Put Your Trust In Trusten Holder Five days of gun hunting, five months of bowhunting; tight control over access; helpful local regulations. Little wonder that big bucks aplenty roam this swampy Arkansas County bottomland! (January 2008.)
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When I asked about problems for the coming season, Bob shook his head. “Weather is always a factor,” he noted, “and drought during late summer can have an effect on that year’s antler size. But we’ve now had several good mast crops in a row, along with mild winter temperatures. Nothing sticks out at this time.”
Statewide, one statement made by Cory Gray pretty much sums up the outlook for the future.
“There are spots within the state where deer numbers are lower than they should be,” Cory said, “but they’re aren’t many, and overall the health of our herd is good. In addition, in many areas we have seen a rise in antler quality in recent years, particularly on private lands, which receive help through our Deer Management Assistance Program. So all in all, and unless we have a severe drought this summer, things look good for 2007-08 and beyond.”
I suppose that I take the layman’s approach to how hunters in our state feel about how the current deer management is going.
A few years back there was much turmoil within the Arkansas deer hunting community. Deer harvest was down, and the AGFC input meetings held in January were packed with hunters all interested in what was taking place with the state’s most popular game animal.
This year most of those meetings were unattended, and virtually quiet. That is the most positive indicator that deer hunters today are satisfied with the direction our management is taking!
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