Four September hunters to seek bull elk along Buffalo River

COMPTON – It doesn't seem that long ago that Arkansas began its elk hunting tradition, but on Monday, Sept. 25 four fortunate hunters will be going after bull elk along the Buffalo River for the ninth consecutive year.

The limited permit hunts are a major attraction for Arkansas outdoors enthusiasts, with several thousand persons applying each year for one of 18 free permits. Two others are issued through fund-raising activities of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, which returns most of the money received to Arkansas for elk habitat work.

In addition to the four bull permit holders for the September hunt, 16 others will be in the field in early December - 12 with cow elk permits, three with bull permits and one, a youth, with an either-sex elk permit.

The four September bull elk hunters are:

Charles Platt, Sherwood, Zone 1
Russell Brown, Dardanelle, Zone 2
Patrick Gilligan, San Francisco, Zone 3
Walton Short, Magnolia, Zone 4

Gilligan and Short received their permits through the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation auctions. Except for these auctions, the elk hunts are limited to Arkansas residents.

The hunt is scheduled Monday through Friday, Sept. 25 to 29. At the same time, another hunt under a different format will be underway on private lands in Boone, Newton and Carroll counties. This is designated Elk Zone A. Hunters must have prior written permission from landowners and pay a $35 fee for a permit to hunt elk. This hunt will end when the quota of five elk is reached.

Some landowners and livestock raisers in Zone A consider the elk a nuisance and a limited hunt was initiated in 1998 to control elk numbers. Nuisance complaints have diminished considerably in this area since the hunting program was implemented.

Although limited in numbers and in their range, the Arkansas elk have become a major wildlife success story. Elk inhabited the state in its early days but disappeared in the 19^th Century. A restoration program was begun in 1981, led by the late Hilary Jones of Pruitt, (Newton County), who was a member of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission at the time. The work included importing 112 elk from Colorado and Nebraska and releasing them on lands near the Buffalo National River.

The Arkansas elk have gradually expanded in numbers, with the present population about 400- 450 animals, according to Mike Cartwright, AGFC’s elk program coordinator. The elk herd is officially named the Hilary Jones Elk Herd in memory of the originator of the restoration program.

Arkansas’ elk range from the headwaters of the Buffalo River down its corridor past U.S. Highway 65 in Searcy County. Some are usually visible - and photographable - along Arkansas Highway 43 in the Boxley Valley, especially early in the morning and late in the evening. This viewing area is closed elk hunting.