Arkansas deer hunting has made history for the second time this season.
Last month, hunters set a new harvest record of 196,000 deer, the highest in Arkansas’ modern history. The numbers keep climbing.
For the first time ever, the state’s deer harvest has passed the 200,000 mark.
As of Wednesday afternoon, hunters had checked 208,000 deer, and there’s still more hunting ahead.
A youth deer hunt set for Saturday and Sunday will add to the harvest. Archery deer hunters may hunt until dark Feb. 28.
Cracking 200,000 is a milestone for Arkansas deer hunting, said Cory Gray, deer program coordinator for the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission.
Gray said several factors contributed to the record.
“One is more bucks.
We’ve taken 11,000 more bucks this year than last,” Gray said.
There was a good carryover of bucks from last season to this one, he continued. A substantial number that were illegal to kill last season came into this season with legalantlers. That is, at least three points on one side.
Not only that, the bag limit on does has increased, but the bag limit on bucks has not. It’s been two bucks for several years, Gray said.
Another reason is an increased deer harvest in North Arkansas.
A doe-only modern firearms hunt was held in the northern tier for the first time Oct. 13-17.
The five-day hunt had the desired effect of reducing the number of does, Gray said.
That was important for Northwest Arkansas in particular, Gray said.
The increasingly urban landscape of our region means it can’t support as many deer as years ago.
A poor mast crop in much of North Arkansas played a role, Gray said.
When there are few acorns, deer roam more. That puts more white-tails in front of hunters.
Archery deer season opened on Sept. 15 instead of the usual Oct. 1 opening day. That boosted the harvest.
Then there’s the weather. Cold mornings with little rain, especially during modern gun season, were perfect for deer hunting. Lots of the state’s250,000 deer hunters headed to the woods.
Don’t look for harvest figures to climb much after Sunday when the youth hunt ends, Gray said. Not many deer are killed in January and February. No doubt about it, this deer season is one for the history books.
FLIP PUTTHOFF IS OUTDOORS EDITOR FOR NWA MEDIA.
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Outdoor, Pages 5 on 01/03/2013