Arkansas Wild - Fall 2014

ARKANSAS WILD FALL 2014

w w w. a r w i l d.c o m

LEADING MAN CHUCK DICUS

BACK IN BLACK THE STATE OF THE BEAR HOOVES AND HORNS BUCKING UP FOR DEER SEASON

BIG BOW SPECIAL

STRINGS THAT SING DRAWING ON THE BIG PICTURE OF BOWHUNTING

TO THE POINT: BROADHEADS THAT BITE

STEWING MAD: AMAZING QUAIL DUMPLINGS

TRAIL TALES: BIKING LAKE OUACHITA

2 | Arkansas Wild  Summer 2014

YOUR TRIP BEGINS HERE

duck hunting in the Delta wetlands

#VisitArkansas

The abundant fields and streams of The Natural State will more than fill your limit of fun and excitement this fall.

From the famous fowl of the Delta to trophy-filled rivers and lakes, Arkansas offers a lot for outdoorsmen in every season.

ORDER YOUR FREE VACATION PLANNING KIT AT ARKANSAS.COM OR CALL 1-800-NATURAL.

bluff overlooking the Buffalo National River > Civil War re-enactment, Prairie Grove > canoeing on the Kings River > Chuck’s Southern BBQ, Hot Springs > fishing on the Little Red River Summer 2014  Arkansas Wild | 3

CONTENTS FALL 2014

28 ALL

www.arwild.com  FAcebook.com/ArkansasWild

20

22

34

CACHE MONEY:

NEW TEAM :

DOE DOMINANCE:

40

46

44

BEARS:

THE CHAIN GANG:

$8 MILLION HAS HELPED RESTORE THE RIVER

BOWED UP

THEY’RE BACK AND SPREADING OUT

OUR 2014 BIG BOW SPECIAL SHOWCASES STORIES FROM THE HUNT, TOOLS TO HELP MAKE YOUR HUNT A SUCCESS.

CHUCK DICUS LEADS G&F FOUNDATION

A HOT ROMP BIKING IN THE OUACHITAS

DEER NUMBERS CONTINUE TO RISE

DOVE TALE:

PREGAME PARTY OF OPENING DAY

DEPARTMENTS 10 WILD THINGS 14 PARKS & TOURISM 16 BIG BOY TOYS 17 GAME & FLAME 18 CHILL SPOT 48 OUT & ABOUT 50 PARTING SHOT

ARKANSAS WILD IS INTERACTIVE

Arkansas Wild is full of links to useful websites, apps, videos, documents, valuable hunting information, tutorials and more! Read the current issue for free at facebook.com/ArkansasWild or download the enhanced PDF to read any time on your iPad, laptop or other portable device!

FROM THE EDITOR

We bet if you surveyed Arkansans who spend even a small part of their time in the outdoors, whether it’s hunting or just being out in nature, autumn would win going away in a vote of favorite seasons. Surely among the hunters, fall is paramount what with dove season kicking things off in early September, followed by squirrel, deer and duck seasons, just to name four that rank among the state’s leading game of choice. Just go to a high school or Razorback football game later in the fall — and let’s not shortchange football for being another favorite season among Arkansans — and notice all the hunter orange and camo around the stadium. Chances are, many fans have come to the game straight from a hunt.

That’s Arkansas.

We run the gamut of the outdoors in Arkansas in this issue, from the cover story spread on bowhunting to the resurgence of the black bear in a state that 100 years ago was thought of as the “bear state.” We’ve got deer, 4 | Arkansas Wild  Summer 2014

doves, duck hunting, shooting, biking, fishing and cooking covered. How about some squirrel dumplings?

And, yes, it’s football season, and a Razorback hero of yesteryear has combined his love of the outdoors with a new position: AllAmerican Chuck Dicus now leads the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation, and we have a question-and-answer feature with him.

We also hope you’ve noticed a new look on the cover and throughout Arkansas Wild. It’s all part of a continued redesign this year of Wild, which is in its second decade of production. In essence, to paraphrase what somebody said to us on our birthday earlier this year: Arkansas Wild isn’t getting older, it’s getting better.

Enjoy the issue,

Value

Aquatic insects

are a great indicator of stream health, serving as an early sign of changes in water quality.

These insects help Central Arkansas Water better monitor the health of the streams and surrounding land in the Lake Maumelle Watershed.

of Watershed Monitoring

Central Arkansas Water recently initiated monitoring of aquatic insects in the streams that feed Lake Maumelle. What we learn from our aquatic friends will help us prioritize how and where we focus our watershed protection and restoration activities in the future.

CLEAN WATER ADDS TO QUALITY OF LIFE.

Healthier streams mean a healthier lake and healthier water for you, our consumer.

Summer 2014  Arkansas Wild | 5

Let us find your underground utilities before you do.

ARKANSAS WILD www.arwild.com  FAcebook.com/ArkansasWild REBEKAH HARDIN Publisher rebekah@arktimes.com EDITORIAL JIM HARRIS Editor jimharris@arktimes.com PATRICK JONES Art Director patrick@arktimes.com ADVERTISING WENDY HICKINGBOTHAM Account Executive wendy@arktimes.com LESA THOMAS Account Executive lesa@arktimes.com ROSE GLADNER Account Executive rose@arktimes.com PHOTOGRAPHY BRIAN CHILSON A.C. “CHUCK” HARALSON JOHN DAVID PITTMAN TRENT SUGG MIKE WINTROATH PRODUCTION WELDON WILSON Production Manager ROLAND GLADDEN Advertising Traffic Manager KELLY CARR Advertising Coordinator KEVIN WALTERMIRE, BRYAN MOATS, MIKE SPAIN Graphic Artists SOCIAL MEDIA KRISTI MCKINNON

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OFFICE STAFF WELDON WILSON Controller ROBERT CURFMAN IT Director LINDA PHILLIPS Billing/Collections KELLY LYLES Office Manager SUSIE SHELTON Circulation Director 201 E. MARKHAM ST., SUITE 200 LITTLE ROCK, AR 72201 501-375-2985 All Contents © 2014 Arkansas Wild

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CONTRIBUTORS STEPHEN HARRIS is a pilot for the Arkansas Army National Guard by workday, a father of two and an avid outdoorsman in the rest of his time. Whether it’s taking game by gun, a fishing rod, a compound bow or a classic traditional bow, Harris has earned the nickname from his close friends as “The American Sportsman,” or “Sportsman” for short.

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MARTINA KOLM has a physics degree, which she says she never uses, from SMU in Dallas. Instead, she runs her own small web and database development business, throwing in enough official photography to justify her crazy outdoor adventures, which include trips into Arkansas to take on such wild adventures as the Lake Ouachita Vista Trail on bicycle.

Besides having numerous magazine articles and music reviews appear in state publications over the past nine years, native Arkansan RICHARD LEDBETTER is also the author of two historical novels, “The Branch and the Vine,” published in 2002 and “Witness Tree 1910,” published in 2011.

A.C. “CHUCK” HARALSON is the chief photographer in the Tourism Division of the Arkansas Parks and Tourism Department. He’s been taking Arkansas Wild readers on a trip throughout Arkansas — with all its unique sites and scenes — for some time now. In every issue we feature a photo spread of Haralson’s work “in the field.” No doubt he’s encouraged many a reader to go visit these places in person.

DEVIN O’DEA is co-owner and VP of Development of Fayetteville, Arkansas-based Fayettechill, an outdoor lifestyle brand. His outdoor interests include yoga, backpacking, fly fishing, trail running and exploration in general. Follow Devin and the rest of the Fayettechill family’s adventures on Instagram (@fayettechill) and their blog (blog.fayettechill.com).

ON THE COVER: Arkansas hunter Evans Dietz with his retrieving dog, Jethro. Camouflage apparel and accessories provided by Arkansasbased Natural Gear, naturalgear.com.

Blackout SS compound bow, Blackout X1 arrows and fixed blade broadheads provided

by Bass Pro Shops, basspro.com.

Photography by John David Pittman.

you’ll wish you had room for two tags

show everyone you support ducks unlimited.

24/7. 365 Days a Year.

For over 75 years, Ducks Unlimited’s conservation work has benefited wetlands, waterfowl and you, the Arkansas duck hunter.

Purchasing a Ducks Unlimited license plate for your vehicle will help fund Ducks Unlimited’s habitat work in both the breeding grounds and here in Arkansas. Pick one up at your local Arkansas Department of Finance today, or visit Arkansas Ducks Unlimited online at ar.ducks.org for more information.

Hunter founded. Hunter supported. Hunters wanted.

Summer 2014  Arkansas Wild | 9

WILD THINGS

GUNS A’BLAZING

Arkansas Game and Fish’s shooting sports complex fires up in Jacksonville.

COMPILED BY JIM HARRIS

BRIAN CHILSON

A state-of-the-art shotgun shooting range is now open just east of downtown Jacksonville, thanks in part to major donations from members of the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation. The complex has been of particular interest in recent years to such foundation board members as Marion McCollum, a former Game and Fish commissioner and the owner of Mack’s Prairie Wings in Stuttgart.

The Foundation, the city of Jacksonville and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission partnered on the AGFF Shooting Sports Complex, which is located at 2800 Graham Road. The facility had a soft opening last January, then officially opened to the public in May. The main purpose of the facility was to serve as a host for the Game and Fish Commission’s Youth

Chris Minyard, the range manager and an instructor, takes aim at the new Shooting Sports Complex.

Shooting Sports Program, which numbers 6,000 participants throughout the state, for hosting state tournaments.

But, the complex is also a perfect getaway for families to try shooting sports (trap and skeet) and is open Wednesdays through Sundays, 10 a.m. to dusk, except on holidays and in inclement weather. The complex features 14 trap fields, three skeet overlays, three lighted fields and voiceactivated controllers (you say “pull” and the trap thrower fires the clay target from the trap box). The large acreage donated by the city of Jacksonville includes a 5,100-square foot clubhouse named for former AGFC commission Witt Stephens Jr. It welcomes visitors, with meeting rooms inside and an additional four pavilions placed on either side.

“It’s second to none, it really is, in the state of Arkansas,” Chuck Woodson, the director of the Arkansas Youth Shooting Sports Program, said recently. “A multimillion-dollar facility and second to none.”

A stocked fishing pond is situated on the east side of the complex. Coming soon to the thick woods on the west side is an archery trail with target stations.

Novices can find certified coaches to help them learn the sport. Groups can reserve shooting areas and corporate discounts are available. Don’t have a gun? That’s not a problem either, as the facility has rental firearms and can also help shooters determine which gun is right for them.

Because of various leagues and tournaments with reserved times, it’s best to call ahead for availability: 501-241-2441.

EDITING ‘THE COMPLEAT ANGLER’

Dr. Marjorie Swann, a Hendrix College professor of English, was the editor of the new issue of Izaak Walton’s “The Compleat Angler” published this spring by Oxford University Press.

First printed in 1653, “The Compleat Angler” is the most famous book about outdoor recreation ever published.

Both a manual of instruction in the fine art of fishing and a celebration of the natural world, “The Compleat Angler” has been so popular with generations of outdoors enthusiasts that it is the most frequently reprinted book in the English language after the King James Bible.

Swann’s new edition of “The Compleat Angler,” which emphasizes Walton’s continued relevance as a pioneering environmental writer, has received strong reviews in publications ranging from the Times Literary Supplement to Trout Fisherman. Swann is now writing a book about

Walton’s “Angler” and its post-17thcentury afterlives. She will be the keynote speaker at the Izaak Walton League of America convention this summer in Anaheim, Calif.

A native of St. Joseph Island, Canada, Swann earned her doctorate from Oxford University.

Her research focuses on 17thcentury English literature and culture and how literature is related to environmental history.

Before joining the Hendrix faculty, Swann taught at Southern Methodist University and the University of Kansas.

Wild Things continued on page 12

10 | Arkansas Wild  Summer 2014

HAVOC

on tHe Water!

TIM SCOTT’S NEwEST DuCk BOAT CrEATION One of the most influential duck boat builders in the country, Tim Scott knows that the point of buying a duck boat isn’t buying a boat, it’s to get you to your blind in speed, TIM SCOTT comfort, stealth and style so you can bag your limit. After a career spent designing and building boats for some of the industry’s best names, Tim co-founded Havoc Boats with one goal in mind: to bring the best duck hunters in the world the best rigs on the water. Not only is he Havoc’s chief designer, Tim’s on the shop floor every day, making sure they meet that goal. Stop by S&G Xtreme Marine in Sherwood or Hot Springs to check out the six models in the Havoc Boats lineup.

TOMMY MIDDLETON, S&G SALESMAN

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WILD THINGS

Continued from page 10

QUACK CHICK-A- WOW WOW

Breeding duck numbers up 8 percent.

Earlier this summer the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released its report on 2014 Trends in Duck Breeding Populations, based on surveys conducted in May and early June.

Total populations were estimated at 49.2 million breeding

ducks in the surveyed area.

This estimate represents an 8 percent increase from last year’s estimate of 45.6 million birds, and is 43 percent higher than the 1955-2013 long-term average.

This continues a three-year trend of exceptional water conditions and population numbers for many species.

“It looks like another good waterfowl breeding year for a good portion of the prairies and the boreal forest,” Ducks Unlimited chief executive officer Dale Hall said.

What that means for Arkansas duck hunters in late November through January still remains to be seen. But it’s certainly not bad news.

“This is one of the first times in a while as you look back to the history of the survey, there haven’t been that many times having back-toback mallard populations over 10 million. We’re looking at three years in a row of 10 million mallards estimated in the traditional survey,” said Luke Naylor, an Arkansas Game and Fish Commission waterfowl biologist.

“It’s pretty impressive to have this high run of ducks. “The caveat is, you have no TRANSPORTS TREE-KILLING INSECTS idea what that will mean to local hunting success. But over time it’s been fairly clear that the duck harvest tracks with the THE EMERALD ASH BORER IS A TREE-KILLER THAT duck breeding count. As a biologist and DESTROYS ASH TREES AMID OUR CITY STREETS, duck hunter, I’d much rather have these FORESTS, PARKS, AND OTHER NATURAL AREAS. higher duck counts. There’s not near as PROTECT TREES IN YOUR FAVORITE PLACES FROM THIS PEST: much explaining you have to do when the • BUY LOCALLY HARVESTED FIREWOOD. season rolls around, unless people have a really bad season and then you have to • TELL YOUR FRIENDS NOT TO MOVE FIREWOOD. scratch your head and wonder about it.

• ASK A PARK RANGER OR CAMPGROUND HOST ABOUT WHERE TO GET LOCAL FIREWOOD WHEN YOU TRAVEL. But it just seems the duck harvest typically tracks with those numbers.”

• USE FIREWOOD FROM NEARBY SOURCES TO HEAT YOUR HOME OR CABIN. At its July commission meeting, the CONTACT THE ARKANSAS STATE PLANT BOARD AT 501-225-1598, OR Arkansas Game and Fish Commission YOUR COUNTY EXTENSION AGENT WITH EMERALD ASH BORER took its data and that of the breeding INFESTATION REPORTS, QUESTIONS, OR CONCERNS. figures and requested from U.S. Fish and Wildlife a 60-day duck season for 2014-15, which has been the norm now for almost two decades in Arkansas.

BUY IT WHERE YOU BURN IT The official dates were to be announced after the fall Arkansas Wild went to press, but expect to see Arkansas’s duck season again opening the weekTHE ARKANSAS FORESTRY COMMISSION OFFERS ITS PROGRAMS TO ALL ELIGIBLE end before Thanksgiving, with an early PERSONS REGARDLESS OF RACE, COLOR, NATIONAL ORIGIN, SEX, AGE OR DISABILITY December split and another three-day AND IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER. WWW.FORESTRY.ARKANSAS.GOV break around Christmas.

MOVING FIREWOOD LIKE THE EMERALD ASH BORER

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FANTASTIC FOLIAGE THE AMAZING COLOR PALETTE OF FALL IN ARKANSAS THE PHOTOGRAPHY OF A.C. “CHUCK” HARALSON, ARKANSAS PARKS AND TOURISM

Roark Bluff on the Buffalo River National River has become one of the most hiked and photographed sites in Arkansas in the spring and fall; it is just a short distance from the Ponca Elk Education Center on state Highway 43, and in close vicinity of the Steel Creek Campground off Highway 74 a mile east of Ponca.

14 | Arkansas Wild  Summer 2014

Buffalo River canoeing can be spectacular in the fall, as long as there is ample water; typically the lower section is good float in fall as the leaves are changing.

ARKANSAS DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND TOURISM

A canopy of spectacular colors awaits on state Highway 103 where it begins on the border of the Buffalo National River, near Ponca, running north into Carroll County before meeting U.S. Highway 412; Highway 103 terminates near the Missouri line.

Summer 2014  Arkansas Wild | 15

BIG BOY TOYS

head games

Trying to figure out what broadhead is best for your high-tech compound bow can be tricky business. Everyone’s arrow setup is different and will react differently when released. Arrow spine, weight and speed will all have some effect on arrow flight. Bottom line is, try several and find the one that fits your setup the best. Don’t go cheap when it comes to selecting your broadhead. Quality may make the difference in a successful hunt.

BY STEPHEN HARRIS

SLICK TRICK Fixed 100 grain.

I have been using them for years and mainly because they were made in Arkansas. The company has been sold and the broadheads are made in New York now. Still an excellent broadhead for the money. slicktrick.net

NAP New Archery Products makes both fixed and mechanical. This company has been around for many years. The thunderhead 100 and 125 grain is second only to Muzzy when it comes to number of deer killed. A large inventory, this will allow for many choices. newarchery.net

16 | Arkansas Wild  Summer 2014

RAGE Mechanical. You can get these in two or three blades in a variety of models. They come mostly in the 100 grain weight but they do offer some in 125 grains. Can be pricey but worth the money. ragebroadheads.com

MUZZY Fixed 100 grain.

More deer have probably been killed with this broadhead than all the others. Great flight through the air and the chiseled point goes through anything. muzzy.com

G5 Fixed and mechanical. Fairly new to the market but has taken the industry by storm. There are many different products to choose from its line. g5outdoors.com

GAME & FLAME

PATRICK JONES

ROLLING IN THE DOUGH The time spent pulling this amazing dish of quail and dumplings together with fresh game from the season will be well worth the wait.

THE BROTH

8 quail (substitute squirrel or dove) Salt 2 carrots 2 celery stalks 1 large onion 1 small parsnip 2 bay leaves 6 stems fresh thyme 2 medium or 5 small dried mushrooms 1. Rough chop the vegetables and place all the broth ingredients into a large stockpot. Add 8 cups of water and bring to a low boil. Reduce heat to just below simmering and cook for 15 minutes.

2. Remove the quail and remove the meat from the bones. Place the meat in the refrigerator and return the bones to the broth. Continue simmering for an additional 20-30 minutes.

2. Place a layer of paper towels or thin fabric such as a tea towel or a couple of layers of cheese cloth in the bottom of a fine mesh strainer. Place the strainer over a large bowl and pour the broth through the strainer to filter the ingredients from the broth. Rinse the stock pot, return the broth to it and return to the stovetop over low heat.

The STEW

4 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 carrots

THIS RICH DUMPLING STEW IS GREAT FOR ANY SMALL GAME

2 celery stalks 1/2 a parsnip 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1/2 cup vermouth or dry sherry 1 cup fresh or frozen peas 1 cup chopped parsley 1 tsp. dried basil 1/2 tsp. dried tarragon 1/4 cup heavy cream Salt and black pepper 1. Chop the root vegetables and celery to medium sized pieces and set aside.

2. Heat the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat until melted. Saute the carrot, celery and parsnip for 5 minutes stirring constantly. Add the flour and stir to combine. The flour will adhere and “clump” on the outside of the vegetables. Keep the heat at medium and stir the vegetables every two to three minutes until the flour mixture turns light to golden brown. Keep an eye on this as the flour can go too far really fast. Slowly add the vermouth while stirring constantly. Slowly add 2 cups of the broth while stirring and continue to stir until smooth. Add the remaining broth, basil and tarragon to the pot.

5. Add the quail meat to the mixture and bring to a simmer. Simmer over medium low heat until the vegetables are soft (about 20 minutes).

6. During the first 5 minutes, make the dumpling dough.

The Dumplings

2 cups All-purpose flour 4 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. salt 1 cup cold water 1. Sift or whisk the dry ingredients.

2. Add the liquid and stir until combined. Do not over work the dough or the dumplings will be tough.

The finish

1. After the stew has been cooking for about 5 minutes bring the heat up a bit to a high simmer, but not boiling.

2. Drop teaspoons of the dough into the stew. Cover and cook for 15 minutes.

3. Add the peas and parsley, cover and cook for 2 minutes.

4. Remove from the heat. Allow to rest for 2 minutes, then add the cream and stir gently. Salt and pepper to taste.

THANK YOU! Arkansas Wild would like to extend a huge thank you to Jeffrey Moore and the staff at Terry’s Finer Foods in Little Rock for getting the ingredients together (especially the quail) and doing all the prep work for us in getting this recipe ready for the magazine. They saved us a LOT of time and helped make sure our dish turned out incredible.

Summer 2014  Arkansas Wild | 17

CHILL SPOT

ALONG THE

FOOTPATH THE TERRACES, STREAMS AND SCENES OF THE OZARK HIGHLANDS TRAIL

TRENT SUGG

BY DEVIN O’DEA The spectacular Eldridge Hollow Waterfall Area is among the many amazing sights of the 218-mile Ozark Highlands Trail; this waterfall can be found in Section 4 of the OHT at milepost 68.

The Ozark Highlands Trail (OHT) have got to be our pick for the fall’s “Fayettechill Chillspot.” The trail, iconic in itself, truly finds its form in fall, displaying a breathtaking array of yellow, orange, red and brown colors throughout the trees that cover the Ozark Mountains all around you. One of the goals of Fayettechill is to “show the Ozarks to the world” and we can’t think of a better first impression than on the OHT during the fall as the leaves are changing.

The trail itself covers a massive 218-mile expanse throughout parts of seven counties in Northwest Arkansas, so there are plenty of spots for you and your friends to chill out in for either the day or overnight. The trail passes through some of the most iconic parts of Arkansas, like the Buffalo National River, and also some of the most remote spots, like the Hurricane Creek Wilderness Area. Some of the more well-known stops on the trail like White Rock Mountain, Hare Mountain and the Marinoni Scenic Area are fairly accessible with just the right amount of challenge for the casual outdoor enthusiast.

As you travel throughout the trail, an apparent abundance of life surrounds you. There is something very relaxing about being in the middle of it all.

None of this would be possible without the efforts of the Ozark Highlands Trail Association (OHTA). The dedicated members of the OHTA built and maintain the growing Ozark Highlands Trail and work to ensure its efficient development and maintenance. It is because of its efforts and hard work that the trail consistently remain in such a pristine, world-class state for recreation. The website - ozarkhighlandstrail.com -– provides all the general information about the OHT you might need, including an overall map of the trails, guidebooks, sectional maps, hiker ratings, and other outdoor publications that educate on all the wonders found throughout the OHT. The OHTA does ask that all hik18 | Arkansas Wild  Summer 2014

ers register at trailhead register boxes ahead of their explorations so that it has a pulse on what needs to be maintained. If you are interested in getting more involved with the OHTA, reach out to the organization on its website or sign up for the monthly OHTA bulletins by becoming a member.

Personally, the Ozark Highlands Trail provide the perfect source of inspiration for myself and other employees of Fayettechill. You can really understand what exactly is so chill about the Ozarks after you spend a couple of uninterrupted days out and about on the trails. The Ozark Mountains are among the oldest mountain ranges in the world and you can see and feel the effect of time all around you while on the OHT. There is something incredibly calming about traveling throughout mountains that have passed the peak of their height but are still in the prime of their beauty.

Understanding that even the biggest mountains become small once again can help the mind unwind its daily problems and put them into context, making them not seem as big or important.

Ultimately, the Ozark Highlands Trail sets the stage.

When you review a map of the OHT, understand the miles that are open for you to explore represent opportunity. To me, each mile of the trail means extra minutes for some of the best conversations I’ve had with friends and family while hiking (you’d be amazed what a little hiking does to stimulate the mind). Some of our best shirt designs or event ideas have come on the OHT. The balance between the internal thoughts that come out and the eternal inspirations provided by nature that go into the mind while on the trail is definitely one of the more extraordinary dimensions to experiencing the Ozark Highlands Trail, and certainly the most chill.

Check out more “Fayettechill Chillspots” at fayettechill.com.

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Summer 2014  Arkansas Wild | 19

CACHE SAVINGS

Nature Conservancy, Corps finish first phase of Cache River restoration.

U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE

BY JIM HARRIS

Work by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to allow part of the channeled portion of the Cache River near Clarendon to overflow into natural, old-river meanders will restore its natural fall look in the Cache bottoms.

Somewhere, Rex Hancock is smiling, and so too should Arkansas duck hunters and other outdoors lovers.

Hancock, the late Stuttgart dentist and outdoors conservationist who was instrumental in forcing a halt of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ full channelization of 200-plus miles of the Cache River in Arkansas in the 1970s, would have to be happy knowing that in July the Corps and the Nature Conservancy’s Arkansas field office finished phase one of a restoration of the original meandering of the Cache River near Clarendon.

The initial phase covered a little more than half of the channeled river, after years of outdoors enthusiasts, including Hancock and landowners around the Cache, wondering 20 | Arkansas Wild  Summer 2014

how it could ever be restored. Employing a Mississippi contractor, Riverside, to build weirs and dikes to restore water flow to the original river route, the Corps began its work in May of 2013 and concluded it 14 months later.

“Game and Fish, DU [Ducks Unlimited], [U.S.] Fish and Wildlife and other groups have been trying to find a way to restore that part of the river for decades,” said Jason Milks, Delta projects manager for the Arkansas field office. “We were pushed to the front of that effort when we held our ‘Cache Bash’ benefit in May 2012.”

The Corps channelization project to curtail Cache flooding covered seven miles in the early 1970s before further work was stopped, thanks to Hancock’s intervention. Such a project

carried to its conclusion would have likely STATE MONEY STAYS HOME ruined much of the famed duck hunting The Nature Conservancy, a nonprofit in the Cache River bottoms. There would membership organization, operates in have been little flooding of the habitat that 33 countries and all 50 states in the U.S. ducks visit every year in their southerly The Arkansas field office, in concert migration. The Cache runs from northwith U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, east Arkansas just east of the White River the Arkansas Game and Fish Commisto a confluence with the White at Clarension and the Arkansas Natural Heritage don. Those rivers, the Arkansas River and Commission, controls and protects about the mighty Mississippi are critical to the 50,000 acres in the state. Much of this duck migration flyway through the Delta, land is available for public use, not only one that was developed innately in the for hunters but for hiking, walking and ducks over thousands of years. other non-consumptive outdoors uses.

Arkansas, of course, leans on duck “The money we raise here goes to – Ginny Porter hunting as a major tourist attraction. on-the-ground conservation here,” The project reduced the amount of says Ginny Porter, the marketwater being channeled away from the ing manager and spokesperson for old river, allowing more water during the Arkansas field office. “It doesn’t low flow to spill into the historic river route and provide get caught up in the world office, it goes to work here.” higher oxygen levels in the water to improve habitat, While the Cache River restoration is the biggest news of literally bringing that stretch of the old Cache back to late to involve the Nature Conservancy, the organization life, all without compromising the Corps’ flood-control has been handling many other projects. channel.

One such endeavor is the work at Prairie Ridge near Ark“Now, we transition from project manager to project adelphia, where the Nature Conservancy’s restoration of monitor,” Milks said. Biologists will measure the changes the blackland prairie has opened up venues for bird watchin the old river to determine how much the restoration has ing and enjoyment of the natural wildflowers of that area, improved the old Cache oxbows that are a running river according to Porter. again, as the Nature Conservancy plans for phase two on “A lot of our work involves rivers and reforestation,” Porter said. the remaining three or so miles.

Some burns of forests are, in fact, good for the environPhase one cost $8 million, with the federal share of the ment and the Nature Conservancy oversees many of these project being 75 percent. controlled burnings in the state that clean out the bad undergrowth and open up the canopies to “let the good take over again,” Porter said. “That’s a simplistic way of looking at it.”

One species that has benefited from the Nature Conservancy’s diligence, Porter said, is the red cockaded woodpecker (or just “RCW” in Conservancy terms). Working in partnership with Arkansas Natural Heritage and the U.S. Forestry Service, the Nature Conservancy has helped restore the bird population in Arkansas pine forests of south Arkansas.

“If they are doing well, everything from the top down is doing well,” Porter said of the bird. “It is what we call an umbrella species.”

The Nature Conservancy has also worked with such projects as the Bayou DeView river trail in the Monroe County.

The organization leads field trips to the river trail.

The Nature Conservancy, which also has a state office in Fayetteville, will begin work in August on phase two of its restoration of the Archey Fork of the Little Red River in Clinton. In particular, this waterway is home to the yellow cheek darter.

“It’s the only place on Earth you can find it,” Porter said.

The river restoration work, taking it back to its natural meanders right in downtown Clinton off U.S. Highway 65, will help assure the species survival. This project, being much smaller in scale than the Cache River work, didn’t require the number of partnerships to make it happen, Porter said. Joy DeClerk, a Nature Conservancy biologist, has led the effort.

“It will be great for the darters, but it’s also great for the community of Clinton,” Porter said of the Archey Fork project.

THE NATURE CONSERVANCY

“A lot of our work involves rivers and reforestation.”

Summer 2014  Arkansas Wild | 21

BRIAN CHILSON

Former Arkansas football star Chuck Dicus blends his fundraiser experience with a love for the state’s outdoors as new president of the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation.

DICUS TAKES THE LEAD

Game and Fish Foundation brings aboard veteran fundraiser and former Razorback football great to direct the new team.

BY JIM HARRIS Back in his Arkansas Razorback playing days, every Arkansas knew who Chuck Dicus was. The Texas native who played from 1968-70 was an All-American receiver and hero to every fan who followed the Hogs during their most glorious stretch of football, culminating with back-to-back season-ending games with Texas in 1969 and ’70. The 1969 game earned the title “Big Shootout,” and was the first in that time period to be labeled the Game of the Century, and it’s still talked about, written about by novelists and has been the subject of documentaries as recently as last year.

Dicus, who calls himself “a complete Arkansas transplant from top to bottom” after leaving Garland, Texas, for college, remained in The Natural State after his football career ended.

He eventually took over direction of the Razorback Foundation, the University of Arkansas’s athletic fundraiser, in 1999.

The tables had turned: Dicus was coming to know many of those faithful Razorback supporters who had lived and died with his team’s exploits.

22 | Arkansas Wild  Summer 2014

Dicus left that job in 2008 and entered commercial real estate, but he’s discovered a new calling using his fundraising talents as president of the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation, taking over for the retiring Steve Smith. Dicus was hired by the AGFF board in May and officially assumed his role July 1.

Dicus sat down with Arkansas Wild at the AGFF’s new Shooting Sports Complex in Jacksonville to discuss his new role with the Foundation.

AW: How did this new role come about?

Dicus: I left the [Razorback] Foundation in ’08. I went up to Rogers and got into the commercial real estate business for about a year and a half working for Pat Morrison, who is a close friend of mine. But my wife and I, she was from Benton, we kind of felt like Little Rock was more home. So we decided we ought to move back. We have a lot of friends down here. So I called Jim Irwin, who was a teammate of mind and is in the real estate business, he said he would take me on and he did. So I’ve been back down here now about five and a half years.

that like to fly fish. So we just developed a camaraderie and a group that would load up at the drop of a hat and go fishing. So that’s my passion.

Now, I enjoy bird hunting, because my dad was also a bird hunter. I enjoy the duck hunting. I’ve not done a lot of deer hunting and that’s something that I’m hopefully looking forward to getting into. And I’ve not done any turkey hunting, and that’s something I really want to do.

Primarily I’m a fisherman but I really do enjoy the hunting sports and I’m hoping those opportunities will come back to me.

AW: How often are you able to go trout fishing? Do you have a place that you go to now?

Dicus: I don’t own a place; I wish I did. I went last week– Chuck Dicus end just by myself up on the White. One of my closest friends is Max Peacock, and I basically taught him the sport so I’d have someone to go with me. Pat Morrison is another guy who I taught the sport so that he and I could go. If they’re not available, I’ll go by myself. I prefer to go with some friends, but I go as often as I can. I’ll tell you, I’ve pretty much given up golf.

After trying to play that sport for 30 years, I’ve figured out that I’m never going to be a golfer. And it frees up so much time to go fishing. So, that’s what I do.

AW: The average Arkansan may not understand the differences in the Game and Fishing Commission and the Game and Fish Foundation. I get that a lot. Can you explain the difference in the two?

Dicus: We’re a private 501(c)(3) fundraising organizing. Our purpose for existence is to support the Game and Fish Commission in all that they do, which involves programs for youth, projects, nature centers, education centers. It’s our responsibility to help them trying to raise funds for those purposes. In sort of a nutshell, that’s what we are, that’s what we do.

AW: I also don’t think people realize the Commission gets a percentage of sales tax but meanwhile the Foundation requires the director calling on donors for its money, right?

Isn’t that a lot like what you did in Fayetteville?

Dicus: There are some obvious similarities between the two foundations [Razorback and Game and Fish]. But there are also some distinct differences. The Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation doesn’t have the luxury of having tickets and the leverage that a ticket buyer has for the Razorback Foundation, where a contribution is hand and hand with that. We don’t have that luxury here at the Game and Fish Foundation. But what I think we do have is a whole state of citizens here that the vast majority enjoy some form of outdoors activities, whether it’s the

“MY LOVE OF ARKANSAS ACTUALLY STARTED WITH THE OUTDOORS...”

UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS

About six months ago, I knew some people who are on the [Game and Fish] Foundation Board and … actually, I stopped in one day and met with Steve [Smith, the most recent president] and said, “If I can ever help you or do anything, I’d be happy to do it.”

I wasn’t planning on leaving what I was doing. I got a call one day from one of the board members who said, “We’re going to begin a search and we’ve hired a search firm out of Tupelo, Miss., the Pace Group, and you’ll be getting a call. I said, “I’d love to talk to them.” So that started the process. I’ve been told there were maybe 50 applicants, they narrowed it down to, like, 25 that [the search firm] actually interviewed. [Pace] narrowed it on down to five and then that group interviewed in front of the [Foundation] committee and executive board and the decision was made at that level.

I joked with them a little bit, I said, “You know, I’m probably not going to be very good at this interviewing thing, I’ve never done this before.” I’ve never had to interview for a job. People have come to me and said, “Hey, you want to come to work?” but I’ve never gone through an interview process. And so I said, “I apologize, I may not be very good at this.” But apparently I was good enough.

AW: People who don’t know you beyond thinking, “he ran the Razorback Foundation, he was a great Razorback” all those things, where does the outdoors love come from?

Dicus: My love of Arkansas actually started with the outdoors, because as a young boy my dad brought me … I remember our very first trip. We drove all night long to go up to Bull Shoals to camp out below the dam. I might have been 10 years old, something like that. It was nighttime when we got there, so I didn’t get to see the river until the next morning. As soon as it was light enough I ran down to the river, you know, and stuck my foot in, and I had never seen water like that before. It was cold and it was clear. We didn’t have water like that in Texas.

So, it was those family vacations that developed my love for Arkansas. And then the Razorbacks, it was just icing on the cake.

AW: Do you consider yourself a hunter, a fisherman…?

Dicus: My passion is fly fishing. I’ve been fly fishing primarily for trout for about 22 years. I did it some as a child in Texas but, you know, cane pole and a bobber was my weapon of choice.

But when we moved to Fayetteville, I made the decision that I was going to start doing some things other than just work — although the Foundation was plenty of work. But I geared up and sort of learned the sport up below Beaver Dam on the tail water, and then driving over to the White and the Norfork. And I became friends with a number of guys there in Fayetteville

Continued on page 24 Summer 2014  Arkansas Wild | 23

Continued from page 23

fishing and hunting or hiking and camping or bicycling. There are a lot of people in Arkansas who love the outdoors, and they should. We have a very long heritage in this state and there is a culture that has developed over time, and the people of Arkansas are certainly proud of that, as they should be.

AW: We’re sitting right here in the middle of this beautiful complex that the Foundation had a big part in, along with the Commission and the city of Jacksonville. This is one of the examples of what the Foundation has done lately. Can you illustrate some other projects that people may not know of?

Dicus: We played an instrumental role in the development of the Cook’s Lake Nature Center, which is just outside of Cascoe, a nature and education center. Up on Crooked Creek is the Fred Berry Conservation Education Center. And we’re currently looking at doing some others with the Commission. I can’t identify the location at this point, but if they need our assistance to help fund some of these projects, then we’ll get busy and do a capital campaign to try and raise the money for it. We still have, obviously, the capital campaign ongoing for this project. But a lot of our donors have stepped up big-time to build what you see here today and if it hadn’t been for them, then we wouldn’t have this facility.

But that’s the thing, again, that the state of Arkansas has that we’re so proud of is that people do love the outdoors, they do love hunting and fishing. Well, the Game and Fish Foundation is a vehicle that they can use to show their support of those

things. So I’m trying to initiate a new membership program here.

I’m going to encourage everybody I speak to to get in touch with us, find out about how to become a member. It’s as little as $30 to become a member and then it’s scaled up from there. There’s a lot of things we can do and that we are doing; but it’s been for me, so far, a pleasure to meet new people and I can tell you that there are roughly 600 employees of the Commission, roughly half of which are wildlife officers. But I’ve not met anyone yet, and I’ve met a bunch of them, that’s not completely dedicated to their work and their love of the outdoors, and Game and Fish, and wildlife.

AW: There are only two employees of the Foundation, right?

Dicus: Two, plus Steve Smith. Steve will officially step down in March. But he has been a great help to me so far and will continue to be. He had 24 years at this and the things he was able to do are just phenomenal. All of these projects that I’ve mentioned so far were pretty much Steve Smith, so I’m going to lean on him heavily between now and March and hopefully even after that, because he knows how the game’s played.

AW: The Game and Fish Commission had some ups and downs in recent years before Mike Knoedl took over as director, plus some changes within the Commission board itself. Is there a good working relationship now between the Foundation and the Commission?

Dicus: I can’t tell you how pleased that I am that Director Knoedl and I have been able to find common ground. We are literally in step with one another. I wanted him to know right off the bat that I’m a team player and I want to be on his team

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and I want him to trust me. I want him to feel comfortable around me, and I think he does. He has said as much. So, I think that anything that could have happened in the past, I can’t do anything about it. All I’m going to do is show people that I’m dedicated to this job, that I want to make sure that the Game and Fish Foundation is successful. And, consequently, if it is then the Commission will be successful.

AW: What did you think of this Shooting Sports Complex when you first saw it?

Dicus: I was blown away. This is somewhat a new sport for me. I came out unannounced when they did the ribbon cutting in May. I just wanted Chuck Dicus said he was “blown away” when he first saw the Game and Fish Foundation’s most recent to see the facility and kind of observe and see project open – the Shooting Sports Complex at Jacksonville. what happened. I just came out and stood over in the background and watched and observed, and they had some them is that I’ve always seen myself working as long as I was of the youth teams that were shooting that particular day. I came healthy. And as far as I know I am in good health, and I’m preaway after looking at that clubhouse and all the trap fields that pared to work as long as I can until either they get tired of me we have here and the pavilions, the archery range that’s going to or my health doesn’t allow me to go any further. So, there’s no be built, the fish pond; I mean, what a great facility this is for the timeline. I like to work. I mean, I just like to be around people people of Arkansas. And I want to expressly say for the youth of and meet people, and thank goodness my life has kind of taken Arkansas, because that’s what we try to target. Because if we can that path that I’ve come to know a lot of people across the state get kids out here and get them interested, then they’re not sitting of Arkansas. I think they know me, they know the kind of perat home on the couch. son I am. And I’m dedicated to this state and to the people of AW: You are 65. Did you enter into this role with any kind this state. And now, I’m dedicated to wildlife and the outdoors of timeline, did you see yourself doing this as long as you can? and the Game and Fish. This is a new team for me and I’m exDicus: What I told the committee when I interviewed with cited to be a player.

26 | Arkansas Wild  Summer 2014

Summer 2014  Arkansas Wild | 27

Novice bowhunter Evans Dietz prepares to pull back on a longbow that Jim Edmonson of Benton carved out of native wood.

Photo by John David Pittman

28 | Arkansas Wild  Summer 2014

BIG BOW SPECIAL

LET’S GET Going ‘traditional’ in the Ben Pearson style calls for some work.

BY STEPHEN HARRIS

If you have ever given the thought of going from a modern to a traditional bow, maybe just to try something new, you have some work to do. I grew up in Pine Bluff, and as a young hunter, the late Ben Pearson was a name I recognized above all others. I remember taking a day trip to his house in elementary school to view his mounts, and I was hooked.

I still display a Pearson Golden Sovereign Recurve in my house. That bow was given by Ben as a gift to my father in the 1960s.

Although I have owned a couple of Pearson’s compound bows in the past, I quickly became enamored with Mathews and have been shooting that brand since 2005. Today’s bows are so technically advanced that the thought “primitive hunting” seems like an oxymoron. I love the technological advances, and the reliability has been perfected to the point that owning multiple hunting bows is really no longer required, although most bowhunters still do.

I decided to add a new bow to my arsenal, but this time I wanted to buy a traditional.

Continued on page 30

Summer 2014  Arkansas Wild | 29

BIG BOW SPECIAL Continued from page 29

30 | Arkansas Wild  Summer 2014

BRIAN CHILSON

JOHN DAVID PITTMAN

I originally thought that Going to Edmonson’s shop is not a short trip. Even this was going to be an though he lives just outside Little Rock in the Benton area, easy process; I mean re- his quick wit and humor, plus all his incredible stories, will ally, it’s just a stick and have you wanting to stay a while. Edmonson can get you set a string. I had no idea up with almost everything you need. He will make custom the variances of sizes, arrows, strings and quivers, plus give a few pointers while models, poundage and you shoot in his backyard if you chose. manufactures that were There is just something about having a bow made in Aravailable. Grizzly, ILF, kansas, with native wood by a native Arkansan. It is simply Howard Hill, Ferguson, without compare.

3Rivers and Kohannah When it comes to price, you will have to talk to Edmonare just a few makers son, but I could tell he wasn’t in it for the money. of traditional bows out Jerrell Dodson and his wife are co-owners of Archers there. We are so fortu- Advantage in Little Rock. His store has that awe facnate to be bowhunting in tor as you walk in. Every bow imaginable can be found an age with so many op- here. His inventory of traditional bows is unmatched. tions to choose from, but He has over 200 to choose from, to include left- and it can be overwhelming right-handed models from makers like Martin and Bear. and a hindrance.

Dodson says that when choosing, the recurve is slightly Jim Edmonson’s hand-crafted longbows As I pursued this new easier to shoot and a little lighter on pocketbook normally, from native Arkansas wood each feature a endeavor, I needed to but longbows are more rugged. If you don’t like what he unique etching or drawing, in this case a mountain goat. understand that I am a has, Dodson can custom order a Terry Hughes or Roy Hall beginner traditionalist bow to your liking, but it might take up to a year to get your and certain bows just didn’t fit my skill level. I also needed bow. This is a one-stop shop, with a range and all the acto decide whether a longbow or a recurve suited me best. cessories. Prices range from $179 all the way to, as Dodson I had two choices, buy online or buy from a local dealer. says, “Ridiculous”.

The bottom line, and both Edmonson and Dodson are The internet is wonderful place to explore, but I wanted to actually hold and shoot my future bow before purchasing. I adamant about this, is practice. This is not your “pick your bow up two weeks from the start of the season and go huntneeded a professional.

I contacted two men in the Central Arkansas area, Jim ing” type of bow. Dodson recommends starting to shoot at Edmonson and Jerrell Dodson. Both were very helpful least six months before the start of the season and doing it and extremely knowledgeable, not to mention very nice. four times a week 30 minutes a day. Also, don’t over-bow, Edmonson, a self-taught Bowyer, grew up in Bauxite and meaning start low on poundage and work your way up.

I’m not saying what I’m going to buy — that’s personal. began making bows when he was just 6 years old, but didn’t start selling them until 1987. He makes longbows and re- What I will say is, whatever you chose to buy, there are no curves using primarily hickory and Osage wood, but is cer- bad choices when going “traditional.” tainly not limited to those.

When I first walked into his shop I felt like I was stepping back in time. He has several bows hanging for display that were simply works of art. Some are available for purchase, some are his personal bows.

Although his medieval bows were spectacular, his Indian bows really caught my attention. They were decorated with a variety symbols and shapes that seemed like they were produced centuries ago. Edmonson has several bows from different tribes that he reproduced, and if you were interested in this, he can custom-make one for you.

He can custom-make any type bow you want. His turnaround time is about three months, but Jerrell Dodson, owner of Archers Advantage in Little Rock, showcases the performance and this can vary. design aspects of the Fred Bear 45# Super Kodiak “Grayling Green” Recurve bow.

KANSAS DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE, PARKS AND TOURISM

BIG BOW SPECIAL

Though Arkansas has a growing deer population, Kansas is more dense with larger racks, hence making the Jayhawk State a destination for Arkansas hunters.

BOWHUNTING EXCURSIONS BEYOND STATE’S BORDERS Kansas is a preferred destination for deer for the likes of fishing pro Stephen Browning

BY STEPHEN HARRIS

Arkansas whitetail deer hunters have been making the jump to neighboring states in pursuit of the elusive monster buck in recent years. The hope of harvesting a recordbook buck eats at all of us, and states like Illinois, Iowa and Kansas have been on the radar of these hunters for years.

It’s not that Arkansas doesn’t have any large 150-plus class whitetails; we just don’t have as many.

Many Arkansans may know Stephen Browning as a professional fisherman on the Bassmaster Elite series. The Pine Bluff native who now lives in Hot Springs has over a million dollars in earnings, but what you may not know is that he is an avid bowhunter when not casting crankbaits. He is also very familiar with hunting Kansas as well. A former classmate at Arkansas Tech in Russellville got Browning

interested in hunting deer there about five years ago. When talking to Browning recently, he gave me some prospective on just how to go about hunting the plains of Kansas.

When anyone decides to go out of state, especially a state like Kansas, they first need to decide what their objective is. Are you going after a quality 130-140 class animal, or a true “Muy Grande”? If you are just looking at a quality kill, hunting the many walk-in public places may be an option. Browning recommends checking the areas that have produced the most Pope and Young record bucks and focus there — the Pope and Young Club is the record book for archery kills of deer, while Boone and Crockett maintains the record book for firearm and crossbow kills.

“Many hunters do this, so the walk-in public areas may get Summer 2014  Arkansas Wild | 31

crowded,” Browning warned.

Another option is leasing some land. This is what Browning says he has done and it has paid off. It doesn’t take a lot of land to hold quality bucks if the terrain can support them. Doing this you can “self-guide” yourself, and keeping the same plot over several years only increases your chances, as you get to know the same area very well.

If you don’t have the time to manage your own ground, go with an outfitter. They do all the work, setting up food plots, putting up stands and knowing where the big boys hang out. This greatly enhances your chances of harvesting a trophy whitetail.

Most outfitters charge in the neighborhood of $3,500 for an archery hunt. Gun hunting is usually a little more, but you get fewer days. The rut usually runs heavy the first two weeks in November. Browning says, “I like the 5th and 6th [of November] as a starting point and hunt a week and see what happens.”

In five years of hunting Kansas, he has harvested four bucks. He has arrowed nothing less than 137-inches and one that came in at 148 inches — not bad!

If Arkansans are now thinking about wanting to hunt Kansas in 2014, you are too late. You must apply in April with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks for a

5

permit. Kansas no longer allows for over-the-counter permits. A great way to learn about Kansas is to turkey hunt in the spring. Most outfitters that guide for turkeys guide for deer in the fall. I have never seen more different and abundant game than I did while hunting Rios in north-central Kansas, truly an amazing state.

Browning says the main approach he takes in his line of business, the way he succeeds, is “putting myself in an area with lots of big bass. Well, this holds true with whitetail deer, also.”

Taking a trip to Kansas may be just what the doctor ordered. No matter how you decide to hunt Kansas, on your own or with an outfitter, just getting to this beautiful state will be Bass fishing professional Stephen Browning of well worth the time Hot Springs likes to venture to Kansas for big deer, using strategy he also applies when he’s fishing. and effort.

STEPHENBROWNINGOUTDOORS.COM

BIG BOW SPECIAL

COMPOUND BOWS TO TRY We have all heard about Mathews, Bowtech, Hoyt and host of other compound bow manufacturers, but there are other compound makers out there that potential bowhunters should check out before buying. Here are five we like. These bows have something to offer the bow hunter or 3-D shooter of any age or gender. All of these manufacturers have dealers in the Central Arkansas area and can be found on their websites.

ATHENS:

Came on the bow scene in 2009. Aluminum risers, glass limbs and a dual-cam system make this a very appealing bow. Women and youth sizes are available.

Be aware this is not a bargain price bow, but highly regarded within the industry, with a wonderful lineup. athensarchery.com

MISSION:

Was born in 2007 and was an off-shoot from Mathews Inc. , possessing many similar features of a Mathews bow, but doesn’t come at a higher price. The bow is nicknamed the “working man’s bow” and features aluminum risers, parallel glass limbs and other advanced technologies. missionarchery.com

ELITE:

Not a “cheap” bow, as some higher-end models will come in around $1,400. Great product line, but more importantly, this company offers a transferable lifetime warranty. elitearchery.com

STROTHER:

Started in 2010 by Kevin Strother, a name familiar with Bowtech and Elite, these bows are catching fire. They bring the same advanced technologies found on other top brands in the industry. Pricing on these high-quality bows is moderate. strotherarchery.com

DIAMOND:

These bows took on a change in 2004 when they were bought

by Bowtech. Diamond now offers a lifetime warranty on its bows, and quality has gone up –a great product line at a reasonable price. diamondarchery.com 32 | Arkansas Wild  Summer 2014

Durable & DepenDable

Convenient added storage

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G3 Jons provide an array of all welded models so tough that they are a natural fit for extended use, from professional work boats to all season hunting and fishing. Simply stated, “Jon boats the way they should be.”

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Does like this one are being targeted in greater numbers in Arkansas, thanks to the work of the Game and Fish Commission to keep numbers on a steady rise.

DOE CLOSING THE

Deer harvest remains lofty with a first for Arkansas: More does than bucks bagged.

As Maxwell Smart would say, “Missed it by that much.”

Even with some rough weather, Arkansas hunters almost reached a record deer harvest during the 2013-14 season.

They checked 213,199 deer, 288 shy of the 213,487 record set in the 2012-13 season. But the most notable number from last season was that more does than bucks were harvested.

According to Arkansas Game and Fish Commission statistics, 107,247 does were taken and 105,952 bucks (antlered and button) were harvested. During the record-setting 2012-13 season, 110,448 bucks and 103,039 does were checked.

“This is huge in regard to where we have come from in the recent past when 70 percent of our harvest was comprised of bucks,” said Cory Gray, AGFC deer program co34 | Arkansas Wild  Summer 2014

ordinator. “We are making progress on the management of our female segment, which in turn will result in a healthier, more productive, balanced deer herd. We call this a total herd management concept. We place as much emphasis on managing the females as we do the males.”

The AGFC has been moving toward the total deer herd management approach since 2009.

“Our doe harvest predicts deer herds,” Gray said. “You can look at yearling buck body weight and it will correspond to does harvested two years prior.”

Gray says biologists are managing does and bucks as two separate populations.

Continued on page 36

Summer 2014  Arkansas Wild | 35

Continued from page 34

“We want to ensure that we have the maximum number of fawns born and have them survive,” Gray said. “What we do today affects tomorrow.”

By hunting method, 157,807 deer (74 percent of total) were taken by modern gun; 29,186 (14 percent) by muzzleloader; 19,612 (9 percent) by archery, and 6,594 (3 percent) by crossbow.

The number of deer checked during the last two hunting seasons is a result of a healthy deer herd and expanded season dates and limits. The statewide season limit is six, although most zones have lower limits. Hunters may take deer in more than one zone to reach the limit of six. Zone 12, which covers much of southern Arkansas, and Zone 17, inside the Mississippi River levees, have limits of six.

Surrounding states’ harvests tended to rise or fall at greater rates than Arkansas’s. According to the Missouri Department of Conservation, 250,787 deer were checked during the latest season, which is down from the 10-year average of 293,056. Numbers for Missouri bowhunters were up; they checked 50,507 deer, the second-highest total in history.

Jason Sumners, a MDC resource scientist, says the overall decrease is in line with deer-harvest figures from other Midwestern states. “Illinois, Iowa, Michigan and Minnesota all reported decreases of 7 to 26 percent in their firearms deer harvests,” Sumners said.

Oklahoma biologists say the 2013-14 season was about 10 percent below its long-term harvest average of 106,900. On the other hand, Louisiana was up about 10 percent over its average last season.

This article appeared in the May/June 2014 issue of Arkansas Wildlife magazine, produced by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. To subscribe, call 800-283-2664 or visit www.agfc.com.

TOP 20 COUNTIES

Arkansas counties with the highest 2013-14 deer harvests.

Union – 8,482 Drew – 6,325 Cleveland – 6,249 Bradley – 6,117 Ashley – 5,918 Grant – 5,786 Columbia – 5,742 Washington – 5,588 Clark – 5,559 Arkansas – 5,511

36 | Arkansas Wild  Summer 2014

Dallas – 5,483 Ouachita – 5,079 Calhoun – 4,569 Saline – 4,381 Benton – 4,309 Nevada – 4,042 Sharp – 3,887 White – 3,799 Pike – 3,787 Jefferson – 3,618

ARKANSAS REMAINS FREE OF CWD

The Arkansas deer population is free of chronic wasting disease. That’s good to know, especially since it appears to be spreading nationally at a rapid rate.

The Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory analyzed samples from the 2013-14 hunting season supplied by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. The lab, a division of the University of Wisconsin at Madison, tested the obex (brain stems) and lymph nodes from the samples.

Chronic wasting disease affects white-tailed deer, mule deer, elk, moose and other cervids, and is fatal.

According to the Chronic Wasting Disease Alliance, it’s been found in either wild or captive populations in Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming. It’s also been found in Alberta and Saskatchewan in Canada.

“This report is really good news for us,” said Cory Gray, deer program coordinator at the AGFC. “Some people may not understand why we have strict regulations concerning the importation of live cervids and certain parts of carcasses into Arkansas from other states, but our intent is to maintain a healthy, disease-free deer herd.”

The samples tested were taken by hunters from deer inside captive enclosures, from sick or emaciated animals and from deer-vehicle collisions. They came from all parts of Arkansas.

“We had another good season for deer hunting in Arkansas and came close to matching the previous year’s all-time record, but this report of no CWD is even more satisfying to us as deer managers,” Gray said. “Another positive aspect is the cooperation we are getting from hunters in our campaign to keep out CWD. Biologists and hunters have a common interest — a healthy, productive, sustainable deer herd.”

Animals with CWD lose weight and drink excessively.

They tend to become listless loners, and walk in patterns. Elk with CWD become nervous and excited. They also grind their teeth and drool. If you suspect an animal may have the disease, contact the local wildlife officer or the AGFC immediately.

To learn more about the disease, visit the Chronic Wasting Disease Alliance website, www.cwd-info.org. The CWDA is a project of the Boone and Crockett Club, Mule Deer Foundation and Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.

Summer 2014  Arkansas Wild | 37

WETLANDS CONSERVATION HELPS

MORE THAN DUCKS Whitetail deer also benefit from DU’s efforts.

BY ANDI COOPER

DUCKS UNLIMITED

Ducks Unlimited conserves A dramatic lack of wawetlands and associated habiter is far harder on whitetats for waterfowl, but many tail populations than a other species benefit from spring flood event. Severe these habitats, including one of drought can decimate the North America’s most popular food resources that wildgame species – whitetail deer. life need in addition to robIt’s no coincidence that when bing them of drinking water. scouting for waterfowl, huntThe bounty of wetlands is ers tend to see a good number particularly dramatic in natof whitetails as well. Particuural systems that undergo larly in the bottomland forests fluctuations in water levels. of the Mississippi River Valley, As much as water supports the biggest bucks frequently plant life, it also will drown find refuge from hunting presit. Periods of draw-down or sure on high ground in flood- Streams in the White River National Wildlife Refuge, a haven for ducks, are low water levels give plants critical as well to deer, especially in drought-like conditions that have hit ed areas. the chance to revive and Arkansas in recent autumns.

Research indicates plants absorb oxygen and nutrigrowing around wetlands contain more sodium, which ents they require. When these areas are flooded again, makes them an important mineral source for whitetails in something known as the reservoir effect takes place, spring and summer. In addition to finding dense cover and and a surge of growth and insect development occurs. nutrient-rich forage, whitetails are less disturbed in these The reservoir effect greatly increases biological proareas as hunters have to work much harder to get to them. ductivity after land is flooded, but the effect lasts only Even your kindergartener knows that water is indispens- a few years if the site remains continuously under waable for all living things, but it’s more than the water that ter. For this reason, all of Ducks Unlimited’s wetland draws wildlife to wetlands. All kinds of wildlife are attract- projects include water control structures that allow ed to wetlands for the bounty that the water supports. From land managers like the Arkansas Game and Fish Commyriad invertebrates for foraging birds and fish to desirable mission to manipulate water levels in impoundments. browse plants for whitetails, wetlands provide food, cover These wet-dry cycles are crucial for proper management and water – the three basic needs for all animals. of the important food resources wetlands produce. For In agricultural settings of the Delta, the dense cover example, in green tree reservoirs, oak mast is a key rearound small wetlands or along streams and rivers pro- source not only for waterfowl in wet years, but also for vides ideal habitat for traveling and hiding whitetails. Of- whitetails and other wildlife in dry years. While the ten, these areas provide the only cover for miles and serve valuable oaks can handle dormant season flooding and as important travel corridors between blocks of forested even occasional flooding during the growing season, in areas and from feeding and bedding areas. impoundments where flooding is constant, trees begin to Focusing your hunting on even very small wetlands and fall after three years of flooding. While waterfowl huntsurrounding travel areas can ing access and opportunity is improved with flooding in improve your chances for harvesting a deer. Whitetails a given year, the habitat quality and long-term sustaingenerally prefer smaller, quieter waters to large, fast-mov- ability of both habitat and harvest opportunity depend ing rivers and streams. Small ponds, beaver wetlands, wa- on wet-dry cycles. terfowl impoundments and backwater swamps are all atFortunately, green tree reservoirs offer great whitetail tractive to deer and many other wildlife. and squirrel hunting opportunities in dry years.

Many waterfowl hunters have seen firsthand that whiteToo much, not enough or just right? tails prefer the serenity and security that a swamp or large Many people worry about deer populations when flood- marsh can provide, and many deer hunters know that boting occurs, particularly the level of flooding we saw along tomland hardwood transition areas are excellent habitat the Mississippi and its tributaries in 2011. However, it’s no for bucks on the prowl during the rut. rare thing to see deer cross water, including swimming Join the ranks of deer hunters that understand the imporlarge lakes and rivers swollen with flood waters. As soon as tance of wetland habitats available to their quarry and are the floodwaters subside, most deer will return. willing to help Ducks Unlimited conserve these habitats.

38 | Arkansas Wild  Summer 2014

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BACK TO BEING THE

BEAR STATE

ARKANSAS DEPARTMENT OF PARKS & TOURISM

Commission efforts over 60 years have restored black bear population throughout Arkansas.

The number of black bears in Arkansas is growing significantly thanks to restoration work and management by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.

BY RICHARD LEDBETTER When a group of horseback riders recently came across fresh bear tracks near Tulip Popelli Creek in Dallas County, they turned to Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Director Mike Knoedl for his opinion on the subject.

“There’s definitely an upswing in our state’s bear population,” Knoedl told them. “But there’ve been bears around here for a long time. People have been spotting bear infrequently for many years. Twenty years ago when I was a young game officer and out in the woods all the time, I’d encounter bear signs pretty regularly. If you know what to look for, it’s surprising how often you’ll see indications of bear.”

Asked about the danger associated with bear encounters, Knoedl said, “People ask, ‘Why do you want to reintroduce bear into our state? They’re dangerous animals.’ But the truth is we’ve only ever had one documented attack here in Arkansas, when a guy got between a momma and her cubs, and it wasn’t real bad. He just got scraped up some. They generally act pretty bad, snapping their jaws and such, but it’s mostly just for show.

Then, the director suggested, “You should talk to Myron Means. He’s our staff expert on bears. He’ll tell you all about them.”

He was exactly right about Means. The AGFC’s affable Statewide Bear Program coordinator is a wealth of knowledge on the subject of bear and its resurgence in the region.

“Well, for starters, the bear population in East Arkansas in the White River corridor is the only group thought to be of our original native Arkansas bears,” Means said. “At one time we had so many bear in Arkansas it was known as the 40 | Arkansas Wild  Summer 2014

Bear State, but then they were hunted to near extinction.

In 1927 the General Assembly made it illegal to hunt bear.

“Trusten Holder [former AGFC commissioner and a leading conservationist for many years] did a statewide land survey in 1951 that found the only native bear population remaining was in the White River National Wildlife Refuge. It was decided at that time to reintroduce 254 northern black bear from Minnesota and Manitoba, Canada, into Arkansas. The national forests had been cut over and were growing back up by the time of the reintroduction. The rejuvenated forests made for good habitat and the population flourished with high reproduction rates.”

Means estimates the current bear population in Arkansas to be “close to 5,000 across the whole state.”

“Our reintroduction program is considered the most successful of large carnivores in the entire world. No one else has done it as well as Arkansas,” he said.

By 1980, the AGFC decided that the bear population in certain areas of the state had reached a self-sustaining level, Means said, and the commission reopened a conservative bear hunting season — primarily in the mountain regions.

“Since then the harvest has slowly grown larger with the increasing number of bear residing in Arkansas,” he said.

WHY BRING BACK BEAR?

Means is often asked why bears were reintroduced to Arkansas.

“I tell them how bears have a long, rich heritage in our state. It’s been estimated how in the pre-settlement 1700s and 1800s, Arkansas had as many as 50,000 black bear re-

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ARKANSAS DEPARTMENT OF PARKS & TOURISM

siding here,” he said. “There are great bear habitat, acting together several towns around the state to block bear transit from north to with names derived from the bear south between the separate mountradition. Bearden in South Artain ranges.” kansas is named for all the bear So, he said, Ouachita bears tend dens that were once found along to spread every direction but north, the Ouachita River corridor. Oil while Ozark bears move every othTrough on the White River got its er direction but south. Texas, Misname from rendering down bear souri and Oklahoma all have exfat into bear oil. There were so panding bear populations thanks to many bear [commonly pronounced growing Arkansas bear numbers, ‘bar’ in Ozark regional dialect] Means said. harvested in the area back then The largest bear in Arkansas may that the town grew up around the be upward of 600 pounds and male, industry of bear oil production.

Means said. There is a good number There were wooden troughs in the of healthy bears in Arkansas now middle of town that ran from the and the larger ones tend to be found cooking vats right down to water’s in the interior highlands, he said. edge, where rendered fat was load“The reason for that is they are ed aboard barges. From there it While Arkansas bears generally aren’t confrontational with humans, likely the descendants of northern they can move fast on ground and up trees. was shipped downriver all the way bears that were used to reintroduce to New Orleans and then to markets all over the world.” black bear to Arkansas,” Means said. “There’s an axiom By 2000, the AGFC began a bear repatriation effort called ‘Burkman’s Rule’ that states due to colder temperathat lasted through 2004, Means said. The bear biologists tures, animals from northern climes tend to have greater moved females from the White River National Refuge and biomass to help generate more body heat. Animals from released them into the Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge, warmer regions have lesser size to avoid generating too near El Dorado and the state’s southern border. much heat. Thus the northern bear brought in from Minne“There were 64 females turned loose over the course of sota and Manitoba are genetically larger than descendants the four-year period,” Means said. “The idea was to try and of our remaining native species.” reestablish bears in the South Gulf Coastal Plains of SouthBased on studies of the past 35 years, bears will live on Central and Southeast Arkansas (Bear Zone 4). That effort average 20-25 years in the wild, Means said. In captivity, a didn’t prove hugely successful, but did have some success.” bear might live 30-35 years, under ideal conditions.

Means said the repopulation has led to Ouachita MounOne misconception about bears, Means tells visitors on tain bears expanding to the east and south, while White AGFC-sponsored springtime trips to view mother bears and River bears have expanded south and west. The upper cubs, is that they “hibernate.” Actually, Means notes, they Ouachita population and the bears in north Louisiana and are “estibators,” meaning they can be aroused from their south Arkansas have moved toward the north, east and sleep. True hibernating animals are in such a deep stupor, west, he said. they cannot be spontaneously aroused. While bears appear “Bears tend to follow drainage basins,” Means said. “Wa- to be in a deep sleep from mid-November through midtercourses tend to be where timber companies typically March, they can be immediately awakened when disturbed. leave uncut, streamside management zones in place. These “When we do our den surveys during that period of the forested corridors make ample bear habitat and provide year, the momma bears are always awake,” Means said. good passages for bear to move across the landscape relaA dramatic increase in the AGFC survey efforts over the tively undisturbed. Bayou Bartholomew [stretching from past several years has allowed the commission to get a good Pine Bluff through Southeast Arkansas and into Louisiana] handle on rates of reproduction and distribution of bears is probably the most active corridor for bear expansion in through the Gulf Coastal Plain. The resulting figures are our state.” high enough that “we’ll probably open the first bear hunting season since 1927 in [Bear Zone 4] sometime in the next three to five years,” Means said.

AVOIDING THE FREEWAY Means has discovered an odd tendency about Arkansas In Bear Zone 4, the regulations would likely still call for bears: The Ouachita-area based bear and the Ozark Moun- a quota system, archery hunting only and a season limited tain bear “don’t seem to mix and mingle,” he said. They ap- to five days, he said. pear to stay in their respective areas.

“We’ll start out very conservatively, taking baby steps, “We don’t believe it has to do with the Arkansas River maybe harvesting 40 or 50 bears per year to see how they because bears are great swimmers. We see them crossing respond,” Means said. “We have to be very cautious bethe Mississippi River back and forth between Arkansas to cause if we overharvest it takes many years for populations Mississippi all the time,” he said. “There is documented to rebound. An adult female only has on average two cubs evidence showing bears don’t like to cross interstate high- every other year. At approximately 20 years of reproducways. We believe it may be a combination of the I-40 cor- tion in the wild, that translates to a mere 16 cubs over an ridor and the broad, open Arkansas River valley, which isn’t entire lifetime.”

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GATHERING ON

GAME DAY Dove opener is social event of the season

BY RANDY ZELLERS

CURTSGUIDESERVICE.COM

The grill master turns his attention from the coals to tune a radio to the play-by-play. Another football fan fiddles with a big-screen TV until the pregame show is sharp.

Friends gather in a makeshift living room furnished with folding armchairs, coolers and truck beds.

But something is missing from this tailgate party. Hot dogs and hamburgers are sizzling on the grill; coolers are packed with frosty drinks and potato salad. Every detail has been covered, but no stadium is in sight. This displaced band of merrymakers is lounging in featureless farmland miles from the nearest football field or parking lot.

Opening day of dove season is one of the biggest social events for hunters. It’s the perfect gathering for a large group of family or friends. The only equipment needed is a shotgun and some shells, and staying still and quiet isn’t necessary.

Dove hunting offers challenging shots for skilled shooters and plenty of action for hunters who simply enjoy shooting.

Typical opening mornings often end with hunters cleaning their harvest, enjoying the flavor of a charcoal-grilled burger and spinning the required number of yarns. Eyewitness accounts of easy targets flying by unscathed and shooters falling on their rear after a low-flying bird turned them around like a corkscrew follow those who dare brag about their shooting skill.

“Besides being delicious, doves are great sport,” said Luke Naylor, waterfowl program coordinator at the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. “For most people, the dove opener is the kickoff to the hunting season.”

The field is the key to a successful opening morning.

Many organizations, such as the 4-H Club and churches, organize dove shoots on private land, and some farmers put on shoots at their fields for a small fee. Local sporting goods and farm supply stores often post fliers for such fields as opening day approaches.

Once the shooting begins, darting doves give opening-day hunters barely a second to get off a good shot in an open field.

44 | Arkansas Wild  Summer 2014

Rex Roberg, wildlife management specialist with the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, said that although nothing official is on file, a county extension office may be a good place to start your search.

“Some of our county agents really get involved in that end of their extension work, but not all of them,” Roberg said. “It’s definitely worth a try to call them and ask.”

Hunters who strike out on private land may find opportunity on AGFC wildlife management areas.

“The first thing I’d do is call the AGFC regional wildlife office for my area,” Naylor said. “They can tell you if there are some WMAs with fields managed specifically for dove season.”

Naylor also suggests hunters familiar with a nearby WMA call the area manager. Even if no fields are specifically planted for dove, area managers make their living on this land, and they can tell you if doves are using it.

“Area managers can also be helpful in pointing out private fields nearby that are holding dove shoots,” Naylor said. “Many WMAs are surrounded by cropland, and there’s usually a good relationship between area managers and neighboring landowners.”

It might not be possible in some pay-to-hunt fields, but for hunters looking at public land or a friend’s farm, a little extra scouting is in order. Naylor suggests a morning visit to the field a few days before the opener.

“Look at the tree line around the field and try to find gaps the doves are flying through. Pay attention to travel routes the birds are using and try to get to a good ambush point along the edges of the field early on opening morning.”

Even the most productive fields fall silent after opening weekend. Hunting pressure may push birds away from the fields, but Naylor says they can be hunted with great success.

“A good cold front may push the doves out and the pressure from hunting the fields on opening weekend causes the doves to leave, but doves in northern states will move to Arkansas fields for those same reasons.”

The AGFC breaks dove season into two segments. This creates two “opening-weekend” opportunities for wingshooters who want to continue the hunt. Although the second opener typically is not as productive as the September kickoff, it offers good shooting if fields are managed properly.

The tailgate-party atmosphere may be gone after opening morning, but there’s no reason the hunt should end while birds are flying. Missing late-season doves is just as much fun as missing them on opening weekend.

This article originally appeared in Arkansas Wildlife magazine, produced by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. To subscribe, visit www.agfc.com.

Summer 2014  Arkansas Wild | 45

Learning to

LOVIT

Texas biker Mickey, a friend of the writer on his first bike adventure, enjoys some clear sailing on the Joplin Trail in the Ouachitas.

Mountain biking the Lake Ouachita Vista Trail is helped by TrailDogs and a timely summer sausage log.

STORY AND PHOTOS BY MARTINA KOLM During a brutal portion of our mountain bike ride in the Ouachita National Forest, the three of us switched positions. Clinton, my boyfriend, retook his normal lead; I was second, followed by Mickey, our friend from Carrollton, Texas. I stopped to wait on Mickey, a moment to rest and relish the grandeur of this place.

We were enjoying a camping/mountain biking trip on the Lake Ouachita Vista Trail (LOViT) near Mount Ida. The extensive trail system is 25-plus miles with 10-plus more planned.

The beautiful midday sun poured its light through the canopy, bouncing off white rocks, casting almost no shadow. No traffic heard, only the sounds of nature, an auditory delight.

“Mickey, where are you? Come in,” I said into the walkietalkie. No response. I had a snack.

“Mickey, I’m worried about you. Respond!” but again, nothing.

The biophony was soon drowned out by a guilty noise inside my head: “You’re an idiot for thinking someone with three months’ biking experience could tackle this kind of ride. He’s hit his head and is passed out somewhere.”

“Come in Mickey!” I decided not to over-react, but stay patient. He had great judgment and natural talent.

I finally heard Mickey coming up the trail. I ran to him.

“I was so worried. What happened?”

“I was getting sloppy and stopped to rest, ate a lastresort backup Gel-shot. I’ve eaten everything else.”

With his walkie-talkie dead, we had to stick together. This was not a problem as the trail turned into rocky terrain, which neither of us could ride. It became a bike haul, as I 46 | Arkansas Wild  Summer 2014

followed Mickey up Hickory Nut Mountain (a 900-foot elevation gain). The problem was, we didn’t know we were climbing a mountain.

FALLS FAIL

On our last full day of riding, we had planned a nine-mile outand-back ride from our secluded “Eagle Vista Spur” primitive campsite surrounded mostly by water, a wild and stunning place.

Our destination was the Iron Creek Cascades five-step waterfall.

The trail passing the falls was easy, so when I saw the “Cascades” sign the guys had just zoomed by, I assumed all was well. That sign was not an encouragement/directional marker; it was a “Go left a few feet and see the falls” sign. When the heart is thumping, the adrenaline is pumping and you are in a “Life List” forest, it’s easy to lose track of not only time, but distance, a lesson soon learned.

With little water, the falls quest was no longer a ride to a pleasurable destination but a necessity to stave off dehydration.

This was supposed to be Mickey’s first mountain bike touring trip, a learning experience, and it turned into a nightmarishly hot water-hunt.

On one of the mountain’s sunny switchbacks, we finally caught up with Clinton sitting on a bench. Mickey joined him. The trail had many scenic benches, thanks to TrailDogs, an organization founded in 2005 and dedicated to taking care of and building this fabulous trail (see http://lakeouachitavistatrail.com). Clinton was done and making a compelling case to Mickey about turning back. I didn’t think we had the water to

make it all the way back to our last known water source.

“Seriously” Clinton said, “we don’t know how far up that trail goes or if there’s even water up there.”

“Fine,” I told them. “Stay here and I’ll walk up those rocks and count how many steps it is to water, one, two, three.”

I counted as I climbed. After 120 steps the terrain leveled off. Rocks turned to dirt and I could smell water’s humidity but got no official confirmation due to dense trees. I returned with my step count and convinced them to push forward. Water was close.

We ended up at a waterless trailhead parking lot, “Hickory Nut Mountain.” Further exhausted at the realization that we overshot the waterfall by several miles and were on a mountain, we sat at the picnic tables to regroup.

We combined the last of our water and hydration tablets equaling one bottle and searched for food.

Coming up with virtually nothing, I remembered the sausage log under my bike saddle. We ate every morsel — the salt, fat and wetness of it was devoured by my body, desperate for fuel. It was indescribably delicious.

We stood on the picnic table, trying unsuccessfully to get cell reception so I could call Jerry, a TrailDog, to take him up on his offer to bail us out if we got into trouble. Jerry made the trip possible. He answered questions, provided maps, campsite locations and his number during my trip-planning.

From the table we could see the lake far below.

The sailboats were an inch high and we were like giants, the giants of Hickory Nut Mountain — a mountain climbed accidentally, but conquered nonetheless.

A van drove up. In my half-naked biking getup, I ran toward it like a stinky feral dog, frantically sharing my plight. The elderly couple inside looked toward the back of the van, where the big eyes of a toddler were staring back at me, he and his apparent grandparents out for a fun day at the park. They were terrified of me, as if I were going to bite them. They gave me a water bottle, saying, “This is all we can spare.” The entire transaction felt more like a stickup than anything else.

I ran back with my score. Mickey’s thin 6-foot frame was draped over the seat of the picnic table, limbs hanging every which way (doing his Zen thing). By the time we split the water, the van left. I was saddened that it was not a bear, but rather someone like me that might have scared them away from the Ouachita.

I decided, as a girl, I had the best chance of procuring

“...I’m sure another car will pass by with water...”

– Martina Kolm

water from a complete stranger, provided I changed my crazed, desperate strategy. I would ride to the main road and flag down passing cars.

Clinton and Mickey agreed by just lying there in their own pain and misery.

At the road, a couple drove by with no water, then a car of three. They offered the tea they were drinking. “No, I can’t take that. I’m sure another car will pass by with water, but thanks.”

QUENCHING THE THIRST

Just then the couple from before drove back. The man excitedly jumped out of the car, proclaiming, “My wife remembered the emergency water bottles in the trunk.”

He opened the trunk, “The water’s hot.”

I screamed with delight, “I don’t care, that doesn’t matter. You guys rock! Thank you so much.”

After dividing the emergency water, another TrailDog drove up, a runner setting up for a trail run.

He was quite impressed with our long ride. Not only did he hook us up with water, but hydration-packs, power-bars and I got an almond-butter. He was amazing. All these people were amazing, and TrailDogs in their own right. This whole freakin’ LOViT trail was oozing with generous, caring people and spectacular views. We were on top of the mountain and the world.

The ride back was fun. We had learned where we were going and had everything needed to get there.

We checked out the five-step falls, repaired a flat tire and made it to camp before dark. It was an 11-hour, 17-mile ride.

Yes, it was hot and hard but we learned to LOViT. It doesn’t matter how you get there, on foot, by boat, bike or accident, the Ouachita National Forest deserves to be on the official “Life List” of places to visit before you die. I guarantee you will LOViT, too.

Mickey and Clinton grab a quick bite to eat (left) before embarking on more of the trail, including crossing Clinton’s Creek (right).

Summer 2014  Arkansas Wild | 47

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

OUT& ABOUT

EVENTS NOT TO MISS HAPPENING AROUND THE NATURAL STATE

ON THE WATER

INAUGURAL SIX BRIDGES REGATTA AUG. 30: This marks the first time since 1938 that a regatta has been held on the Arkansas River, it’s spearheaded by the Arkansas Boathouse Club on the north shore River Trail. Watch the boats from the new Rockwater Harbor marina across the river from Cajun’s Wharf. The Six Bridges Regatta will be a national 5K timed race using the north shore of the river (away from the channeled portion for barges) and will host U.S. Rowing registered events all day in juniors, collegiate and masters categories. For more details visit the event website at www.6br.org, or the Arkansas Boathouse Club (which also offers classes on rowing) website at arboathouse.org or its Facebook page at facebook. com/sixbridgesregatta.

BIG MAUMELLE KAYAK FLOAT SEPT. 1: Paddle your way on Pinnacle’s majestic lowland river while viewing cypress trees and a variety of wildlife.

A park interpreter will be your guide. Prior paddling experience is not necessary, but you should be comfortable around water and wear shoes that can get wet. Advance payment and registration is required. Admission: $40 per kayak. 9 a.m.-2 p.m. 501-868-5806.

FLY TYING DEMONSTRATIONS SEPT. 13: Visit Gaston’s Restaurant on the White River every second Saturday to learn and watch experienced experts in fly tying make some amazing little bugs.

Demonstrations 1-3 p.m. Call 870-431-5202.

CATCH MORE CATFISH SEPT. 23: Keith Sutton, one of the country’s bestknown fishing writers, will provide simple tips to catch more catfish for beginning and experienced fishermen.

Copies of Sutton’s books will be available for purchase by cash or check. 6:30-8:30 p.m.. Witt Stephens Jr. Central Arkansas Nature Center. 501-907-0636.

FALL CANOE FLOAT OCT. 5: Enjoy the fall’s crisp cool air on this canoeing journey through Pinnacle Mountain’s lowlands with a 48 | Arkansas Wild  Summer 2014

park interpreter as your guide. If we are lucky, we will see the fall’s colors on the Little Maumelle River’s bald cypress trees. No prior paddling experience is necessary, but you should be comfortable around water and wear shoes that can get wet. Advance payment and registration is required. Admission: $40 per canoe. For more information call 501-868-5806.

FALL FOLIAGE LAKE CRUISE NOV. 2: Experience the beauty of a “tree rainbow” along the shores of Lake Maumelle, with Pinnacle Mountain on the horizon. Join a park interpreter for a guided tour of these amazing colors. Don’t forget your camera, you won’t want to miss the amazing foliage of the Ouachita Mountains. Advance payment and registration required. Admission: $15 for adults and $8 for children ages 6 -12. Meeting place: Jolly Roger’s Marina. For more information and to make your reservation call 501-868-5806.

IN THE WOODS OWL PROWL

SEPT. 7, 14: Peek into the darkness and discover a world filled with owls. Join a park interpreter on a guided hike along the Arboretum Trail at Pinnacle Mountain State Park in search of the elusive nocturnal hunters.

Advance payment is required. Admission: $5. Event time: 7:30 p.m. until 9 p.m. For more information call 501-868-5806.

HAWK WATCH SEPT. 18: Many animals migrate southward over Mount Magazine in September. Birds, butterflies, even spiders have been seen passing overhead. Especially watch for birds of prey flying by, sometimes at eye level, from high cliffs of Cameron Bluff. Help identify and tally hawks, falcons, eagles and watch for surprises. Meet at the third parking area on Cameron Bluff Overlook Drive. For more information contact Don Simons at 479-963-8502 or via e-mail at mountmagazine@arkansas.com.

SUP YOGA ON BEAVER LAKE SEPT. 21: Fayettechill sponsors outdoor yoga. $50, $65 with shirt. Visit Fayettechill.com for more info.

MIGRATION CELEBRATION SEPT. 27: Valleys around Mount Magazine are natural corridors used by transient wildlife. Southward migration peaks in September. Birds, butterflies, even spiders have been seen passing over the mountain. Experience this natural phenomenon during field trips, fun activities, games, crafts, and a live bird demonstration. Contact the park for a detailed schedule as the event draws near at 479-963-8502.

OUTDOOR YOGA SERIES OCT. 8: Full moon close of Outdoor Yoga Series season, sponsored by Fayettechill. Visit Fayettechill.com for more info.

GET TO THE POINT: FLINT KNAPPING OCT. 11: Blast back into the past to make stone points like the ones used by American Indians. Learn basic techniques and information needed to create your very own projectile point to take home. A beginner’s flint knapping kit is included. Reservations must be made by Sept. 30. Event for ages 11 and up. Admission: $20 per person. For more information contact Toltec Mounds State Park at 501-961-9442.

DUTCH OVEN OUTDOOR COOKING WORKSHOP OCT. 11: Discover the art of cooking in cast iron over a coal fire. Learn new recipes and cooking techniques and enjoy a delicious prepared meal at the end of the workshop. Class sizes are limited and registration is required. Admission: $20 per person. Event place: White River Museum in Des Arc. For more information call the museum at 870-256-3711 or via e-mail at lowerwhiterivermuseum@arkansas.com.

BEGINNERS’ OUTDOOR COOKING DUTCH OVEN WORKSHOP OCT. 18: Dutch ovens make it easy for people to enjoy a tasty outdoor meal, just like in the old days.

Join us at the Plantation Agriculture Museum and discover how to cook over a coal fire with this unique cast iron oven on legs. Food cooked outdoors in a Dutch oven always gives off mouth-watering flavors unmatched by almost all other cookware.

While enjoying a full course meal and learning the basic skills of a Dutch oven, take a journey into the past, and find out how Dutch ovens made it from the lands of Dutch traders to the wagon trails of pioneers. Contact the park to register early. Space is limited. The workshop fee includes workshop, lunch and workshop booklet with tips and recipes.

Workshop fee: $25 per person. For more information call the museum at 501-961-1409.

ON THE TRAILS

WEEKLY TUESDAY BICYCLE RIDE SEPT. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30: A road ride from midtown Little Rock (Riverdale) picking up additional riders at the Big Dam Bridge and Cook’s Landing, touring the North Little Rock River Trail and concluding with coffee in downtown Little Rock. For more information contact James Britt at 501-912-1449 or via e-mail at jobritt@ sbcglobal.net.

EAST QUARRY EXPLORATION HIKE NOV. 16: Often overlooked, the East Quarry peak is an interesting area for unique rocks, plants, history and amazing landscape views. Join us for a mildly strenuous 2.5-mile hike. Please bring plenty of water and sturdy shoes. Binoculars and cameras are recommended. For more information contact Pinnacle Mountain State Park at 501-868-5806.

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SUNDAY RIVER TRAIL RIDE SEPT. 7, 14, 21, AND 28: This event is a weekly ride, about 35 miles or less with an optional bakery stop. Admission: Free. Meeting place: River Mountain Park/Two Rivers Bridge. For more information contact James Britt at 501-912-1449 or via e-mail at jobritt@sbcglobal.net.

OUTDOOR YOGA ADVENTURE SERIES (YAS) Sept. 5, Oct. 3: Fayettechill takes classmembers on first Friday of each month to an unknown location within an hour radius of Fayetteville. Class meets to leave from The Smokehouse (1725 S. Smokehouse Trail) at 5:30 a.m. and return by 8 a.m. Rain, sleet or shine. One class $30, $40 with shirt, three classes $70, $80 with shirt. Group pricing available. See Fayetteville.com for more info.

Reyna at 870-864-7106 or via e-mail at foundation@southark.edu.

WETLAND WALK-A-BOUT

BIG EVENTS

NATIVE AMERICAN DAZE/ MOUNTAIN MAN RENDEZVOUS SEPT. 12-13: See how the trappers and the Native Americans worked together in the wild. The day ends with a “Walk of Remembrance” to honor those that walked the Trail of Tears. Meeting place: Calico Rock Museum. For more information contact Gloriaann Gushue at 870-2974129 or via e-mail at calicorock@centurytel.net.

DISHING SQUIRREL SEPT. 13: World Championship Squirrel Cook-off. Held in conjunction with the 2nd annual Bacon Bowl, presented

by Petit Jean Meats, 9 a.m.-noon, downtown Bentonville.

Live music, food and beverages, fun activities. $10 admission at the gate. To enter the Bacon Bowl, visit BaconBowl. net or the Bacon Bowl Facebook page. The Squirrel Cookoff is expected to draw up to 100 teams from around the country. For more information or to enter, visit squirrecookoff.com or email squirrelcookoff@squirrelcookoff.com.

Early entry fee for the cook-off is $50.

16TH ANNUAL SOUTHARK OUTDOOR EXPO SEPT. 13: Contests include the Hero 5K run/walk, famous rib cook-off, outdoor photo contest and duck calling competition with cash prizes for all contests.

A full day of live entertainment and hands-on activities and exhibits for outdoor enthusiasts, families and children alike. Meeting place: El Dorado Conference Center. For more information contact Cynthia

SEPT. 14: The Witt Stephens Jr. Central Arkansas Nature Center in Little Rock invites you to come by for a Wetland Walk-a-bout from 2 p.m. until 3 p.m. every second Sunday through October. Enjoy a leisurely walk along the Arkansas River Trail and on the William E. “Bill” Clark Presidential Park Wetlands boardwalk. This halfmile guided stroll will offer opportunities to view native plants and wildlife. Please dress for outdoor weather.

Discover the benefits of wetlands and explore nature downtown. For more information call 501-907-0636.

RANGE DAY SEPT. 20, NOV. 15: Test your archery or BB gun skills from noon until 2 p.m. Practice target shooting or shoot for the first time. Targets and instruction will be provided. Depending on the weather and available staffing, the archery range or the BB gun range (not both) will be set up for target shooting. Contact the Witt Stephens Jr. Central Arkansas Nature Center in Little Rock’s River Market district to see which range will be open and for any other information at 501-907-0636.

BEAVER LAKE’S HISTORY SEPT. 20: If you have ever taken Beaver Lake for granted, think about what had to be done before construction of the dam — removal of homes, trees, entire communities, power lines, graveyards etc. Join Alan Bland of the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers for this look back at the making of Beaver Lake. For more information call 479-789-5000.

NATIONAL HUNTING AND FISHING DAY SEPT. 27: The perfect opportunity to celebrate the conservation efforts of outdoorsmen across the nation. It doesn’t matter if you hunt, fish or simply enjoy a day on

the hiking trail, you have had an important part in preserving our lands. Outdoorsmen everywhere are encouraged to participate in activities at the Witt Stephens Jr. Central Arkansas Nature and help continue the growing heritage of maintaining our conservation efforts. 501-907-0636.

SCOUT JAMBOREE AT THE TOLTEC MOUNDS OCT. 25: Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts may earn their Indian Heritage Award, available through the Quapaw Boy Scout Council, by participating in this jamboree.

Scouts will enjoy programs on Arkansas wildlife, Native American tools and weapons, Native American crafts, and will be guided through the prehistoric Toltec site.

Following the programs, a camp fire will be built for scouts to roast hot dogs. Groups are responsible for bringing their own food, drinks, condiments, and cooking supplies. Reservations must be made by Oct. 23.

2-5 p.m. Contact a park interpreter at 501-961-9442.

79TH ANNUAL WORLD’S CHAMPIONSHIP DUCK CALLING CONTEST AND WINGS OVER THE PRAIRIE FESTIVAL NOV. 28-29: Duck-calling contests, commercial exhibits, arts and crafts fair, hand-made duck calls and decoys, carnival and midway, outdoor exhibits, Queen Mallard and Junior Queen Mallard pageants, Sportsman’s Party, Great 10K Duck Race and World Championship Duck Gumbo Cook-off. Downtown Stuttgart, with some events at the Grand Prairie Auditorium and the gumbo cook-off under large tents off Park Avenue by the Producers rice dryers. For more information contact Stephen Bell at 870-673-1602 or via e-mail at stuttgartchamber@centurytel.net.

MORE CALENDAR SEE MORE EVENTS FOR THE FALL ON ARKANSAS WILD’S WEBSITE AND FACEBOOK SITE. arwild.com • facebook.com/arkansaswild Summer 2014  Arkansas Wild | 49

PARTING SHOT

LONESOME DOVE HUNT

BY JIM HARRIS

MIKE WINTROATH

had seen dove nearer to this spot earlier anyway.

Again, the minutes dragged on. But then I spied two dove darting among the nearby trees. They appeared to light, and I spotted one bird on a limb, hoping he’d get flying again to at least make it a sporting shot. He sat. I fired. I fought wispy hay to reach the tree and fetch the fallen bird.

To my dismay, it was not a robust dove suitable for breasting and barbecuing.

Rather, it appeared to be a kingfisher. A harmless little bird that was not to be targeted, but rather to enjoy its short life flying to and fro, merely observing this strange act of fire coming out of long metal tubes and other birds falling, not him. Not the kingfisher.

I was just a kid then, and I didn’t hunt a whole lot — never shot at deer and never have, but I’ve loved duck hunting forever — and was sincerely crestfallen. Crushed. What the hell was I doing out here, killing innocent birds anyway?

I couldn’t even recognize a bird as not being a dove. Mr. Sentimental welled up.

I got over the momentary sadness, called it a day, took my one dove and drove to Billy Jeter Sr.’s river house nearby to add my one kill to the 400 or so brought in by the rest of the hunters for what was an awesome cookout. The one rationale I could make for dove hunting that moment was: Boy, they sure tasted cook, basted in barbecue sauce and grilled. Then, I turned to what has become a family tradition on the first day of dove season: kicking back in an easy chair and drinking Tecate beer. It just seems appropriate, popping a Tecate that, in 100-degree early September heat, goes down like water.

I thought of that poor kingfisher and promised never to go dove hunting again. I broke that vow the next year, found a more promising spot on the Jeter’s land, and brought in a limit of dove, with no kingfisher.

See, even further back than this, when I was 9, in that same patch of land, with my dad’s help I flagged down my first dove with a .410 — yet another memory of which I can never let go. It reminds me of good times, and the camaraderie with Billy Jeter Sr. and his sons and their friends, and my dad with his own beer in hand. Schlitz.

And, that’s what hunting, whatever game you happen to be after, is all about.

Even one lonesome dove in the hand can be a success.

It’s strange the stories we remember from our hunting and fishing excursions. Often they’re whoppers, retold by the fireside as cold winter creeps in. Sometimes they’re just funny, even in a self-deprecating way, and they refuse to escape from the mind’s deep reaches.

On a Saturday before Labor Day, one hot enough at 8 a.m. to leave your shirt collar already soaked with sweat, I was manning my spot near a sand bar on the Arkansas River, across from Cummins Prison Farm. Dozens of hunters were stretched around this large peninsula of land that jutted out into the river’s route, and just a few hundred feet from the sand bar the ground was baked dry and dusty. The wildgrass had lost most of its color.

The sticky, bothersome burrs collected on your socks and pants everywhere you moved.

If you’ve ever been on a snipe hunt, you would probably know what this felt like: I’d been placed in a spot for a dove hunt that seemed as far away from the dove as possible and still be hunting. I knew there were dove, I saw them moving in bunches in the distance off the river, and I could hear the rounds of light load rapidly firing off nearby, like a battle had ensued. It appeared the serious hunters had smartly scouted out where the migrating dove would be working on opening day.

Suddenly one lonesome dove appeared out of nowhere, racing over my head. Somehow he managed to run into one of my 20-guage pellets. I finally found him in the thicket a long walk from my spot. This had coincided with my decision, as the minutes dragged slowly on, to move from this less-than-advantageous spot anyway, so I stationed myself pretty much where this dove had fallen. I 50 | Arkansas Wild  Summer 2014

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Having a life jacket isn’t the same as wearing it.

That life jacket stored under the seat isn’t going to help you in an emergency. Put it on when you get in the boat. It could save your life.

52 | Arkansas Wild  Summer 2014