Renewing your hunting license contributes to conservation

Most hunting seasons are still a few months away, but it’s a great time to renew your license to make sure you’re ready for the next year of memories. Arkansas annual fishing licenses expire one year from the date of purchase, but hunting licenses expired June 30.

Your hunting license is more than your ticket to another great year in the outdoors; it’s the perfect way to say, “I am a conservationist.” Arkansas hunting and fishing license purchases help keep the funding Arkansas receives from sales of hunting equipment, firearms and ammunition flowing. Even if you don’t plan to hunt, purchasing and renewing your license is the best way to ensure federal dollars collected for conservation find their way to The Natural State.

Not only does your license purchase help maintain fish and wildlife populations in Arkansas, it also helps fund the purchase and improvement of public hunting areas, boating and fishing accesses and education facilities where the next generation of outdoors enthusiasts can enjoy the same love of nature as you.

Last year, thanks in part to hunting and fishing license sales, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission:

• Completed construction of about 1,000 acres of additional moist-soil units at Frog Bayou WMA, increasing the amount of this valuable managed wetland habitat type to 10,800 acres on public land;

• Completed infrastructure renovations to protect bottomland hardwood forests on Henry Gray Hurricane Lake WMA with the construction of a new, automated six-gate water control structure capable of moving 10 times the amount of water as the previous structure;

• Constructed seven water-control structures at Shirey Bay Rainey Brake WMA to replace obsolete flashboard riser gates to move water more efficiently through the WMA and protect bottomland hardwood forests attractive to waterfowl;

• Restored wildlife habitat through prescribed fire on 24,830 acres of wildlife management areas and assisted conservation partners with an additional 15,833 acres;

• Stocked 9.5 million fish, including but not limited to

  • 2.9 million Florida largemouth bass,

  • 2.9 million forage fish,

  • 1.1 million walleye,

  • 549,000 catchable rainbow trout,

  • 634,000 striped bass,

  • 456,620 northern largemouth bass,

  • 388,000 catchable channel catfish,

  • 266,800 black crappie

• Improved 24 bank-fishing access areas at 13 Arkansas lakes;

• Placed fish attractors at more than 270 locations on 29 Arkansas lakes;

• Restored 3.54 miles of eroding streambanks to prevent water pollution through sedimentation;

• Removed two stream barriers, restoring connectivity to 10 miles of streams;

• Began renovation and infrastructure repair to Lake Wilhelmina;

• Upgraded the shooting range at Rick Evans Grandview Prairie Nature Center, adding two new trap fields and upgraded target-release systems;

• Enhanced the Fiochhi Shooting Sports Complex in Mayflower to increase public safety and replace aging infrastructure;

• Connected with more than 15,000 anglers at 335 stocked fishing derbies throughout the state;

• Hosted more than 5,600 participants in the AGFC’s Youth Shooting Sports Program’s regional and state championship trap shooting tournaments;

• Engaged with more than 3,350 student archers through qualifying tournaments and the annual Archery in the Schools State Championships;

• Welcomed more than 175,000 visitors at AGFC nature centers; and

• Taught more than 20,000 Boater and Hunter Education graduates.

Visit www.agfc.com/licenses to purchase or renew your hunting license today.