Any volunteer wishing to join a workday can find sign-up forms to participate at www.agfc.com/workdays. Six WMAs are hosting events; four on Sept. 13 and two on Sept. 20.

“These days really are the result of many members of the hunting public speaking up to offer their help, and we really appreciate their willingness to put in some hours to make our hunting areas even better,” Luker said. “We’re fortunate to have so many Arkansas hunters who want to work alongside us to benefit everyone who uses public land.”

Upcoming Workdays:

Sept. 13

• Big Lake WMA

• Dave Donaldson Black River WMA

• Henry Gray Hurricane Lake WMA

• Sheffield Nelson Dagmar WMA

Sept. 20

• W.E. Brewer Scatter Creek WMA

• George H. Dunklin Jr. Bayou Meto WMA

Visit www.agfc.com/workdays for more information.

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CUTLINES:

FOUR VOLUNTEERS
Fifteen volunteers arrived at the Long Bell Access at George H. Dunklin Bayou Meto WMA during last year’s WMA workday to help clear boat lanes. AGFC photo.

OPEN LANE
One of the most popular boat lanes at Bayou Meto was cleared last year with the assistance of volunteers during the WMA workday there. AGFC photo.

“The Outdoor Hall of Fame Banquet is truly a highlight of our year,” Deke Whitbeck, President of the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation, said. “It’s a cherished tradition for outdoor enthusiasts to gather, celebrate conservation in Arkansas and officially kick off the fall hunting seasons. We anticipate a crowd of nearly 1,600 to honor the individuals and organizations whose dedication preserves our state’s cherished outdoors.”

This year, the Foundation will recognize three outstanding individuals and one organization with induction into the Hall of Fame:

2025 Arkansas Outdoor Hall of Fame Honorees:

• Steve Arrison: As the driving force behind Visit Hot Springs, Arrison leveraged the region’s lakes to attract major professional bass fishing tournaments. His efforts have not only boosted the city’s profile but also provided Arkansans with unparalleled access to high-level competitive angling, fostering broader engagement and appreciation for the sport.

• Sherrel Johnson: Her impactful leadership in forming and collaborating with the Union County Water Conservation Board enabled Johnson and a coalition of state and local leaders to address the critical groundwater decline in the Sparta Aquifer, then the county’s only source of drinking and industrial water. This solution-driven initiative led to an alternative source of industrial water from the Ouachita River, significantly reducing reliance on the rapidly declining Sparta and leading to its documented recovery, demonstrating a powerful model for innovative groundwater conservation that restored the natural resource and ultimately benefits the long-term health of the ecosystem and associated wildlife habitats.

• Tom Kennon: A true embodiment of traditional conservation, Kennon has profoundly shaped Arkansas’s paddling community. His influential guidebooks, safety training initiatives with the Arkansas Canoe Club, support for river clean-up efforts, and stunning landscape photography have fostered a deep appreciation for and accessibility to the state’s waterways.

• The Arkansas Master Naturalists: This dedicated statewide network of volunteers actively contributes to the preservation and appreciation of Arkansas’s natural environment. Through education, community outreach, habitat restoration, citizen science, and trail maintenance, they serve as vital guardians, inspiring environmental stewardship for current and future generations.

Visit https://one.bidpal.net/fish/ticketing to purchase a ticket or reserve a table at this year’s event.

“That site also is the home for our online auction,” Whitbeck said. “The auction is live now and will run all the way through the end of the event on the 23rd. You don’t have to attend to win, but you’d be missing out on a darn good time celebrating the outdoors with fellow conservationists.”

Contact Whitbeck at deke@agff.org to learn more.

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Leach encouraged permit-winning hunters to scout out the WMAs in advance to figure out where they would want to be set up on Saturday or Sunday of opening weekend. Dove season starts 30 minutes before sunrise on Sept. 6. Each day’s hunt concludes at sunset.

After the first weekend, those four fields and their total of 108 acres managed specifically for dove hunting will join several of the state’s other WMAs, totaling another 556 acres of managed fields for doves, for public hunting through Oct. 26, and then resuming Dec. 8-Jan. 15.

To gain one of the WMA permits, which allows the winner and one other hunter to hunt together either Sept. 6 or Sept. 7, hunters can apply on the agfc.com website and click on “Apply For A Dove Permit” at the top of the page to be taken to the AGFC license division’s permit application page. Hunters will have until 11:59:59 p.m. Friday, August 15, to apply. There is a $5 application fee.

Hunters may also try for one of the six private dove fields being offered by the AGFC’s Private Lands Habitat Division for hunting on Saturdays in September. Five of the fields will be open for the first three Saturdays; a sixth field is open for the first two Saturdays. Like the WMA fields, the permit winner may bring a guest, but both hunters must hunt together. Two of the private land fields will have designated hunting areas per each party, while the other four will be first-come, first-served.

The daily limit for mourning and white-winged doves is 15 (possession limit is three times the daily limit). There is no limit on Eurasian collared doves, but that species cannot be field dressed.

Leach notes doves beginning to arrive at dove-banding stations throughout the state. Michelle Furr, who coordinates the Private Lands Habitat Division dove permit hunts, noted earlier this month that doves were showing up in southwest Arkansas, where she lives and also hunts for dove. It’s often hard for biologists to predict just how many doves may be migrating through the state in early September, or joining with many of the doves that stay here year-round, but a dry late July and into August, and healthy sunflowers or the addition of top-sown wheat, always helps.

Visit www.agfc.com/hunting/more-game/dove/ for more information on dove hunting and the public opportunities that will be available for the upcoming season.

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CUTLINES

MAN WITH DOVES
Peyton Dugger with a few doves from a good hunt at Dave Donaldson Black River WMA. AGFC photo.

LADIES HUNT
Two ladies proudly showing a few birds they harvested during a special Womens Outdoor Network hunt. AGFC photo.

MOURNING DOVE
Mourning doves, like the one pictured, are common in Arkansas during September. White-winged doves and Eurasian collared-doves are also legal to harvest during Arkansas’s dove hunting season. AGFC photo.

That plan was to kill off invading sweetgum thickets and other woody plants, reduce invasive plant species and increase diversity of native plants, especially broadleaf flowering plants.

“Prairies like we have on Camp Robinson need fire every 18 to 36 months to retain their vigor and prevent trees and shrubs from encroaching on them,” Fowler said. “This mimics the natural fires that historically occurred from lightning strikes and those intentionally set by Native Americans for thousands of years to clear land, reduce the risk of larger uncontrolled fires and maintain healthy ecosystems.”

Noah Wyatt, AGFC assistant regional supervisor in Mayflower, emphasized that the burn wasn’t a single fire, but took place on 10 different units.

“Conducting several small burns increases the diversity of the habitat on the landscape,” Wyatt said. “Growing-season burns are already a bit patchier than a winter or spring burn, and breaking the burn up into various blocks offers a variety of habitat to benefit all sorts of wildlife.”

In addition to the benefit of landscape-level diversity, conducting several smaller-scale burns made the project more manageable.

“We needed a lot of people to make this happen, but we were able to rotate people out frequently to ensure everyone’s safety,” Wyatt said. “It was already in the low 90s during the burn, and flame-retardant material isn’t necessarily breathable fabric. It’s hot, sweaty work, but this was the best way to improve habitat on such a large scale.”

Another measure to increase the safety and efficiency of the burn was the use of a specialized ignition drone. The flying machine is equipped with special fire-starting pods called delayed-aerial-ignition devices and nicknamed “dragon eggs” by many Forest Service crews.

These polystyrene balls are filled with chemicals that, once primed by the drone and released, burn for a few minutes to start fires in remote areas where burn crews can’t reach quickly or safely.

Emily Roberts, prescribed fire program coordinator for the AGFC, added that the drone is equipped with a thermal camera to keep a bird’s eye view on the fire, inside and out.

“We can see where some places within the burn may need a little extra ignition to get started,” Roberts said. “And the drone covers much more ground than someone having to drag a drip torch or drive an ATV through the unit.”

Roberts also keeps tabs on areas surrounding the burn to ensure no “hot spots” spring up outside of the team’s containment zone.

“We don’t want the fire escaping our planned units, and the thermal imaging picks up any spots where the fire has escaped so you can act quickly to control the situation,” Roberts said.

Fire is the most efficient way to manage prairie and savannah habitats, and in the case of the prairies found on Camp Robinson, Fowler says it’s the only way to keep the initial habitat type intact.

“Prairie management is much different than managing an open field or forest; prairies have a different soil type and seedbank that evolved with fire,” Fowler said. “If you ever disk a prairie, it’s never the same.”

Roberts says late growing-season burns affect woody plants like sweetgums much more than winter or spring burns.

“Fire during this time of year is slower moving because of the moisture still held in living plants,” Roberts said. “Flames on the ground linger around individual plant stems longer than they would during the winter or early spring when most of the plant material above the ground is dead and dry. The longer the flames sit at the base of a woody plant stem, the more likely it is that the fire will topkill that plant.“

Tuesday’s fires met the initial goal of topkilling at least 50 percent of the encroaching woody plants.

“Once trees like sweetgums get to about 6 feet tall, they’re much more resistant to prescribed fire and require much more labor-intensive and expensive options to remove, so we’re pretty happy with the results,” Roberts said.

Wyatt adds the skeletons of those burned up sweetgums and woody shrubs still serve a valuable purpose post-burn.

“Ground-nesting birds, particularly northern bobwhites and young turkeys, need overhead cover to offer some protection from hawks and other avian predators,” Wyatt said. “These patchy summer burns open up the bare ground the birds need to move around and leave the vertical stems to give some protection. The fire stimulates broad-leaved plants that will offer a roof over the bobwhites and attract tons of insects that young bobwhites and turkeys need for food.”

Roberts said she is extremely grateful for all the help from partners during the prescribed fire and compliments the excellent work and efforts of prescribed burn associations and landowners volunteering to put fire back on the landscape to re-establish grasslands, prairies and other open habitats critical to pollinators, ground-nesting birds and many other species of upland wildlife.

“The prescribed fire community in Arkansas is tightly interwoven,” Roberts said. “This was a great example of people coming together across agencies to accomplish a common goal – to restore habitat.”

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CUTLINES:

SMOKY FIELD
The AGFC’s largest summer burn ever conducted on Camp Robinson SUA required dozens of people and five agencies to improve habitat for quail and other species on the area. AGFC photo by Keith Stephens.

BRIEFING
Wyatt briefed staff before the burn on all safety protocols and operating procedures to ensure a controlled environment during the operation. AGFC photo by Keith Stephens.

FOUR WHEELER
Growing season burns are much slower and patchier than burns held during winter or spring. AGFC photo by Keith Stephens.

DRONE
Roberts worked with an aerial drone to keep tabs on the burn and ensure good coverage. AGFC photo by Keith Stephens.

BURNED GROUND
Dead, standing saplings provide cover from avian predators for bobwhites and other wildlife while broad-leaved forbs begin to sprout post-burn. AGFC photo by Keith Stephens.

AGFC Chief of Staff Chris Racey, who worked alongside Fitts, said that his ability to uplift those around him was a trait that made Fitts one of the most beloved directors he had the pleasure of serving with.

“Pat was a joyful person, and anyone who spent time with him couldn’t help but feel better,” Racey said. “He was super smart, but he was also humble. When he did speak, it was often with intelligence and wit that anyone rarely could disagree with. He will truly be missed.”

That joyful demeanor and steadfast dedication was paramount during one of the agency’s, and country’s, most uncertain times, as Fitts held the reins and guided the efforts of the AGFC through COVID-19 pandemic protocols. He ensured that agency staff remained vigilant toward the cause of conservation and instilled confidence in them that their jobs were important and necessary in a world where layoffs and furloughs were commonplace. When he announced his resignation in December of 2020, the agency had seen a spike in hunting and fishing license sales as a result of the pandemic, and his work to calm employees had laid the groundwork to accommodate the resulting increase in outdoor recreation.

Fitts’ open door policy didn’t apply only to staff of the AGFC. He guided the AGFC’s efforts during the construction and opening of the J.B. and Johnelle Hunt Family Ozark Highlands Nature Center in Springdale, establishing a critical footprint for the agency in the fastest-growing region of The Natural State.

Fitts also was instrumental in the response to trees dying at Henry Gray Hurricane Lake Wildlife Management Area in 2017. Vast infrastructure improvements at the WMA set the groundwork for other greentree reservoir evaluations and renovations to conserve the public green-timber duck hunting legacy for which Arkansas is known.

Among his many honors were Arkansas Game Warden of the Year in 2003, an AGFC Lifesaving Award, an outstanding game warden award from the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, and several AGFC Waterfowl Game Warden of the Year awards.

The decision to retire after 3½ years as director was challenging for Fitts, although family health problems swayed the choice.

“As I step away, I love this place,” Fitts said when he retired. “I was still a teenager when I realized this was what I wanted to do, and I’m not talking about being director, I’m talking about working in the conservation field for something so important to the state of Arkansas. I was not even 16 years old when I started wearing that (AGFC) patch and people were just drawn to it. They knew what the Arkansas Game and Fish did, they knew how important it was for our state, and that just spoke to me.

“I never dreamed I would be the director, yet here I am. I hate to leave this. This will always be a special place to me, and the things that we do here are even more special to me and my kids, and now my grandkids.”

Fitts is survived by his wife, Alice; a daughter, Audrey Kay; son, Austin, and grandchildren, Amelia and Jack.

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CUTLINES:

FLAG IMAGE
Fitts served as the AGFC’s 18th director and led with a knowing smile and comforting wit few possessed. AGFC image.

CHECKING NETS
Fitts’ spent his entire 32-year career with the AGFC, from working at a hatchery in high school to working in the field as a wildlife officer and eventually leading the agency before his retirement. AGFC image.

BEAR SEAT
Fitts posing with Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation President Deke Whitbeck at the grand opening of the J.B. and Johnelle Hunt Family Ozark Highlands Nature Center in 2020. Photo courtesy of Deke Whitbeck.

IN WOODS
Fitts’ hosting Representatives Bruce Westerman and French Hill at Henry Gray Hurricane Lake Wildlife Management Area to gain federal support for the generational change needed to conserve Arkansas’s rich green-timber waterfowl resource. AGFC photo.

Up to 40 three-person cooking teams will fire up grills, smokers and other cooking implements beginning at 9 a.m. and will present their dishes to a panel of judges beginning at noon. Complete rules and instructions to nab one of the few remaining cooking team spots are available at www.facebook.com/squirrelcookoff.

Side dishes served alongside the competition this year will include the return of the World Champion Squirrel Skinning Contest as well as the World’s Hottest Squirrel Eating Competition.

The AGFC will host the World Squirrel Shootoff in the Marksmanship Center, where people can test their airgunning ability and get some helpful aiming tips heading into the peak of squirrel season, and there will be tons of squirrely activities throughout the nature center to entertain and educate anyone who wants to learn more about The Natural State’s native nutcrackers.

The food for the judges isn’t the only eats available at the event, either.

“Man, this is a celebration of food, and all of the teams are encouraged to whip up a little something extra for the crowd,” Wilson said. “On top of that, we work with chefs around the state to bring some extra flavor to the event with other great treats.”

Everything from silver carp tacos to alligator gumbo has been dished out at previous squirrel cook offs, and Wilson’s lining up a few more oddball offerings to try, plus a few tried and true favorites.

“We don’t have all the details yet on what we’ll be serving up, but no one will leave with an empty stomach, I can promise you that,” Wilson said. “And none of the foods we cook here are the kinds of things you can buy in any store.”

Visit www.facebook.com/squirrelcookoff for the latest developments on what’s sure to be something to chatter about for years to come.

Note for ingredient gatherers: Arkansas squirrel season runs May 15-Feb. 28, and hunters may take up to 12 squirrels per day. Focus on hickory trees as September gets closer — hickory nuts are some of the squirrel’s favorite foods this time of year.

Visit www.agfc.com for more information on the J.B. and Johnelle Hunt Family Ozark Highlands Nature Center and squirrel hunting in The Natural State.

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CUTLINES:

FLYER
The World Champion Squirrel Cook Off will return to the J.B. and Johnelle Hunt Family Ozark Highlands Nature Center in Springdale, Sept. 13. AGFC photo. 

COOKING TEAM
Up to 40 slots are available to compete in the granddaddy of outdoor cooking competitions. AGFC photo.

SERVING UP TREATS
In addition to food prepared for the competition, teams and other participants will be serving up fantastic wild game dishes to the public, all free of charge. AGFC photo.

SQUIRREL ON TREE
Arkansas’s squirrel season is May 15-Feb. 28, and hunters can harvest up to 12 squirrels daily to ensure they have enough “ingredients” for the competition. AGFC photo.

“Wildlife habitat improvement at Warren Prairie to benefit the reintroduced population of red-cockaded woodpeckers is another example of how conservation efforts from the [Arkansas Wildlife Action Plan] benefit multiple species, including game species, not only the targeted one,” Goforth said. “We’re also conducting a statewide survey of bees to determine the many native species we have in the state and their distributions. When people think of bees, they normally envision the non-native honeybee, but the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission estimates Arkansas is home to more than 400 species of bees, all of which are important pollinators for native and commercial plant species.”

The latest revision is much more than an update; it includes elements never seen before, according to Goforth. The AWAP team updated the list of Species of Greatest Conservation Need to include 520 species, and they included plant species in the list.

“We streamlined the profiles for each species listed to include habitat associations, threats, conservation actions, distribution and data gaps,” Goforth said. “We also adopted a more descriptive, tier-based, priority system to offer a more standardized approach than the previous score-based system.”

Among the many improvements to this year’s plan is the size; the writing team worked to reduce the plan from its 1,600-plus page count while retaining the critical information needed for each SGCN profile.

“We’ve included a highlights document on agfc.com/awap to help cover some of the many revisions that have been made since the last publication,” Goforth said. “The plan also has a healthy index to guide readers to the portions of the plan they’re most interested in. The real meat of the plan is in the species and habitat profiles in the appendices, and the index will help guide you through that efficiently.”

Public comments on the plan will be collected through a survey on the site through Sept. 3. The final version of the plan will be submitted to the USFWS later this year for approval.

Visit www.agfc.com/awap to learn more.

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CUTLINES:

WOODPECKER

The red-cockaded woodpecker is one species that has benefited greatly from recovery efforts, including artificial nest cavities at Warren Prairie Natural Area WMA outlined in the Arkansas Wildlife Action Plan. AGFC photo by Mike Wintroath.

LIZARD

Glade habitat restoration efforts from the Arkansas Wildlife Action Plan have helped eastern collared lizard reintroductions in western Arkansas. AGFC photo by Mike Wintroath. 

“River to Ridge” is organized by seven natural ecoregions within the state – Arkansas Valley, Boston Mountains, Crowley’s Ridge, Mississippi Alluvial Plain, Ouachita Mountains, Ozark Highlands and the West Gulf Coastal Plain.

The book is illustrated with 490 photos, many of them taken by AGFC photographer Mike Wintroath and the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism. It was all beautifully designed by Jeanne Zaffarano, a graphic artist in the AGFC’s Communications Division. Nine writers contributed to the book, which was edited by Bartlow and Williams.

Order your copy today at www.agfc.com/rivertoridge.

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According to Bill Haynes, manager of the Fiocchi complex, nearly everyone can enjoy one of the many special promotions taking place throughout the month.

“Anyone aged 6 to 17 or 65 years and older can shoot for free all month long at the rifle and pistol ranges,” Haynes said. “We do ask that anyone under 18 be accompanied by an adult, but the kids can shoot for free.”

Anyone who purchased a new rifle or pistol in the last 60 days can show a receipt at the desk and have a free day of shooting to get familiar with their new firearm, too.

“Show us your hunting or fishing license if you’ve renewed since July 1, and we’ll give you a free day on the rifle or pistol range as well,” Haynes said.

With dove season right around the corner, shotgun enthusiasts may want to take advantage of the special deal being offered for trap and skeet shooting at both the Fiocchi Shooting Sports Complex and Grandview Prairie Shooting Range — all rounds of trap and skeet at both ranges are only $2 during the entire month of August.

“We’d honestly give those rounds for free, but we need to be able to pay for the cost of the targets,” Haynes said. “If you’ve ever bought clays at the store to shoot in the backyard, you know that $2 still isn’t enough to cover the cost. I’d challenge anyone going dove hunting to come visit and spend a few bucks on a round of skeet before they hit the field this year.”

A few special events are happening at both ranges as well to celebrate the contributions of shooting sports to conservation and encourage new participants.

The Fiocchi complex will host a ladies weekend Aug. 16-17, where women can shoot at any station, including the shotgun ranges, absolutely free.

“We plan to have some instructors on the range as well to help people learn to shoot,” Haynes said. “They’ll also be available for our Family Week Aug. 6-10.”

Family Week at Mayflower means everyone shoots free on the rifle and pistol ranges, and staff will even be serving up free hot dogs, chips and drinks beginning at 10 a.m. on Aug. 9-10.

The Grandview range is hosting two special days as well. On Aug. 2 and Aug. 30, anyone over the age of 6 can shoot two rounds of trap or skeet, entirely on the AGFC.

“We’ll supply the shells, the clays and even a loaner shotgun for two rounds at the Grandview range,” Nick Adams, range manager for the AGFC, said. “We want visitors to come out and see our Grandview facility, enjoy a few games and celebrate National Shooting Sports Month with us.”

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CUTLINES:

FIRING MUZZLELOADER
Shooting sports enthusiasts will find special deals at the AGFC’s Fiochhi Shooting Sports Complex in Mayflower throughout August. AGFC photo. 

SHOOTING MODERN GUN
Excise taxes on firearms, ammunition and archery equipment are routed back to each state to pay for conservation work and support the future of hunting. AGFC photo.

LEARNING SHOTGUNS
The shooting range at Rick Evans Grandview Prairie Nature Center will join the Fiocchi Shooting Sports complex with $2-per-round trap and skeet. AGFC photo. 

On most of the AGFC’s public land managed for dove hunting with either sunflowers or top-sown wheat, access will be on a first-come, first-served basis throughout the season. However, WMA hunting during the first weekend of the season (Sept. 6-7) on Camp Robinson Special Use Area (Faulkner County), Shirey Bay Rainey Brake’s Powhatan Field (Lawrence County), Black River WMA’s Brookings Field (Clay County) and Frog Bayou’s Powerline Field (Crawford County) is restricted to permit-hunting only. Application for those four permits will be held concurrently with the private land permit applications.

Each permit holder for drawn hunts may bring one guest, but the two must hunt together. Once the draw has been completed, winners will be sent personalized instructions on how to access the field they chose in the application process, including where to park. Furr said the fields in Fulton County and Little River County will have shooting stations marked out; the other four will be first-come, first-served as to where permit hunters may set up. WMAs with permit hunts will not be marked with shooting stations.

The private land permit fields will serve Arkansas dove hunters in all quadrants of the state and in close proximity to population centers in those regions.

“Establishing a field in Northwest Arkansas this year was a high priority for us, given the significant population density in that area,” Furr said. “The field we secured is just west of Fayetteville, 20 acres. There is a 26-acre field in the Arkansas River Valley in Franklin County, near Ozark. Another that is 60 acres is in southwest Arkansas near Texarkana, in Little River County, with another that is 50 acres near Mountain Home in Fulton County. We have a southeast Arkansas field in Drew County that is 47 acres. And then the 28-acre field in White County.”

Furr said, “The Drew County field, that’s one I’m really excited about. It was planted in early April, therefore should have plenty of time to fully mature. If weather holds, there should be plenty of seed on the ground.”

The Saturday-only hunting for the private land permits that was used by the Private Lands Habitat Division last season “seems to work really well,” Furr said. “By opening hunting only on Saturdays, and allowing a week-long rest, the dove have ample time without pressure, leading to a good hunt.”

Dove season is Sept. 6-Oct. 26 and Dec. 8-Jan. 15. Dove hunters are required to have a free updated Harvest Information Program registration with their legal hunting license. They are not required to have any waterfowl stamps. Hunters under 16 are not required to carry a legal license or HIP registration.

 

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BLOOMING TIME: Sunflowers like these in a privately owned, 20-acre field in Washington County in northwestern Arkansas populate five of the six fields leased for the AGFC’s private land permit dove hunts during the first month of the 2025 season.

AS BIG AS A BALL CAP: Some of the sunflowers growing in a 47-acre Drew County private land field, leased by the AGFC for permit hunts by draw, are massive and loaded with seeds, which doves love in their annual migration through Arkansas.

TAKING AIM: Many Arkansas hunters look forward to the opportunity for wing shooting that dove hunting provides. Six private fields and four wildlife management areas will offer permit hunting during the early part of the season, with the application period for those permits running Aug. 1-15.