23 Apr 2014 Commission sets 2014-15 deer seasons
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission recently set the state’s deer hunting seasons, with modern gun deer season opening Saturday, Nov. 8, archery season opening Saturday, Sept. 27, and muzzleloader season opening Saturday, Oct. 18. The deer season dates are part of the 2014-15 general hunting regulations approved during the commission’s monthly meeting.
Season dates for the 2014-15 deer hunting season:
Archery – All zones: Sept. 27-Feb. 28, 2015.
Modern Gun – Zones 1, 1A, 2, 3, 6, 6A, 7, 8, 8A, 10 and 11: Nov. 8-30.
Zone 4: Nov. 8-9.
Zone 5: Nov. 8-9 and Nov. 15-16.
Zones 4A, 5A, 14 and 15: Nov. 8-Dec. 7.
Zones 4B and 5B: Nov. 8-16.
Zones 9, 12 and 13: Nov. 8-Dec. 14.
Zone 16, 16A and 17: Nov. 8-Dec. 25.
Muzzleloader – Zones 1, 1A, 2, 3, 4A, 5A, 6, 6A, 7, 8, 8A, 10, 11, 14 and 15: Oct. 18-26 and Dec. 13-15.
Zones 9, 12, 13, 16, 16A and 17: Oct. 18-26 and Dec. 29-31.
Zones 4, 4B, 5 and 5B: Closed.
The statewide Christmas holiday modern gun deer hunt is Friday, Dec. 26, through Sunday, Dec. 28. Youth modern gun deer hunts will be held Saturday, Nov. 1, and Sunday, Nov. 2, and Saturday, Jan. 3, and Sunday, Jan. 4, 2015. A private land antlerless-only modern gun deer hunt in zones 1, 1A, 2, 3, 6, 6A, 8, 8A, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 16A and 17 will be held Saturday, Oct. 11, through Wednesday, Oct. 15.
The commission also approved the harvest of feral hogs only during bear, deer and elk firearms seasons on certain WMAs. The regulation permits some taking of nuisance feral hogs, without promoting the recreational hunting of feral hogs, on Commission-controlled property.
The commission also reviewed the 2013-2014 deer harvest. AGFC Deer Program Coordinator Cory Gray told Commissioners that hunters checked 213,199 deer. The harvest is the second highest on record behind the 2012-13 record of 213,487 deer. Compared to last season, the buck harvest decreased slightly from 110,448 to 105,952 while the doe harvest increased from 103,039 to 107,247.
