Arkansas's Antlerless Only Modern Gun Deer Hunt: October 13-17
By: KARK 4 News
Updated: October 12, 2012
Arkansas's antlerless only modern gun deer hunt starts Saturday. The season runs through Wednesday, October 17.
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission says the antlerless only modern gun deer hunt was instituted in 2011 to help manage Arkansas's deer herd.
Many areas of the state have herds that have become out of balance because of the sentiment that harvesting a doe is bad for the population.
During the last few decades, does were protected during most of the deer season because biologists needed the population to increase to a sustainable number. However, now that Arkansas is home to roughly 1 million deer, the management strategy needs to change to keep the population healthy.
This increased competition for food results in poorer overall herd health. If an area has more deer than it can feed, all of the deer will exhibit poor health in late winter. High amounts of does also impact the rut, causing it to be long and drawn out with little competition between bucks for breeding and many fawns born in late summer. These late-born fawns have decreased survival rates because they are born when temperatures are extreme and vegetation is less palatable.
By increasing doe harvest, hunters should see a stable, healthy deer herd that exhibits a shorter, more intense rut, with more fawns being produced. Keep in mind roughly 50 percent of fawns produced are bucks for future years.
Click here for more information about the hunt.
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission says the antlerless only modern gun deer hunt was instituted in 2011 to help manage Arkansas's deer herd.
Many areas of the state have herds that have become out of balance because of the sentiment that harvesting a doe is bad for the population.
During the last few decades, does were protected during most of the deer season because biologists needed the population to increase to a sustainable number. However, now that Arkansas is home to roughly 1 million deer, the management strategy needs to change to keep the population healthy.
This increased competition for food results in poorer overall herd health. If an area has more deer than it can feed, all of the deer will exhibit poor health in late winter. High amounts of does also impact the rut, causing it to be long and drawn out with little competition between bucks for breeding and many fawns born in late summer. These late-born fawns have decreased survival rates because they are born when temperatures are extreme and vegetation is less palatable.
By increasing doe harvest, hunters should see a stable, healthy deer herd that exhibits a shorter, more intense rut, with more fawns being produced. Keep in mind roughly 50 percent of fawns produced are bucks for future years.
Click here for more information about the hunt.
