HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) reviewed extensive public feedback on proposed hunting and fishing regulatory changes during its meetings on Wednesday and Thursday, with more than 20,000 verified responses influencing the discussion.
AGFC Director Doug Schoenrock and AGFC President Anne Marie Doraramus heard the results of a survey of proposed regulations for 2026 presented by AGFC Director of Social Sciences Jessica Feltz. AGFC photo.
Jessica Feltz, director of social sciences at AGFC, presented the results of a large-scale survey first launched following the proposed rule changes in February.
“Of the more than 24,000 responses collected, we retained 20,134 for analysis,” Felts said. “After careful review, the social science team verified each response. Staff removed duplicate entries from the same person or responses that were potentially fraudulent, such as those from bots. Rest assured that a small team of staff scrutinizes responses and comments to determine their validity and intent.”
The report said most of the proposals had majority support, but some had significant criticism. AGFC officials said “some of the comments were critical of some of the regulatory changes.”
“An interesting difference between hunters and anglers is how direct they prefer regulation,” Felts said. “Anglers are ‘concentrators,’ meaning they prefer one regulation like a catch limit or length limit to be consistent across an entire region or state. Hunters are our ‘splitters,’ and they want regulations that are specific to individual areas. Hunters still want consistency in some aspects, but they prefer specific details over general areas.”
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Public comment also addressed proposed changes to the Camp Robinson Special Use Area and J. Perry Mikles Blue Mountains SUA land designations.
Commission chairwoman Anne Marie Dolamus clarified that if the areas were reclassified as wildlife management areas, activities such as field trials and archery competitions would still be allowed, stressing that habitat protection and public access would remain a top priority.
Doramos and Commissioner Philip Tappan also called for the cancellation of a proposal to increase the horsepower limit for mud engines from 37 to 40 horsepower. AGFC officials said a large portion of those surveyed opposed the change and asked for increased restrictions on ground-driven engines because of increased noise.
“In visiting with the public and other commissioners, this rule seems to give people confidence that we are moving in the direction of opening up these types of motors, but we still have a lot of concerns about the noise levels they produce and have not seen industry leaders work to address this issue,” Tappan said.
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To view the full report of the public inquiry, please visit the AGFC website. Commissioners are expected to vote on the proposed regulations at their April meeting in Monticello.
AGFC Elk Program Coordinator Wes Wright reports on the 2025 elk hunting season and 2026 elk population survey. AGFC photo.
Commissioners also received an update on the state’s elk population from Elk Project Coordinator Wes Wright.
Wright said hunters harvested 22 elk last season, 12 of which were bulls and the rest were antlerless.
“The harvest has stabilized compared to previous years, but is still well below what it was a decade ago,” Wright said. “This reduction is actually intentional because we detected [chronic wasting disease] and our targeted response to disease detection. We are increasing the number of tags and quotas and doing targeted removals to reduce density because elk have a much larger range, and we are working to prevent the spread of CWD across the landscape because we are collecting data on where CWD is already established. This resulted in a subsequent reduction in the population and a reduction in the number of licenses and quotas as we worked to stabilize the population. “
Wright noted that this year’s census was lower than expected, but that was largely due to high winds during the survey that prevented helicopters and drones from operating as usual.
“We saw 353 elk during the survey, which is a decrease in numbers, but the surveys we conduct determine more trends than absolute numbers,” Wright explained. “We still want to be cautious about the harvest, but a low population survey shouldn’t cause alarm, especially given the weather conditions.”
Two elk captured last season tested positive for CWD, which Wright said is consistent with an infection rate of about 10 percent. Two other elk carcasses found during the census also tested positive for CWD.
Officials said conservative harvest limits may remain in place to help stabilize the deer population, noting that elk reproduce more slowly than white-tailed deer.
AGFC Director Doug Shoenrock also shared recent updates from the agency, including increased participation in the Arkansas Legacy Lunker program and ongoing conservation projects.
“I would like to give a special shout out to Ethan Stokes of the Arkansas Game and Fish who donated a fish to the Arkansas Game and Fish this year. [Lunker] He did so despite not being allowed to compete [XPress Boats Giveaway] ” said Schoenrock. “Ethan is a fisheries biologist from Russellville and I want to commend him for his dedication and support of this program; he is obviously a great conservation worker who is passionate about this promotion and improving fisheries in Arkansas.” “
Michael Ankton (right) talks to students from LM Goza Secondary School about their experience participating in the AGFC Conservation Academy Leadership Program last year. AGFC photos
The committee also heard from students at LM Goza Secondary School in Arkadelphia about their participation in the committee’s Conservation Leadership Schools programme.
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Commissioners also approved increasing the budget for Trusten Holder Wildlife Management’s Benzal Lane Bridge project from $400,000 to $850,000 due to rising construction costs. Officials said the money will come from a boat fuel tax collected through ArDOT.
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