High water closes deer hunting in some areas

High water on the White and Cache rivers has forced the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission to temporarily close deer season in some wildlife management areas of eastern Arkansas, as well as Flood Prone Region C, which includes private land in the Cache River basin near Augusta. Deer hunters are urged to check current water levels in their area before heading out for the opening of modern gun deer season, Saturday.

The bottomland habitats of eastern Arkansas offer habitat for large deer populations, but these low-lying areas also can become inundated quickly, pushing deer into smaller areas with less available cover. This creates a situation where deer may become vulnerable to overharvest, and removes some of the aspects of fair chase. Hunting in flooded areas also increases the chances of game loss as fatally hit deer may run into swift-moving stream or deep areas before hunters can recover their harvest.

The AGFC survey includes questions on flood prone zones during regular hunter opinion surveys. The last such survey was completed earlier this year by a third-party survey group, Responsive Management. A statistically valid sample of hunters who pursue deer in flood prone zones was interviewed by email to determine their approval of flood prone zones. According to that survey, 60 percent of hunters who hunted in regions with flood prone zones were in favor of closing deer hunting when the water rose to the criteria in place.

Only deer hunting is closed during flood-prone zone closures. Seasons and limits for other game animals remain unchanged.