Surplus permits go on sale

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is selling leftover permits to participate in special deer hunts on wildlife management areas. The sale began Monday. Hunts must be managed in some areas to maintain healthy wildlife populations and high-quality hunting experiences. Game and Fish has a special drawing each year for these hunts.

Some hunts have a few permits left. Brad Carner, chief of wildlife management, said although these hunts weren’t the most popular, they still offer a good chance at bagging a deer. Some wildlife management areas that have excellent success rates often fly under the radar because all the attention is placed on one or two standout areas.

“A lot of hunters put all their eggs in one basket, picking areas because of their reputation, but during leftover permit sales, we often see some of the less popular draws get scooped up quickly,” Carner said. “U of A Pine Tree is one of these popular second-chance hunts because it runs during Thanksgiving. A person can try to draw an opening day hunt during the regular draw period, then grab a leftover Thanksgiving hunt here to stretch out their season.”

Each permit will be sold for $5. Each hunter may purchase one permit for each of the remaining management area hunts. There is no limit to the amount of permits a person may buy, but many of the hunts are on the same days.