist,increasing the value of their work andenabling them to sell products with imagesof the Duck Stamp art.

The 2005-2006 Federal DuckStamp, featuring a pair of hoodedmergansers painted by South Dakota artistMark Anderson, was released to the publicon June 30. Anderson bested 223 otherentrants to win the 2004 contest, heldlast October in Washington, D.C.

With more than a million supporters,Ducks Unlimited is the world’s largest andmost effective wetland and waterfowlconservation organization. The UnitedStates alone has lost more than half of itsoriginal wetlands—nature’s most produc-tive ecosystem—and continues to lose morethan 100,000 wetland acres each year.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service isthe principal federal agency responsible forconserving, protecting and enhancing fish,wildlife and plants and their habitats forthe continuing benefit of the Americanpeople. The service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge system, which

encompasses 544 national wildlife refuges,thousands of small wetlands, and other specialmanagement areas. It also operates 69national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resourcesoffices, and 81 ecological services fieldstations. The agency enforces federal wildlifelaws, administers the Endangered SpeciesAct, manages migratory bird populations,restores nationally significant fisheries,conserves and restores wildlife habitat suchas wetlands, and helps foreign and NativeAmerican tribal governments with theirconservation efforts. It also oversees theFederal Assistance program, which distrib-utes hundreds of millions of dollars in excisetaxes on fishing and hunting equipment tostate fish and wildlife agencies.

For more information on the FederalDuck Stamp Program, visitwww.fws.gov/duckstamps. ��

The 2005-2006 Junior Duck Stamp first-place winner was"Ringneck Rendezvous" by 17-year-old Kerissa Nelsonof Grantsburg High School in Wisconsin.

Along with its move to Memphis, the competition will be co-hosted for the first time by Ducks Unlimited and the

Greater Memphis Arts Council

I44 ARKANSAS WILD • Fall 2005

Note:It is your responsibility to knowand comply with Arkansas’s huntingregulations. Rules change from time totime, and vary over different parts of thestate.For the latest regulations, visit anArkansas Game and Fish Commissionoffice or go to www.agfc.state.ar.us.

If you are 16 years or older, anArkansas hunting license is required tohunt wildlife unless you are on a licensedcommercial shooting resort that suppliespen-raised birds. The license must becarried with you. You may not possess alicense that belongs to someone else orone that has been altered, backdated, orcounterfeited. If you are a nonresident,you may not possess a resident license. Ifyou guide, aid, or assist someone else forpay or other value, you must have a guidelicense.

Nonresidents under 16 do not needto purchase a hunting license except inthese instances: after bagging a deer,turkey or bear or before hunting or trap-ping furbearers. In the latter case, anonresident fur takers permit is required,too.

HUNTER EDUCATION REQUIREMENTSA hunter born after 1968 must carry

a valid Hunter Education card. Huntersunder 16 years do not need to have a cardif they are under the direct supervision of aholder of a valid hunting license at least 21years old. Arkansas honors the home stateHunter Education cards of nonresidents.Call 1-800-482-5795 or see the HunterEducation Program for class schedule.

MIGRATORY BIRD HUNTER REQUIREMENTSAny waterfowl or coot hunter 16

years or older must carry:* a valid Arkansas Waterfowl Stamp

(residents: $7.00, nonresidents: $20.00)* a federal Migratory Bird Hunting

and Conservation Stamp ($15.00), eachsigned in ink across the face. (See thefederal duck stamp website, duck-stamps.fws.gov)

* proof of Arkansas HIP registrationand one of the following hunting licenses:

$10.50 Resident WildlifeConservation License (HNT)

$25.00 Resident Sportsman’s License(RS)

$35.50 Resident Combination

Sportsman’s License (CS)$25.00 65+ Resident Sportsman’s

License (PLH)$35.50 65+ Resident Combination

License (PLC)$25.00 3-year Disabled Sportsman’s

License (RDH)$35.50 3-year Disabled Combination

License (RDC)$55.00 Nonresident 5-Day Small

Game Hunting License (SG5)$80.00 Nonresident Annual Small

Game Hunting License (NRH) $100.00 Nonresident 3-Day All

Game Hunting License (AG3)$125.00 Nonresident 5-Day All

Game Hunting License (AG5) $225.00 Nonresident Annual All

Game Hunting License (NBG)$1,000.00 Lifetime Sportsman’s

Permit (state stamp not required) (LSP)

HARVEST INFORMATION PROGRAM (HIP)What is HIP? In recent years, wildlife

biologists and hunters have noted declinesin populations of doves, woodcocks, andother migratory gamebirds. Habitat lossis believed to be the primary problem,

HUNTING LICENSE andPERMIT REQUIREMENTS

HUNTING •

1103 MLK BLVD. • MALVERN, AR 72104 • 1-800-332-5416

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but little data is available to support thatconclusion. More information is neededto assess the impact of hunter harvest.

In response to this need, the U.S.Fish and Wildlife Service has developedHIP, the Harvest Information Program,a nationwide effort to improve small gameharvest estimates. Information derivedfrom HIP will improve migratory birdmanagement and ensure that decisionsregarding hunting seasons are soundlybased on scientific evidence.

The registration is free and can beobtained by completing a short surveyform available from license dealers or anyGame and Fish Commission office or byusing the online licensing system.Information required includes name,address and date of birth. Hunters will alsobe asked to provide information on thetypes of migratory birds hunted last yearand how many birds of each type killed.

How does it work? All migratorybird hunters in Arkansas over 16 arerequired to register with the HarvestInformation Program. The registration isfree and forms are available from licensedealers or any Arkansas Game and Fish

Commission office. You’ll be asked toprovide information on the types of migra-tory birds you hunted the previous yearand how many of each type you killed.You will receive proof of Arkansas HIPregistration, which must be renewed annu-ally. Registration expires June 30 eachyear.

Hunters are required to carry proofof registration when hunting ducks, geese,doves, coots, woodcocks, snipe, rails,gallinules or moorhens. If you hunt migra-tory birds outside Arkansas, you’ll needto register with each state in which youplan to hunt. HIP is now mandatorynationwide, except in Hawaii.

Knowledge is power. Your partici-pation in this program is important to thefuture of migratory bird hunting.

State and federal wildlife agencieshave faced opposition from groupsconcerned about the lack of accurate infor-mation on bird populations and huntingstatistics.

Obtaining this information willensure that our migratory bird resources—and our hunting tradition—will be aroundfor future generations to enjoy.

WATERFOWL GUIDE RESTRICTIONSWaterfowl guides are prohibited from

guiding on commission-owned or -controlled Wildlife Management Areas.Points assessed for violation are increasedto nine for waterfowl hunters who areguided on commission-owned or -controlled WMAs.

Non-resident hunters who wish toseek waterfowl on any one of 23 wildlifemanagement areas used for duck and goosehunting are required to purchase a $10permit for five days and a $100 permit forthe full season. Separate permits wouldbe needed for each WMA the hunter visits.

OTHER WILDLIFE LICENSE AND PERMITREQUIREMENTS

Commercial activities that require alicense or permit are: Resident Fur Dealer($50), Nonresident Fur Dealer ($200),Commercial Wildlife Breeder/Dealer’sPermit ($25), Commercial HuntingResort Permit ($500), Special CommercialQuail Permit ($25) and Commercial(Gamebird) Shooting Resort ($150).These licenses expire on June 30th.

Other wildlife activities that require a


license or permit include falconry and alli-gator or alligator snapping turtle commerceor farming. Call (501) 223-6456 for infor-mation about these licenses or permits.

LICENSE RETAILERSMost licenses can be purchased from

sporting goods stores, hunting and fishingsupplies stores, some discount chains andthe AGFC’s Little Rock or regional offices.

You can call 223-6349 between 8:00a.m. and 4:30 p.m. in the Little Rock area.Or you can call 1-800-364-GAME (1-800-364-4263) 24 hours a day, seven daysa week. Please have your credit card andan identification number ready. Your iden-tification number can be a driver’s license,social security number, hunter educationnumber, state ID number or passportnumber. Your hunting or fishing privilegesbecome effective immediately and yourlicense will arrive in the mail in a few days.Lifetime and commercial licenses are notavailable by phone or online.

Licenses can also be purchased online(www.ark.org/agfc/license/index.php).You will be asked tosupply personal infor-mation and a Visa orMastercard number.

New for 2005:Arkansas big-gamehunters are nowrequired to have their actual license withrecord of game in their possession beforehunting. Big game includes deer, bear,turkey, and elk.

Sportsmen have to have their actuallicense in hand while hunting big game.Hunters who purchase their license via theInternet can use their confirmation numberto hunt small game until they receive theirlicense in the mail. The license hunters printout on their home computer is valid for 14days after purchase to hunt small game.

LICENSE OR HUNTER EDUCATION CARDREPLACEMENT

Call 501-223-6349 to replace a lostlicense and 501-223-6377 to replace aHunter Education card.

RESIDENT LICENSE QUALIFICATIONSA resident is any person who has

established a bona fide or actual residencefor at least sixty days prior to applying fora license, and who declares intentions ofbecoming a citizen of Arkansas.

Also, the following students (who

must carry proof of full-time enrollmentin schools, colleges, or universities whilehunting or fishing in Arkansas) are eligibleto purchase a resident licenses: residentforeign exchange students attendingschool outside of Arkansas; nonresidentforeign exchange students attendingschool in Arkansas; residents of Arkansasenrolled as full-time students in collegesand universities outside of Arkansas; andnonresidents enrolled as full-time studentsin colleges and universities in Arkansas.

Ownership of Arkansas real estate bya person living outside the state doesnot qualify the owner as a resident.

Active-duty servicemen and womenpermanently assigned in Arkansas aregranted resident privileges for hunting andfishing. Active-duty servicemen and womenwho were Arkansas residents at the timeof entering service are also granted residentprivileges for hunting and fishing, regard-less of where they are currently stationed.

LIFETIME LICENSE QUALIFICATIONS65 Plus Lifetime Hunting License

- PLH ($25.00) entitles Arkansas residents65 years of age and older to the privilegesof the Resident Sportsman’s License. HIPregistration is required to hunt migratorygamebirds. To hunt waterfowl, a state life-time waterfowl permit (purchased onceafter age 65) and federal waterfowl stampsare required in addition to HIP. Proof ofapplicant’s age and three-year’s Arkansasresidency is required to apply for this license.

65 Plus Lifetime CombinationLicense - PLC ($35.50) entitles Arkansasresidents 65 years of age and older to theprivileges of the Resident Sportsman’sLicense (hunting) and the Resident FisheriesConservation License (fishing). HIP regis-tration is required to hunt migratory game-birds. To hunt waterfowl, a state lifetimewaterfowl permit (purchased once after age65) and federal waterfowl stamps are requiredin addition to HIP. A lifetime Trout permit(purchased once after age 65) must also bepurchased to fish in certain waters. Proof ofapplicant’s age and three year’s Arkansas resi-dency is required to apply for this license.

These two licenses are available from

the commission’s Little Rock office orAGFC regional offices. If you wish topurchase a license in person, bring proofof your age, such as a driver’s license, birthcertificate or military record and proof ofthree years Arkansas residency, such asproperty assessments, Arkansas incometax forms, driver’s licenses etc. Applicationsand information are available by calling 1-800-364-4263 or (501) 223-6388 in theLittle Rock area Monday-Friday, between8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Lifetime licensesare not available by phone order or online.

Non-Expiring Lifetime ResidentHunting and Fishing Sportsman’sPermit - LSP ($1,000.00) entitlespurchasers of any age to the privileges ofthe Resident Sportsman’s License (hunting)and the resident Fisheries ConservationLicense (fishing). Fees for trout permits,leased land permits, elk permits, state water-fowl stamps and wildlife management areapermit hunts are waived with this license.License holders must, however, apply forWMA hunts and be successfully drawnbefore being issued a permit. HIP regis-

tration is required tohunt migratorygamebirds. To huntwaterfowl, federalwaterfowl stamps arerequired in additionto HIP.

This permit is only available from thecommission’s Little Rock office. If youwish to apply in person, bring proof ofidentification and residency, such as adriver’s license, birth certificate, marriagelicense or military record. Applicationsare available at AGFC regional offices orby calling 1-800-364-4263 (223-6388in the Little Rock area). Lifetime licensesare not available by phone order or online.Proof of one year’s Arkansas residency isrequired to apply for this license.

3-YEAR DISABILITY LICENSEResident 3-Year Disability Hunting

License - RDH ($25.00) entitles all 100%totally and permanently disabled personsprivileges of the Resident Sportsman’sLicense. HIP registration is required tohunt migratory gamebirds. To hunt water-fowl, state and federal waterfowl stampsare required in addition to HIP.Certification will be accepted from SocialSecurity, Veteran’s Affairs or RailroadRetirement. Proof of one year’s Arkansasresidency is required to apply for this license.

New for 2005: Arkansas big-game hunters are nowrequired to have their actual license with record of gamein their possession before hunting.

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Valid for three years from date of purchase,recertification is required for license renewal.

Resident 3-Year DisabilityCombination License - RDC ($35.50)entitles all 100% totally and permanentlydisabled persons privileges of the ResidentSportsman’s License (hunting) and theResident Fisheries Conservation License(fishing). HIP registration is required tohunt migratory gamebirds. To hunt water-fowl, state and federal waterfowl stampsare required in addition to HIP. A Troutpermit must also be purchased to fish incertain waters. Certification will beaccepted from Social Security, Veteran’sAffairs or Railroad Retirement. Proof ofone year’s Arkansas residency is requiredto apply for this license. Valid for threeyears from date of purchase, recertifica-tion is required for license renewal.

These two licenses are available onlyfrom the commission’s Little Rock office.If you wish to purchase a license, bring proofof one year’s Arkansas residency, such asdriver’s licenses, state ID, property assess-ments, Arkansas income tax forms and accept-able proof of disability. Applications andinformation are available by calling 1-800-364-4263 or (501) 223-6349 in the LittleRock area Monday-Friday, between 8:00a.m. and 4:30 p.m. 3-Year Disability licensesare not available by phone order or online.

LICENSE PRICES & DESCRIPTIONSRESIDENT HUNTING LICENSES

Resident Combination Sportsman’sLicense entitles the holder to hunt all gamespecies using modern gun, muzzleloaderor archery; to take a total bag limit of deer;and to fish the waters of the state with

noncommercial tackle. A resident troutpermit must be purchased to retain troutor to fish in certain waters. Valid one yearfrom date of purchase. CS $35.50

Resident Sportsman’s License enti-tles the holder to hunt all game species usingmodern gun, muzzleloader or archery, andto take a total bag limit of deer. Valid oneyear from date of purchase. RS $25.00

Resident Wildlife ConservationLicense entitles the holder to huntfurbearers, migratory birds, quail, rabbit,and squirrel and to take one deer usingmodern gun. Valid one year from date ofpurchase. HNT $10.50

NONRESIDENT HUNTING LICENSESNonresident Annual All Game

Hunting License entitles the holder tohunt all game species, except furbearers.Expires on June 30th. State and federalwaterfowl stamps must also be purchasedto hunt waterfowl. NBG $225.00

Nonresident 5-Day All GameHunting License entitles the holder tohunt all game species, except furbearers, forthe 5-day period specified. State and federalwaterfowl stamps must also be purchasedto hunt waterfowl. AG5 $125.00

Nonresident 3-Day All GameHunting License entitles the holder tohunt all game species, except furbearers, forthe 3-day period specified. State and federalwaterfowl stamps must also be purchasedto hunt waterfowl. AG3 $100.00

Nonresident Annual Small GameHunting License entitles the holder tohunt migratory birds, quail, rabbit, andsquirrels. State and federal waterfowlstamps must also be purchased to hunt

waterfowl. Valid one year from date ofpurchase. NRH $80.00

Nonresident 5-Day Small GameHunting License entitles the holder to huntmigratory birds, quail, rabbit, and squirrelfor the five-day period specified. State andfederal waterfowl stamps must also bepurchased to hunt waterfowl. SG5 $55.00

MISCELLANEOUS PERMITS/STAMPSNonresident Fur Taker’s Permit

entitles a holder of a nonresident huntinglicense to hunt and trap furbearers. Validone year from date of purchase. Nonresidentyouths under 16 must purchase this permitplus a nonresident hunting license to huntor trap furbearers. NFT $100.00

Arkansas Waterfowl Stamp(Resident) entitles Arkansas residenthunting license holders to hunt water-fowl. Not required of youths under 16 orholders of a non-expiring $1,000 LifetimeResident Sportsman Permit. Stamp mustbe signed across the face in ink. FederalDuck Stamp and HIP registration are alsorequired. Expires June 30th. DSR $7.00

Arkansas Waterfowl Stamp(Nonresident) entitles nonresidenthunting license holders to hunt water-fowl. Not required of youths under 16 orholders of a non-expiring $1,000 LifetimeResident Sportsman Permit. Stamp mustbe signed across the face in ink. FederalDuck Stamp and HIP registration are alsorequired. Expires June 30th. DSN $20.00

LEASED LAND PERMITSBig Timber Leased Lands Permit

entitles the hunting license holder to hunt,trap or camp on Big Timber Leased Lands(not required of youths under 16 years).Valid one year from date of purchase. Mapavailable from license dealer. LBT $20.00

Casey Jones Leased Lands Permitentitles the hunting license holder to hunt,trap or camp on Casey Jones Leased Lands(not required of youths under 16 years).Valid one year from date of purchase. Mapavailable from license dealer. LCJ $20.00

Cherokee Leased Lands Permitentitles the hunting license holder to hunt,trap or camp on Cherokee Leased Lands(not required of youths under 16 years).Valid one year from date of purchase. Mapavailable from license dealer. LCH $20.00

Gum Flats Leased Lands Permitentitles the hunting license holder to hunt,trap or camp on Gum Flats Leased Lands(not required of youths under 16 years).


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Valid one year from date of purchase. Mapavailable from license dealer. LGF $20.00

Lafayette Leased Lands Permitentitles the hunting license holder to hunt,trap or camp on Lafayette Leased Lands(not required of youths under 16 years).Valid one year from date of purchase. Mapavailable from AGFC. LLC $20.00

Provo Leased Lands Permit enti-tles the hunting license holder to hunt,trap or camp on Provo Leased Lands (notrequired of youths under 16 years). Validone year from date of purchase. Map avail-able from license dealer. LPR $20.00

The following Hunting GuideLicenses can be purchased only at one ofthe Arkansas Game and Fish CommissionRegional Offices including Little Rock.

HUNTING GUIDE LICENSESResident Guide License entitles an

Arkansas resident to guide hunters, forpay or other consideration, on land notowned or leased by AGFC. Hunting guidelicenses expire June 30 and do not includehunting privileges. GLH $25.00

Resident Special Guide License enti-tles an Arkansas resident, who provides proof

of at least one year’s residency, to guidehunters, but not waterfowl hunters, for payor other consideration, on land owned orleased by AGFC. There is no nonresidentequivalent of this license. Hunting guidelicenses expire June 30 and do not includehunting privileges. GLS $150.00

Nonresident Guide License/Hunting entitles a nonresident to guidehunters, for pay or other consideration,on land not owned or controlled byAGFC. Hunting guide licenses expireJune 30 and do not include hunting priv-ileges. GNH $150.00

RECIPROCAL AGREEMENTS WITHADJACENT STATES

Mississippi and Arkansas jointly recog-nize the validity of Arkansas residenthunting licenses on Mississippi lands thatlie west of the main channel of theMississippi River. Mississippi residenthunting licenses are valid on Arkansas landsthat lie east of the main channel. Residentlicense holders of either state may huntmigratory waterfowl only on flowingwaters of the Mississippi River, on watersaccessible by boat from the main channel

of the Mississippi River or on state linelakes when the season is open in both states.The St. Francis, White and Arkansas riversand their oxbows are excluded from thisagreement. Floodwater which has over-flowed natural banks is not included in thisagreement. Hunters must obey the regu-lations of the state in which hunting occurs.

Tennessee and Arkansas recognize thehunting licenses of both states on theflowing waters of the Mississippi River, adja-cent waters which are accessible by boatfrom the river proper and the old riverchutes that form a common boundary.Excluded are wildlife management areasestablished by either state and the Wolf,Loosahatchie, Hatchie, Forked Deer andObion rivers. Migratory waterfowl may behunted on these waters by a license holderof either state when the season is open inboth states. Hunters may not hunt from,nor attach any device or equipment to, landunder the jurisdiction of the state in whichthey are not licensed. Hunters must obeyregulations of the state that issues the license.Holders of nonresident licenses issued byeither state have the same privileges as alicensed resident. ��

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DEER SEASON •

When deer season opens this yearon November 12, there will be wellover 300,000 hunters going afterwhite-tails throughout the state.That’sabout five times more people thanwill attend a typical Razorback foot-ball game.

The Many RewardsOf Deer SeasonThe excitement of the hunt can lead to the satisfaction of helping the needyBy Terry Horton, Executive Director, Arkansas Wildlife Federation

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IIt was cold that November day adozen years ago. The brightly coloredleaves of fall made the woods in the hillsof Greene County absolutely spectac-ular. My father, a couple of his friends,and I were hunting on dad’s propertyjust north of Paragould. This was deer-rich property that I had hunted for morethan 30 years. I had seen bucks of allages and descriptions through the years,and during the summer months thefields and woods were alive with newlyborn fawns and their mothers.

The deer stand where I was perchedhad been built by my father several yearsprior to that special hunting day.Through the years, I had taken deerfrom it with my recurve bow, and I hadseen turkeys, coyotes, coons, snakes andabout every other critter known toArkansans from my position 12 feet offthe ground.

In northeastern Arkansas, themodern-gun deer season lasts only afew days. In many parts of the rest ofthe state, it runs for several weeks.Because this was opening day in GreeneCounty, hunters were packed in thewoods surrounding my father’s prop-erty. Gunshots were common, but nottoo close for comfort.

I was in the “woods stand,” nottoo far from our beloved fishing lake.Dad was to the west a few hundredyards and others were hunting to theeast. Usually, deer pass by this stand asfrequently as squirrels and blue jays, buttoday was different. I hadn’t seen a deerafter sitting there for more than threehours.

All of a sudden, I heard a noise tomy right. Two does and a buck werehoovin’ it by me not more than 30 yardsdistant. I had a clear, safe shot at thebig buck, but when I fired, he didn’treact like he had been hit. My 12-gaugeBrowning almost never lets me down.Was I shooting blanks? How could Ihave missed?

In the two or three seconds that Ipondered these questions, I lookedsoutheast and noticed that the buck hadstopped in a small opening, about 70yards away. It was obvious he didn’tknow where I was located. I quicklyraised the gun to my shoulder, tookaim, and fired. The nine-pointerdropped in his tracks. It was a quick,clean kill. When my father came over

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to my location and saw the whitetail,he was as thrilled as I was.

I didn’t tell that story to brag aboutthe size of the deer or my hunting skills.The truth is that the buck was onlyaverage size, and if my family countedon my hunting skills to put food on thetable, they would starve. The story isimportant because it reminds us allabout the basic concepts of a good deerhunt.

First of all, I was with family andfriends. Way back in 1959, I was withmy father on the banks of Spring Riverwhen I saw the first deer I had ever seenin my life. From the time I was 10, heand I have hunted many different gamespecies together. He has taught memany things about life and about theenvironment while we have been killingtime afield.

Secondly, this hunt was successfulbecause I got to spend time inArkansas’s fields and forests. AnytimeI hunt, there is usually a songbird, asquirrel, or other wildlife that unknow-ingly spends time with me on the deerstand. A hunter learns a lot aboutwildlife every time he or she goes afield.Quite often, ducks and geese fly highon their migration routes, headed toStuttgart or other parts farther south.Watching the oaks, the maples, and thegums glimmer in the early-morning sunis truly a sight to behold.

Lastly, I had a chance to see thegame that I was after. Notice I didn’tsay “kill” the game. Killing is definitelypart of the hunting experience, butalmost all hunters will say that it is notthe most important part. Most of ushave a successful outing if we see theanimals we are hunting. Sure, takingthe game is great, and venison sure tastesgood, but that is definitely the bonusof the hunt. If killing was the onlyimportant part of the hunt, nobodywould go afield again after striking outone time.

The truth of the matter is that liter-ally hundreds of thousands of Arkiesput on their fluorescent orangegarments on the opening day of deerseason. When the season opens this yearon November 12, there will be well over300,000 hunters going after white-tails throughout the state. That’s aboutfive times more people than will attenda typical Razorback football game.

If these hunters, along with thosewho use archery equipment andmuzzle-loading firearms, are assuccessful as the hunters were in the2004-2005 deer seasons, they willharvest nearly 132,000 deer.

“Wow!” you say. “That’s impos-sible! How could there be any deer leftin the Natural State if we kill thatmany?”

The answer is simple: Arkansas’sdeer population numbers more than amillion. That’s why so many of us seebucks and does roaming near ourcommunities and lying dead on the sideof a road. Our state is full of them.

This was not always the case,though. In 1938, hunters in Arkansasonly took 203 deer. In 1944, themodern-day Arkansas Game and FishCommission was established as anautonomous part of state government,through the passage of Amendment 35.The Arkansas Wildlife Federation devel-oped and helped pass that amendmentto take most of the politics out ofwildlife conservation. The commissionbegan stocking deer and hired profes-sional wildlife biologists.

By the year I was born, 1954, theharvest of whitetails had increased to7,343. In 1999, it reached a record totalof 194,687. That’s a lot of venison!Changes in regulations and bag limitsin recent years have lowered the totalsa little, but the fact remains thatArkansans is a deer hunting state andthere are plenty of deer to go around.

The bowhunters and crossbowshooters, who enjoy a quieter experi-ence in the woods, took about 13,000of the 131,639 whitetails harvested lastseason. Muzzle-loading huntersbrought home a little more than 18,000bucks and does. Modern firearmsshooters accounted for the largestnumber of deer taken, a little more than100,000. Of the total harvests, about30 percent were taken on the openingday of the modern-gun season.

With a huge statewide deer popu-lation and a maximum bag limit of threedeer per hunter in most areas, it’s easyto see why this is the most popular ofall the hunting sports. So much venisonis produced that thousands of poundsare donated through a special programadministered through the ArkansasWildlife Federation.


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Arkansas Hunters Feeding theHungry (AHFH) is a highly successfulprogram that has provided approximatelyone million meals to the state’s mostneedy citizens the past four years,according to Bob Barringer of LittleRock, the volunteer who heads thisstatewide effort.

“The success of the program dependsupon the generosity of hunters to donatevenison and other wild game, coopera-tion from meat processors throughoutthe state, support from local food distri-bution organizations, and the financialcontributions of businesses, churches andother citizens,” said Barringer.

“We urge hunters to donate onedeer or a portion of a deer this year toArkansas Hunters Feeding the Hungryso that the state’s less fortunate can havehealthy meals,” Barringer said. “We haveabout 30 meat processors statewide whoaccept and process venison and otherwild game from hunters for the program,but we need more processors to call usat 877-945-2543 to get involved. Wepay the processors to prepare the meatfor distribution. Our program works with

charities on a local basis to provide meals,but we want more groups involved tomaximize the efficiency of our efforts.Lastly, we need to raise about $30,000to fund the program annually. Weencourage individuals, hunting clubs,businesses, churches and other groupsto donate funds.”

Barringer said that because theprogram is managed and administeredby the Arkansas Wildlife Federation, a501(c)3 charity, a financial donor cantake a tax deduction for a financialcontribution. “To make a donation,mail a check, money order or credit-card information to Arkansas HuntersFeeding the Hungry, c/o ArkansasWildlife Federation, 9700 RodneyParham, Suite I-2, Little Rock, AR72227,” Barringer said.

Regardless of whether a hunterdonates venison to needy Arkansans orwhether he or she doesn’t bag a buck ordoe, it is certain that the person who goesafield, experiencing nature first hand, gainssomething special. There is a connec-tion to the land and the wildlife that can’tbe easily duplicated. ��


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There are very few guarantees in life,and even fewer when it comes to fishing.Here’s one thing that’s at least a darngood bet, though: You can catch troutyear-round in Arkansas.

The fact that Arkansas is among thetop trout-fishing destinations in thecountry still comes as a surprise to somepeople. Trout, after all, are cold-water fish,and anyone who’s lived here knows thatat the height of summer all our riversand creeks turn the temperature ofbathwater.

Or, at least, that’s the way itused to be, back before the U.S.Army Corps of Engineers built bighydroelectric dams on several of ourstreams, including the White River,the North Fork of the White, andthe Little Red River. The waterreleased from these dams, comingfrom the bottom of deep reservoirs,is downright frigid, usually with atemperature in the 50s. The coldwater wiped out native fish that livedin the once-warm streams. To partiallymitigate for this loss, trout were intro-duced into the tailwater of the dams; theresult, as the saying goes, is history.

The Arkansas Game and FishCommission estimates that trout fishingadds more than $180 million to the state’seconomy annually. Resorts, boat docks, andguide services have helped make Arkansasa favorite of floaters and flyfishers alike. Theworld-record brown trout, a monster of 40pounds, 4 ounces, was caught in 1992 inthe Little Red River below Greers Ferry

Lake, which definitely boosted the idea ofArkansas as a trout destination.

The Little Red. the White, and theNorth Fork are the most famous troutwaters in Arkansas, but they’re not theonly places to seek the coveted fish. Othertrout streams and lakes include SpavinawCreek, the Spring River, Blanchard Springs(Mirror Lake), Lakes Hamilton andCatherine, the Ouachita River below Lake

Catherine, the upper Little Missouri River,and the Little Missouri below LakeGreeson.

As mentioned above, trout fishing isa year-round sport in Arkansas. Certainly,sitting in a johnboat on the chilly tailwa-ters of a big dam is a great way to escapesummer’s heat. In some ways, though,fall and winter are the best times for trout.Many anglers say that the late fall spawningseason makes for the best fishing, thoughon tailwater streams it can be affected bythe timing of the “turnover” of water

(cooling of the top layer and subsequentmixing of strata) in reservoirs, which canchange the amount of oxygen in the waterdownstream.

In spots such as the upper LittleMissouri and Lakes Catherine andHamilton, trout can’t survive the summer,and so are restocked annually for winterfishing, usually in November.

There’s another way, too, in whichwinter is special for trout fishing.The Arkansas Game and FishCommission has created a programcalled Family and CommunityFisheries, which allows access totrout fishing for people who mightnot otherwise have the opportunity.Thousands of 11-inch rainbowtrout, weighing about three-quar-ters of a pound each, are stockedfrom mid-December through mid-March to provide anglers withconvenient winter fishing opportu-nities. The locations are replenishedwith trout regularly throughout the

winter. Special regulations have beenadopted at some locations to help ensurea high-quality fishing experience. Thetrout daily limit is five. For anglers 16 andolder, a fishing license is required to fishand a trout permit is required to keeptrout. Some areas are restricted to youthsor senior citizens, and fishing is allowedwith rod or pole only. Family andCommunity fishing program waters are:Amon’s Lake in Mountain Home;Community Pond in Cabot; Boyle Park(Boyle Park Pond and Rock Creek),

Falling for Trout FishingCool weather brings even more opportunities to catch this sought-after fish in Arkansas By Mel White

TROUT FISHING •

Bull Shoals Dam and White River.

A rainbow trout caught at Bull Shoals.

Kiwanis, Otter Creek, and War Memorialparks in Little Rock; Murphy Park inSpringdale; Lake Atalanta in Rogers; LakeValencia in Maumelle; Regional Park Pondin Pine Bluff; and City Park Pond in WestMemphis. For more information on thisprogram, call 800-364-4263.

And just how does one go aboutcatching trout? It can range from theeasiest fishing possible to the highly chal-lenging. At the simple end of the scale,you can go out with a guide from a fishingresort, who will take care of the boat, thegear, the bait, and the knowledge of thebest fishing holes; all you have to do isshow up, get your line in the water, andpull in the trout. At the other end, there’sthe somewhat esoteric sport of fly-fishing,which has its own group of enthusiastswho learn how to use lures that mimicthe insects on which trout feed; these bugschange from season to season, and evenfrom day to day. Several fly-fishing specialtystores around the state will be happy to

talk to you about this sport, and there areguides and clubs to further assist you.

Four types of trout occur in Arkansaswaters: rainbow (the most common), brown(which can be the largest), brook, andcutthroat. Bait varies from corn and marsh-mallows to specially formulated commer-cial baits to spoons and spinners to intricatelytied artificial flies. There are times when thefish seem to lunge at anything, and an anglercan get his or her limit in just a few minutes.Other times, not much is biting—but then,that’s the nature of fishing.

The Arkansas Game and FishCommission has recently implementedfive “trophy trout areas” totaling six milesof stream length on tailwaters of dams inthe state. Fishing in these areas is limitedto artificial, barbless, single-hook luresonly, and all trout caught must be released.By allowing fish in these areas to remainin the stream for several years, rainbowand cutthroat trout should exceed fourpounds. Exciting catch-and-release fishing

will exist for these trophy-class fish, andanglers may be able to keep an impres-sively sized fish as some of them migratefrom protected areas into adjacent watersunder normal regulations.

The Game and Fish Commissioncontinues to work to improve trout fishingin Arkansas. As part of that effort, thecommission has been dealing with thecontroversial issue of minimum streamflow below the dams on the White River.Because fishing wasn’t part of the legis-lation that created the dams in the 1950sand ‘60s, they have been operated exclu-sively for electric power generation andflood control. Reservoir water is releasedthrough the dams on an irregular schedulebased on those factors.

When water flows are too low,multiple problems arise, such diminishedfood production for fish, hampered small-boat navigation, and increased watertemperatures. The Game and FishCommission would like to see certain

Brook Trout Brown Trout

Cutthroat Trout Rainbow Trout

Rainbow trout are the most common trout in Arkansas and are found in allstate trout waters. Natural reproduction is limited, and populations are main-tained through stocking programs. Rainbows up to 1 pound are common,with some exceeding 15 pounds. This trout is usually thickly speckled withblack spots on the head, sides and slightly notched tail. A broad pink toreddish stripe runs lengthwise along the side, although hatchery fish maylack the side stripe until they've been in a river or lake for several weeks.

Cutthroat trout were first stocked in Arkansas in 1983 and are found prima-rily in the White and North Fork rivers. They weigh up to 10 pounds andclosely resemble rainbow trout. The cutthroat is distinguished by the reddish-orange slash (cutthroat mark) on each side of the throat on live fish and bythe minute teeth present on the midline of the tongue behind large teeth onthe tip of the tongue. Rainbows have teeth on the tip of the tongue, but lackthe midline teeth. The black spots on cutthroats are typically much finer thanon rainbows.

Brown trout are most common in the White, North Fork and Little Red rivers,but the Spring River also offers a growing brown trout fishery. Populationsare maintained by natural reproduction, stocking and regulations. Brownsup to 5 pounds are not uncommon, and world-record fish have been caughtin the North Fork River (38 pounds, 9 ounces) and White River (33-1/2)pounds). The back and sides are dark olive-brown and have black spotsand orange or red spots with blue halos. Unlike rainbows and cutthroats, thetail is usually unspotted and unforked, and there is no reddish side stripe.

Brook trout are a rare catch in Arkansas, with only a few sporadic stockingsover the last few decades. "Brookies" are short-lived, and a one-pounder isconsidered large. They have a dark body with white and/or red spotscircled by blue. The pectoral, pelvic and anal fins are often orange with adistinct white edge. The dorsal fin, tail and back have mottled, wormlikestreaks on a black background.

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guaranteed amounts of water flowingthrough dams even when none is beingreleased for hydropower generation. Thiswould maintain a small flow in the riverbelow the dam, rather than the streamsalmost drying up at times, as they occa-sionally do now.

Minimum flow releases are an envi-ronmental enhancement that would moreclosely simulate natural river conditionsbefore the dams were built. Congresshas authorized the Corps of Engineersto reallocate water at the Norfork and BullShoals dams for such minimum flow. Arecently released Corps of Engineers studyfound minimum flows to be “technicallysound, environmentally acceptable andeconomically justified.” While the effectson anglers wouldn’t be dramatic,minimum flow would greatly enhance atrout fishery already considered one of thebest in the world.

Trout fishing is an important part ofthe outdoor experience in Arkansas,providing fun and challenge for thousandsof anglers, as well as a major boost tothe economy in several regions of the state.It’s available to everyone, from urban kidsin a park pond to dedicated fly-fishers whoprefer to wade into remote stretches ofriver and test themselves against the troutwith specialized tackle and bait. With morethan two million trout are stocked in thestate each year, and more than 150 milesof trout stream, there are fish for all anglers,and room to catch them.

If you’d like to try the sport,remember that persons 16 and older need,in addition to a regular state fishing license,a trout permit to retain trout from anyArkansas waters or to fish in the followingwaters: White River, from Beaver Dam toHighway 62 bridge; White River, fromBull Shoals Dam to Highway 58 bridgeat Guion; Little Red River, from GreersFerry Dam to Highway 305 bridge;North Fork of White River, entire streambelow Norfork Dam; and Spavinaw Creekeast of Highway 59.

In addition, regulations on the sizeof trout you can keep, the bait and tackleyou can use, and other requirements varyfrom place to place, and there are loca-tions where all trout must be released.You should obtain the free “ArkansasTrout Fishing Guidebook” at any Gameand Fish Commission office; you can alsoaccess the guidebook online at www.agfc.state.ar.us/ trout. ��

I


Note:It is your responsibility to knowand comply with Arkansas’s fishing regu-lations.Rules change from time to time,and vary over different parts of the state.For the latest regulations, visit anArkansas Game and Fish Commissionoffice or go to www.agfc.state.ar.us.

If you are 16 years or older, anArkansas fishing license is required to takeor attempt to take game fish, turtles, orfrogs in Arkansas, unless you are fishingin a licensed “put and take pay lake.”The license must be carried with you. Youmay not possess a license that belongs tosomeone else or one that has been altered,backdated, or counterfeited.

If you are a nonresident, you maynot possess a resident license. If youguide, aid or assist someone else in fishingfor hire, you must have a guide license.

To find out if you need a commer-cial license, call 501-223-6386 for a copyof Commercial Fishing Regulations.

LICENSE RETAILERSMost licenses can be purchased from

sporting goods stores, hunting and fishingsupplies stores, some discount chains, andthe AGFC’s Little Rock or regional offices.

You can call 223-6349 between 8:00a.m. and 4:30 p.m. in the Little Rock area.Or you can call 1-800-364-GAME (1-

800-364-4263) 24 hours a day, seven daysa week. Please have your credit card andan identification number ready. Your iden-tification number can be a driver’s license,social security number, hunter educationnumber, state ID number or passportnumber. Your hunting or fishing privilegesbecome effective immediately and yourlicense will arrive in the mail in a few days.Lifetime and commercial licenses are notavailable by phone or online.

Licenses can now be purchasedonline (www.ark.org/agfc/license/index.php). You will be asked to supply personalinformation and a Visa or Mastercardnumber. The license itself will be printedon your home printer.

LICENSE EXPIRATIONUnless it is a 3-, 7- or 14-day license,

one year from the date of purchase.

LICENSE REPLACEMENTYou may be able to get a replace-

ment for a lost license at a reduced cost.Call 501-223-6349 for details.

RESIDENT LICENSE QUALIFICATIONSA resident is any person who has

established a bona fide or actual residencefor at least sixty days prior to applying fora license, and who declares intentions ofbecoming a citizen of Arkansas.

Also, the following students (whomust carry proof of full-time enrollmentin schools, colleges or universities whilehunting or fishing in Arkansas) are eligibleto purchase a resident licenses: residentforeign exchange students attendingschool outside of Arkansas; nonresidentforeign exchange students attendingschool in Arkansas; residents of Arkansasenrolled as full-time students in collegesand universities outside of Arkansas; andnonresidents enrolled as full-time studentsin colleges and universities in Arkansas.

Ownership of Arkansas real estateby a person living outside the state doesnot qualify the owner as a resident.

Active-duty servicemen and womenpermanently assigned in Arkansas aregranted resident privileges for hunting andfishing. Active-duty servicemen and womenwho were Arkansas residents at the timeof entering service are also granted residentprivileges for hunting and fishing, regard-less of where they are currently stationed.

LIFETIME LICENSE QUALIFICATIONS65 Plus Lifetime Fishing License

($10.50) entitles persons 65 years of ageand older to the privileges of the ResidentFisheries Conservation License. A 65 PlusLifetime trout permit (purchased once afterage 65) must also be purchased to retaintrout or to fish in certain waters. Proof of

Fishing License& Permit Requirements

FISHING •

applicant’s age and three-year’s Arkansasresidency is required to apply for this license.

65 Plus Lifetime CombinationLicense - PLC ($35.50) entitles Arkansasresidents 65 years of age and older to theprivileges of the Resident Sportsman’sLicense (hunting) and the Resident FisheriesConservation License (fishing). HIP regis-tration is required to hunt migratory game-birds. To hunt waterfowl, a 65 Plus Lifetimewaterfowl permit (purchased once after age65) and federal waterfowl stamps are requiredin addition to HIP. A lifetime Trout permit(purchased once after age 65) must also bepurchased to fish in certain waters. Proof ofapplicant’s age and three year’s Arkansas resi-dency is required to apply for this license.

Non-Expiring Lifetime ResidentHunting and Fishing Sportsman’sPermit - LSP ($1,000.00) entitlespurchasers of any age to the privileges ofthe Resident Sportsman’s License(hunting) and the resident FisheriesConservation License (fishing). Fees fortrout permits, leased land permits, elkpermits, state waterfowl stamps andwildlife management area permit huntsare waived with this license. Licenseholders must, however, apply for WMAhunts and be successfully drawn beforebeing issued a permit. HIP registration isrequired to hunt migratory gamebirds.To hunt waterfowl, federal waterfowlstamps are required in addition to HIP.

3-YEAR DISABILITY LICENSEResident 3-Year Disability Fishing

License ($10.50) entitles all 100% totallyand permanently disabled persons privi-leges of the Resident FisheriesConservation License. A trout permitmust also be purchased to retain troutor to fish in certain waters. Certificationwill be accepted from Social Security,Veteran’s Affairs or Railroad Retirement.Proof of one year’s Arkansas residency isrequired to apply for this license. Valid forthree years from date of purchase, recer-tification is required for license renewal.

Resident 3-Year DisabilityCombination License - RDC ($35.50)entitles all 100 percent totally and perma-nently disabled persons privileges of theResident Sportsman’s License (hunting)and the Resident Fisheries ConservationLicense (fishing). HIP registration is requiredto hunt migratory gamebirds. To hunt water-fowl, state and federal waterfowl stamps arerequired in addition to HIP. A Trout permit

must also be purchased tofish in certain waters.Certification will beaccepted from SocialSecurity, Veteran’s Affairsor Railroad Retirement.Proof of one year’sArkansas residency isrequired to apply for thislicense. Valid for threeyears from date ofpurchase, recertification isrequired for licenserenewal.

RESIDENT FISHING LICENSESResident Combination Sportsman’s

License entitles the holder to hunt all gamespecies using modern gun, muzzleloaderor archery; to take a total bag limit of deer;and to fish the waters of the state withnoncommercial tackle. A resident troutpermit must be purchased to retain troutor to fish in certain waters. Valid one yearfrom date of purchase. CS $35.50

Resident Fisheries ConservationLicense entitles a resident to fish the watersof the state with noncommercial tackle.

A resident trout permit must also bepurchased to retain trout or to fish incertain waters. FSH $10.50

Resident 3-Day Trip FishingLicense entitles a resident to fish thewaters of the state with noncommercialtackle for the 3 day period specified. Aresident trout permit must also bepurchased to retain trout or to fish incertain waters. RT3 $6.50

Resident Trout Permit is requiredto retain trout or to fish in certain watersin addition to a Resident Fisheries

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Conservation License, a Resident TripLicense, a Resident CombinationSportsman’s License or a Lifetime FishingLicense. Not required for holders of thenon-expiring $1000 Lifetime ResidentHunting and Fishing Sportsman’s Permit.No stamp will be issued. TPR $5.00

Resident Guide License, Fishing isrequired of any person who guides, aids orassists another person, for pay or other consid-eration, in the taking of fish. This license doesnot include fishing privileges. GLF $25.00

White River Border Lakes Licenseentitles Arkansas resident fishing licenseholders to fish in Missouri waters of BullShoals, Norfork and Table Rock Lakeswithout having to purchase a nonresidentfishing license from Missouri. Availableafter March 1, 2001. WRL $10.00

NONRESIDENT FISHING LICENSESNonresident Trout Permit is required

of a nonresident to retain trout or to fish incertain waters in addition to a NonresidentAnnual or Trip Fishing License. No stampwill be issued. TPN $12.00

Nonresident Annual FishingLicense entitles a nonresident to fish thewaters of the state with noncommercialtackle. A nonresident trout permit mustalso be purchased to retain trout or to fishin certain waters. NRF $32.00

Nonresident 3-Day Trip FishingLicense entitles a nonresident to fish thewaters of the state with noncommercialtackle for the 3-day period specified. Anonresident trout permit must also bepurchased to retain trout or to fish incertain waters. NT3 $11.00

Nonresident 7-Day Trip FishingLicense entitles a nonresident to fish thewaters of the state with noncommercialtackle for the 7-day period specified. Anonresident trout permit must also bepurchased to retain trout or to fish incertain waters. NT7 $17.00

Nonresident 14-Day Trip FishingLicense entitles a nonresident to fish thewaters of the state with noncommercialtackle for the 14-day period specified. Anonresident trout permit must also bepurchased to retain trout or to fish incertain waters.N14 $22.00

Nonresident Guide License,Fishing is required of any person whoguides, aids or assists another person, forpay or other consideration, in the takingof fish. This license does not include fishingprivileges. GNF $150.00 ��

Arkansas Game and FishCommission OfficesHere is contact information for the ArkansasGame and Fish Commision headquarters andten regional offices. Each office has a toll-freetelephone number as well as a local number.

■ Headquarters: 2 Natural Resources Drive, Little Rock, AR72205; 501-223-6300 or 800-364-4263;[email protected].

■ Northwest Regional Office: 455 Dam Site Road, EurekaSprings, AR 72631 866-253-2506 or 479-253-2506.

■ East Central Regional Office:1201 North Highway 49,Brinkley, AR 72021; 877-734-4581 or 870-734-4581.

■ North Central Regional Office: Highway 56 North, CalicoRock, AR 72519; 877-297-4331 or 870-297-4331.

■ South Central Regional Office: 500 Ben Lane, Camden,AR 71701; 877-836-4612 or 870-836-4612.

■ Fort Smith Regional Office: 8000 Taylor Avenue, FortSmith, AR 72917; 877-478-1043 or 479-478-1043.

■ Southwest Regional Office: 7004 Highway 67 E,Perrytown, AR 71801; 877-777-5580 or 870-777-5580.

■ Hot Springs Regional Office: 350 Fish Hatchery Road,Hot Springs, AR 71913; 877-525-8606 or 501-525-8606.

■ Northeast Regional Office: 2920 McClellan Drive,Jonesboro, AR 72401; 877-972-5438 or 870-972-5438.

■ Southeast Regional Office: 771 Jordan Drive, Monticello,AR 71655; 877-367-3559 or 870-367-3553.

■ West Central Regional Office: 1266 Lock and Dam Road,Russellville, AR 72802; 877-967-7577 or 479-967-7577.

■ In addition, the AGFC has completed two of fourplanned nature centers:

Governor Mike Huckabee Delta Rivers Nature Center,1400 Black Dog Road (in Regional Park), Pine Bluff AR71611; 870-534-0011.

Forrest L. Wood Crowley’s Ridge Nature Center, 600 E.Lawson Road, Jonesboro, AR 72404; 870-933-6787.

fall 2005

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