LITTLE ROCK - The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission understands that for some Arkansans, the heritage of hunting deer with dogs dates back many years. It's that understanding that has led Commission officials to take the lead in trying to resolve ongoing conflicts between the deer-dog hunters and landowners.

The Commission presently has no proposals on the table to close more zones to hunting deer with dogs. However, the agency is now considering the possibility of establishing a permit system that would require hunters to have access to a minimum amount of land before they could hunt deer with dogs. This permit system, if implemented, would only apply in one area of the state where recently reported conflicts between property owners and deer-dog hunters have been the greatest.

Most of the conflicts between property owners and deer-dog hunters during the 2004 fall season occurred in deer zone 8. AGFC Director Scott Henderson said he wanted to work with people in zone 8, which includes parts of Cleburne, Faulkner, Independence, Jackson, White, Van Buren, Conway, Pope and Johnson Counties, to find a compromise. "I want to look at getting these people together and see if everyone concerned can find some common ground," Henderson said. "We want to penalize the people who are causing the problems, but we don't want to paint all deer-dog hunters with the same brush."

Henderson said that over the next few months, AGFC staff would be considering ways to try to resolve the disputes and would present those recommendations to the full commission. One such action might be to increase penalties for shooting from the road. Currently, the fine for road hunting ranges from $100 to $1,000.