The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission has many WMA draw hunt permits that were not drawn during the regular drawing period that will be available in a first-come, first-served online sale beginning at 8 a.m., Sept. 26.
In years past, many more permits would be available in the sale, due to successful applicants not paying the processing fee for their permit. This year’s draw required an up-front processing payment at a reduced cost in an attempt to get these coveted hunting opportunities in the hands of the hunters who would use them. As a result, the only permits left for sale are for hunts where more permits were available than the number of people applying.
Just because these hunts were not as highly sought as others doesn’t mean hunters don’t have a good chance at bagging a deer during them. Some wildlife management areas that have excellent success rates often fly under the radar because all the attention is placed on one or two standout areas. In some cases, very good WMAs are left as a fallback option, in case hunters don’t draw the more popular hunts.
“A lot of hunters put all their eggs in one basket, picking areas because of their reputation, but during the unclaimed permit sales, we often see some of the less popular draws get scooped up quickly,” said Brad Carner, AGFC chief of wildlife management. “U of A Pine Tree WMA is one of these popular second-chance hunts because it has a Thanksgiving time-frame. A person can try to draw an opening day hunt during the regular draw period, then grab an unclaimed Thanksgiving hunt here to stretch out their season.”
Each permit will be sold for $5. Each hunter may purchase one permit for each of the remaining WMA permit hunts. There is no limit to the amount of permits a person may buy, but many of the hunts are on the same days, so hunters should pay attention to the hunt dates as well as the location before purchasing.
