Christmas Holiday Deer Hunt Near

For deer hunters using modern guns, the annual bonus is coming up. It's the statewide Christmas holiday deer hunt set for Dec. 26-28.

This event, once an "extra" for Arkansans, is another testament to the strong status of deer in Arkansas. There are plenty of deer, so additional hunting is an important tool in management of the herd.

As 2014 winds down, numbers of deer already checked by hunters is pushing toward the 200,000 mark. This follows the all-time highs of 2012 with 213,487 and 2013 with 213,199.

The Christmas holiday deer hunt is structured identically to the regular modern gun hunts with the exception that hunting with dogs is not allowed anywhere in the state. The statewide bag limit of six deer, of which only two can be bucks, is in effect along with the limits for individual private land and public land zones.

Also ahead is the second youth deer hunt Jan. 3-4. This is also statewide with no dogs allowed.

Hunters under 16 years old may go after deer with modern guns, muzzle-loaders or archery. If youths have hunter education certificates, they must be accompanied by someone 18 or older. If they do not have hunter education certificates, they must be accompanied by a person 21 or older. The adult mentor cannot carry a firearm.

There are no antler restrictions on bucks that youths can take during this hunt.

Outdoors on 12/18/2014

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