Trumann Mayor Jay Paul Woods is urging the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission to reject a proposed drawn-permit system for waterfowl hunting on part of St. Francis Lake. The proposal would establish a draw unit on roughly 1,000 acres of the 30,000-acre St. Francis Sunken Lands Wildlife Management Area.

Proposal Details

The draw would operate similarly to waterfowl permit hunts on 10 other wildlife management areas. Hunters would apply for a specific day about a week in advance. Applications would be accepted from Thursday afternoon through Sunday night for hunt dates beginning the following weekend.

Permit winners would be assigned marked locations and allowed to bring three hunting companions. Each four-person party would be required to remain on public land within 150 yards of its designated location. The commission said the proposal was developed in response to continued concerns from hunters about crowding and pressure on wildlife management areas during duck season.

Mayor’s Concerns

Woods said he is not a duck hunter but has hunted most other game throughout his life. He said his opposition is based on fairness, practicality, and what he believes is best for people who have used the area responsibly for decades. The St. Francis has long been more than simply a place to hunt ducks, it is part of the culture and heritage of Northeast Arkansas.

Woods also questioned the commission’s authority to restrict registered vessels on the St. Francis River, which he described as a federally recognized navigable waterway. He argued that making hunting access more difficult could work against the commission’s efforts to recruit new hunters and could prevent younger generations from developing the same connection to the area.

Original reporting: NEA Report (Jonesboro) — read the source article.