Twenty-nine Arkansans will have the hunt of a lifetime this fall as they chase elk on public land in The Natural State. Their names were chosen during the 22nd Annual Buffalo River Elk Festival in Jasper Saturday.
Winners in the drawing included sportsmen from Sebastian, Washington, Franklin, Benton and Boone counties in our readership area.
Representatives from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission oversaw the drawings for this year’s elk hunt. Permits were drawn from a squirrel cage in front of an anxious crowd throughout the day.
Trey Reid, emcee for the drawings and assistant chief of the AGFC’s Communications Division said the event was full of fun and excitement over Arkansas’s largest big game animal.
“It was a great weekend to celebrate the Arkansas elk herd,” Reid said. “We met Arkansans from every corner of the state, and they were all excited and eager to hear their names called during the permit drawings throughout the day.
“It was a great crowd this year. This is my 12th elk festival to serve as emcee of the permit drawings, and it’s one of my favorite weekends of the year. The friendly folks of Newton County and Jasper always welcome visitors with open arms and warm smiles.”
Twenty-six of the permits were drawn from the 3,812 applications submitted online in May. Three other permits were selected from 680 applications submitted on site during the festival. Winners of the three on-site permits had to be present to win during the final drawing of the festival.
Hunters are allowed to choose their weapons from archery, including crossbows, muzzleloaders, modern rifles, modern shotguns and handguns.
All public land hunts occur on the Buffalo National River, Gene Rush Wildlife Management Area and Bearcat Hollow Wildlife Management Area. Hunters are assigned to specific zones within these public lands. Public land permit holders are required to attend an orientation before the hunt and will be notified of the time and location.
Arkansas 2019 elk hunt permit winners:
Oct. 7-11 Zone 1 Either Sex (onsite draw) — Colten Flowers, Hasty Zone 1 Antlerless — Ryan Harris, Benton Zone 2 Antlerless (onsite draw) — Derek Cornett, Harrison Zone 3 Antlerless (onsite draw) — Billy Burleson, Lead Hill Zone 4 Antlerless — Dustin Easterly, Benton
Oct. 26-Nov. 1 Youth Hunts Zone 2 Either Sex - Luke Schluterman, Conway Zone 3 Youth Either Sex — Joseph Ensminger, Brinkley
Oct. 28-Nov. 1 Zone 1 Either Sex — William Wood, Clarksville Zone 1 Antlerless — Richard Blount, Pocahontas Zone 1 Antlerless — Nicholas Adams, Fort Smith
Zone 2 Either Sex — Skylar Litaker, Searcy Zone 2 Antlerless — Timothy Berkley, Little Rock Zone 2 Antlerless — Raymond Baker, Pine Bluff Zone 2 Antlerless — Adam Dobbs, Hoxie Zone 2 Antlerless — Justin Simmering, Rogers Zone 2 Antlerless — Kaitlyn Lowe, Conway
Zone 3 Either Sex — Gabriel Gibbany, Harrison Zone 3 Antlerless — Charles Davis, Greenbrier Zone 3 Antlerless — Brandon Futch, Bauxite Zone 3 Antlerless — Anthony Powers,Shirley Zone 3 Antlerless — Kara Yoder, Harrison Zone 3 Antlerless — Robert Meek, Greenbrier
Zone 4 Either Sex — Richard Eden, Horatio Zone 4 Either Sex — Clyde Eslick, Sheridan Zone 4 Antlerless — Vernon McNully, Austin Zone 4 Antlerless — Hunter Cowell, Lamar Zone 4 Antlerless — Jimmy Rodgers, Flippin Zone 4 Antlerless — Mike Duncan, Fayetteville Zone 4 Antlerless — Michael Feliz, North Little Rock
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