2009-10 Hot Springs Village Urban Deer Season

Season is open Sept. 14-27, 2009.

Archery hunting only. No bag limit. The first deer taken must be a doe. After that, deer of either sex may be taken. Deer taken within the Hot Springs Village Urban Deer Zone do not count in the hunter’s seasonal bag limit. The three point rule does not apply to this hunt. Two hundred permits will be issued for the 2009 season. Successful applicants must take and pass the International Bowhunter Education Course before attending a hunter orientation class and passing a shooting proficiency test on Sept. 12, 2009 at 8 a.m. at the Woodlands Community Center in Hot Springs Village. Contact Steve White at (501) 922-5535 for directions.

Pick up an application and a list of all regulations at Arkansas Game and Fish Commission headquarters, 2 Natural Resources Dr. in Little Rock or at the AGFC regional offices in Hot Springs, Calico Rock or Russellville. Applications must be postmarked by July 1. For more information on the hunts or to be mailed an urban hunt application, call the AGFC at (501) 223-6359.

Urban hunt rules:

• All hunters must take and pass the International Bowhunter Education Course and pay a $35 confirmation fee to the Arkansas Bowhunters Association, which will include membership and liability insurance for this hunt.
• Attend an urban hunting information seminar Sept. 12, 2009 at 8 a.m. at the Woodlands Community Center in Hot Springs Village.
• Pass a shooting proficiency test [i.e., three consecutive hunting arrows shot from a legal hunting bow held at full draw by only the archer’s muscles. All three arrows must hit within or cut the line of the heart/lung area of a life-size deer target at a distance set by the test administrator (up to 20 yards)].
• This season will have no bag limit, although the first deer taken by a hunter must be a doe to be donated to an organization such as Arkansas Hunters Feeding the Hungry. The deer that are killed during this hunt will not count toward the hunter’s seasonal bag limit.
• All hunters must be at least 16 years of age and hold an Arkansas Sportsman’s License.
• Longbows, recurve bows or compound bows at least 45 pounds draw weight and broadheads at least 7/8-inch will be allowed (mechanicals OK). String locks will be prohibited.
• There will be a self-checking deer station at 218 Minorca Road.
• All hunters must keep their bow in a case to and from the hunting stand.
• Hunting will be allowed village wide; however, no hunting will be allowed in the following areas:
  1. The wildlife sanctuary.
  2. Within 100 yards of houses, trails, golf courses or parks.
  3. Within 50 yards of paved roads.
  4. Within 100 yards of POA utility plant properties.
  5. Private lots unless the hunter has written permission from the lot owner on their person.
• Hunters must shoot from elevated stands at least 10 feet high. The following are prohibited: spikes, screw steps or climbing stands that can damage the tree. No hunting while walking, stalking, or from ground blinds.
• All hunters will be issued a special gate pass which must be posted on their windshield at all times. The hunter must carry the following at all times: a picture ID, Arkansas Sportsman’s License, and Urban Bowhunting Permit.
• The hunter cannot clean the animal on the property and will be required to bag or cover harvested animals from public sight before removing deer only during daylight hours if at all possible.
• There will be no off-road vehicles or ATVs on common property or private lots.
• The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission will regulate this hunt.