Hot Springs State Forest WMA offers new opportunities

HOT SPRINGS — Hunters and other outdoor enthusiasts will have more acres available to them in Garland County with the opening of Hot Springs State Forest Wildlife Management Area this fall, the Arkansas Department of Agriculture, in partnership with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, has announced.

 “This WMA has been in the works for several years and we are glad to finally open portions of it to the public this fall,” Jake Whisenhunt, an AGFC wildlife biologist, says.

Hot Springs State Forest WMA, owned by the Arkansas Department of Agriculture, comprises 3,307 forested acres across multiple tracts, one of which borders Hot Springs National Park. The land was acquired with support from the USDA Forest Service’s Forest Legacy Program and the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council’s grant program.

The acquisition helps protect the Hot Springs recharge area, which is a critical natural resource where subsurface thermal processes supply the hot water that feeds the springs in Hot Springs National Park. Without protection from development, a reduction in forest cover in the recharge area could significantly impact the hot springs that have long made the region a key tourist destination.

The Department of Agriculture is managing this property for multiple uses, including hiking, biking, hunting, forest management demonstrations, fire education and other outdoor recreation. Restoration efforts will focus on reestablishing native shortleaf pine forests historically found in the region.

“We are excited to partner with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission to expand public access through this new WMA,” State Forester Kyle Cunningham said. “This partnership helps ensure long-term forest management while creating new recreational opportunities for Arkansans.”

The AGFC partnered with the Arkansas Department of Agriculture to assist in the control, management, restoration, conservation and regulation of birds, fish, game and wildlife resources on the property. Of the 3,307 total acres, 1,732 acres are open initially to hunting this fall.

“Additional hunting areas will be opened as access and boundary line issues are resolved,” Whisenhunt said.

Hot Springs State Forest WMA was not open to hunters for the Sept. 6-8 Early Buck Archery Hunt this fall, but it will be available to archery deer hunters during the regular hunt Sept. 27-Feb. 28. The three-point rule will apply to deer hunting. Bear archery season this fall will run Sept. 17-Nov. 30. Designated areas (as shown on the WMA’s public use map) were open when dove hunting started Sept. 6. Dove season runs through Oct. 26, and also Dec. 8-Jan. 15.

Along with dove season, small game hunting — rabbit, squirrel, crow, quail and furbearers – will be open to legal hunting methods on the portion of the WMA depicted on the public use map. Eastern wild turkey hunting will be open by permit only on the portion of the WMA depicted on the public use map; The WMA is in Turkey Zone 1, with hunting dates falling on April 11-12 for the permit youth hunt and April 20-22, April 25-27 and May 2-4 for the other permit hunts.

Hot Springs State Forest WMA will not be open to deer and bear alternative firearms and modern gun hunts or alligator hunting. The use of hunting dogs for white-tailed deer and for bear is prohibited. Dogs may be used to hunt small game and furbearers in accordance with AGFC regulations and on the portion of the WMA open to small-game hunting. The use of dogs to chase wildlife for pleasure is prohibited. Hunting dog field trial events are prohibited. Feral hogs may not be hunted on the WMA. All-terrain and utility-terrain vehicles are prohibited on all portions of the WMA.

The WMA’s public use map is available on the AGFC website.

####

CUTLINES:

LANDSCAPE IMAGE
Thanks to a partnership between the Arkansas Department of Agriculture and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, hunters will have an additional 1,700 acres of access this fall near Hot Springs. AGFC photo. 

BOWHUNTER
Hot Springs State Forest WMA will be open for archery hunting deer and bear as well as small game hunting this year; turkey hunting will be available in spring through the AGFC’s permit hunt system. AGFC photo.

MARKED TREE
The AGFC has worked with the ADA to mark boundaries on the entire 3,300-acre WMA. A map is available at agfc.com. AGFC photo.