Arkansas Wildlife

Arkansas Wildlife Podcast Ep.92: Deep Dive into Arkansas New Hunting Regulations Part 1

On this episode of the Arkansas Wildlife Podcast, host Trey Reid is joined by Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Deputy Director Brad Carner to discuss new hunting and wildlife management area (WMA) regulation changes in the upcoming biennial cycle (July 1, 2026–June 30, 2028), part of 218 total fishing and hunting code updates aimed at simplifying and standardizing rules. They explain cleanup of outdated or redundant regulations, highlight the new searchable online code book, and detail key deer-related changes including more uniform WMA season structures, a three-deer WMA bag limit (with unchanged statewide limit of six), an expanded and earlier three-day early archery buck hunt in late August, statewide classification of button bucks as antlerless, and allowing modern centerfire rifles in deer zones 4 and 5. They also cover elimination of most wildlife possession limits (except migratory birds) and announce new public hunting access at Oakwood WMA near Dumas and the Queen Wilhelmina State Park Conservation Area agreement.

Arkansas Wildlife Podcast Ep.91: Reeling in Change: Updates to Arkansas Game and Fish Regulations

Host Trey Reid talks with Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Deputy Director Ben Batten about new regulations passed at the April commission meeting that take effect July 1, aligning fishing and wildlife regulation start dates and guidebook releases. They highlight the expansion of “blue ribbon” smallmouth bass streams from 2 to 10, with a one-over-15-inch smallmouth limit. They also discuss eliminating fish possession limits to simplify rules, clarifying how guides can transfer legally harvested fish to clients with documentation, and allowing bowfishing-style alligator harvest on private land. The episode covers lake renovation-related harvest changes at places like Wilhelmina, Poinsett, and Monticello, and provides an update on Lake Conway construction progress.

Arkansas Wildlife Podcast Ep.90: Reeling in Success: The First Year of Legacy Lunker

Host Trey Reid talks with Arkansas Game and Fish Commission fisheries staff Eric Naas and Will Lancett about the first year of Arkansas’s Legacy Lunker program after the donation period ended March 31. They report 19 qualifying bass donations, with fish coming from several waters including DeGray (5), Lake Austell (3), Lower White Oak (3), and Ouachita (3), and discuss unusual double-catch stories, minimal false alarms, and strong public support on social media. The donated fish are now spawning at the Joe Hogan hatchery using temperature/light control and spawning mats, with fry being raised at the hatchery then stocked as 2–3 inch fingerlings back into the lunkers home lakes. Preliminary genetics show many fish are mixed Florida and largemouth, and they note growth to 10 pounds can range from about 5–6 years in renovated lakes to 10–12+ years in older reservoirs.

Arkansas Wildlife Podcast Ep.89: A Deep Dive into Arkansas's Fish Hatcheries

Host Trey Reid discusses Arkansas Game and Fish Commission fisheries and fish hatcheries with Reed Pfeiffer, an Assistant Chief in Operations and Jason Miller, an Assistant Chief in Fisheries, who began at the Joe Hogan Hatchery in 2000 and managed it before becoming assistant chief in 2023. They outline Arkansas’s hatchery system—four warm-water facilities (Joe Hogan at Lonoke, Andrew Hulsey in Hot Springs, Charlie Craig in Northwest Arkansas, and Donham in Northeast Arkansas) and the Jim Hinkle Spring River cold-water trout hatchery near Mammoth Spring—plus the roles and niches of each, from catfish, walleye, striped bass, and northern largemouth bass to forage species. The episode covers major infrastructure upgrades, including a new 16,000-square-foot production facility and water system at Joe Hogan, and the Spring River hatchery’s recovery after a devastating April 2025 flood, with production back online and over a million trout on station. They also note trout shortages tied to losses at Norfork National Fish Hatchery, explain why fish are stocked (catchable fishing, genetics, supplementation, forage), and describe ongoing hatchery renovations and restocking efforts such as Lake Wilhelmina.

Arkansas Wildlife Podcast Ep.88: Burning for Wildlife: Understanding Prescribed Fire in Arkansas

In this Arkansas Wildlife Podcast episode, host Trey Reid talks with Emily Roberts, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s prescribed fire coordinator, about how prescribed fire reinstates a natural process historically common in Arkansas and improves habitat by reducing leaf litter, opening canopies, and restoring grasses and wildflowers for wildlife. Emily describes her background, explains how fire suppression grew with settlements and timber protection, and outlines how public perceptions and agency outreach have helped bring fire back as a management tool through partnerships statewide. She discusses shifting some burns from the traditional February–March window to late growing season (July–September) to promote forb diversity and better control woody encroachment like sweetgum. The episode covers burn planning, weather constraints, ignition strategies, the Qualified Prescribed Burner law and training, prescribed burn associations, and examples of managed areas where prescribed burning have been used to great effect.