LITTLE ROCK — The first step in a unique but demanding form of Arkansas hunting – urban deer hunts – opens Tuesday. Potential hunters can register online at http://www.agfc.com/licenses/pages/permitsspecialurban.aspx.
The hunts will be held from Sept. 6 through Jan. 31 in eight communities – Fairfield Bay, Bull Shoals, Russellville, Fort Smith-Barling, Horseshoe Bend, Lakeview, Heber Springs and Cherokee Village. Hunting is with archery equipment only – longbows, recurve bows or compound bows. Crossbows are not allowed.
The hunts are cooperative events with the communities, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and the Arkansas Bowhunters Association. Registration closes on May 1.
Hunters also must meet a list of requirements:
• Attend an urban hunt orientation and pay the $50 annual confirmation fee, which includes membership in the ABA for liability insurance purposes. A portion of the registration fee also goes to support Arkansas Hunters Feeding the Hungry.
• Pass the International Bowhunter Education Course. A list of scheduled IBEC classes and orientations can be found at www.agfc.com.
• Pass a shooting proficiency test.
• Possess a valid Arkansas (resident or nonresident) big game license. Hunters must be at least 16 years of age.
• Possess a valid Urban Bowhunting Permit issued by AGFC. The permit will be valid for all the urban deer hunts for the year.
The urban hunts themselves have more requirements, such as hunters must hunt on public land or have written permission from landowners. They must shoot from stands that are at least 10 feet above the ground. No walking, stalking or use of ground blinds is allowed. Hunting must be at least 50 yards from designated trails or parks. Without written permission, hunting must be at least 50 yards from any occupied dwelling. The first deer taken must be a doe, and must be donated to Arkansas Hunters Feeding the Hungry. All other deer harvested may be either-sex. There are some unique perks to participating in one of the seven urban deer hunts.
There is no bag limit or antler restriction. Deer harvested in urban deer hunts are considered bonus deer and do not count towards the hunter’s seasonal bag limit. All deer harvested must still be checked to the appropriate urban deer zone online at www.agfc.com, by telephone at 866-305-0808 or through the agency’s smartphone app.
For a complete list of urban deer hunt rules and scheduled IBEC classes and orientations, visit www.agfc.com.
Dam restoration on Spring River underway
MAMMOTH SPRING — The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is working with private contractors to renovate and restore Dam No. 3 on the Spring River near Mammoth Spring. Work began March 24, and will continue through September 2014.
In order to repair the dam, water will be diverted from the main channel of the Spring River to the north channel. This will result in an approximate 2-foot rise in the water level at the AGFC public access at Dam No. 3 during normal flows.
Melissa Jones, Assistant Chief of Fisheries and Coldwater Coordinator for the AGFC, said the renovation is necessary to repair the 100-year old dam and gate system that provides water for the Jim Hinkle Spring River State Fish Hatchery.
“The dam has been inoperable since 2009,” Jones said. “This has caused trout production at Jim Hinkle Spring River State Fish Hatchery to decline. Once repairs are completed, the hatchery will be back in full production”
Jim Hinkle State Fish Hatchery is Arkansas’s only state-owned trout hatchery, and produces 1 million catchable-size trout for Arkansas waters annually.
Caution should be used when around the Dam 3 Access area and the Jim Hinkle Spring River State Fish Hatchery due to the construction. The area will remain open for launching, fishing, loading and unloading, but parking will be restricted to AGFC property on the north side of the railroad crossing during busy periods such as Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon.
Contact the hatchery at 877-625-7521 for additional information.
Minor change planned for Lake Conway water level
CONWAY — Several dozen persons listened to a planned change in Lake Conway’s water level management recently, asked some questions and did not raise objections.
The meeting was held by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission at the Faulkner County Natural Resources Center.
The changes include less restrictive spillway gate operations for floodwater management, as well as small and limited discharges from the lake to irrigate moist-soil units in the Bell Slough Wildlife Management Area’s Palarm Creek Waterfowl Rest Area. This is a 118-acre site downstream from the Lake Conway dam. It is planted in assorted food material used by migrating waterfowl. The rest area is not open to hunting.
AGFC Lake Manager Matt Horton told the audience that the plan would mean opening one gate at the dam about three inches during dry periods to allow enough water downstream in Palaram Creek for the operation of the irrigation pump. He said in a season, this may amount of a drop of a quarter-inch in the lake’s level or less than evaporation on a summer day.
The Lake Conway Water Level Management Plan is a document that mandates: (1) how the lake’s spillway gates are operated to manage flood events, (2) what pool elevations the lake is to be managed at annually, (3) who is responsible for monitoring and managing the lake’s water level, and (4) provides restrictions for releases of water into the Bell Slough Wildlife Management Area needed for waterfowl habitat management. The plan was adopted in 1976 and revised in 2003.
Horton said, “Due to changes downstream of the Lake Conway dam and completion of a 2013 hydrology report, it is necessary to make changes to the plan to ensure the lake’s water level is managed in the most efficient way possible to ensure the safety of adjacent landowners, health of the lake’s fishery, and management of downstream waterfowl habitat.”
Bat outside Blanchard Springs Caverns tests positive for white-nose syndrome
MOUNTAIN VIEW — A bat found dead outside an entrance to Blanchard Springs Caverns has tested positive for white-nose syndrome, a fungal disease deadly to bats. The tri-colored bat was sent to the Southeast Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study at the University of Georgia and confirmed to have the disease.
“This is devastating and sad, but it’s not surprising,” said District Ranger Jim McCoy. “In spite of all efforts, nothing has been able to stop the spread of this disease since it was discovered in the United States eight years ago.”
The fatal fungus was confirmed in Arkansas bats earlier this year, but had not been confirmed in the national forests until this week. White-nose syndrome was discovered in a cave in New York in 2006. Since then it has been confirmed in five Canadian provinces and 23 states. That number now includes the Natural State. The disease is also suspected in three additional states.
“It’s important to remember that this disease is not known to affect humans,” said McCoy. “The same can’t be said for bats, and that’s why we’re now changing our decontamination protocols to minimize the possibility of the disease spreading to other caves by our visitors while keeping the cavern open to the public.” White-nose syndrome is believed to cause bats to use up their fat reserves rapidly during hibernation. Affected bats fly out of caves during winter in an attempt to find food. Since the insects bats eat are seasonally dormant, the bats die of starvation.
While the night creatures are often portrayed in a negative light, bats play a key role in keeping insects, including agricultural pests, mosquitoes, and forest pests under control. Millions of pounds of insects could have been consumed by the nearly 7 million bats killed by white-nose syndrome since it became active in North America.
As with any wild animal, do not approach or touch dead or dying bats. Contact the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission as soon as possible at www.agfc.com to report your observations. To learn more about this disease and how to prepare for a visit to Blanchard Springs Caverns, go to http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/osfnf/notices/?cid=STELPRDB5213741. Additional resources on white-nose syndrome include www.whitenosesyndrome.org and www.fws.gov.