The application period for Arkansas’s public land elk hunting permits is open from 8 a.m., May 1, 2020, until 11:59 p.m. June 1. Hunters interested in pursuing Arkansas’s largest big game animal can apply here beginning May 1 and select the WMA Applications button to begin the process.
Twenty-six permits will be drawn to hunt elk in Arkansas this year, with eight being either-sex tags and the other 18 being for cow elk only. This is a reduction of three either-sex and three cow tags from last year.
“Since the discovery of (chronic wasting disease), we have opened up harvest on our elk to reduce their density and expansion, and we’ve seen some record harvests in those years,” said Wes Wright, elk program coordinator for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. “The prevalence of CWD appears much lower in our elk herd, and the herd has seen a declining trend, largely due to the increased harvest and targeted testing. We are now shifting to maintaining the population at its current level.”
Wright says private land elk quotas also will be reduced this year to help maintain the herd and keep high-quality hunting opportunities available.
Find more information here.
(Photo source: Arkansas Game and Fish Commission)