In this episode of In Our Expert Opinion Podcast, David Hill is joined by fellow land advisor Chance Creighton for a timely discussion on the approaching deer hunting season and agricultural harvest cycle in Arkansas. They also explore implications for dove hunting, the resurgence of the state's black bear population, and early farming and harvest trends in Central Arkansas.
The episode also spotlights the upcoming Lay of the Land® Arkansas Conference and what attendees can expect from the event. Scheduled for October 17 in Fayetteville, the Arkansas land conference will feature expert-led presentations on agriculture, forestry, and development trends.
REGISTER FOR THE LAY OF THE LAND Arkansas CONFERENCE
Below is an excerpt from the interview. Listen above for the full podcast.
Chance Creighton, Advisor at Saunders Real Estate
The early buck archery season. (Chance) It’s hot, but you got some advantage. [Deer] are still going to be real patternable; they may still be together, so if you're getting a couple of bucks on camera, they may all come in at once.
It's a different game, for sure. But if you're hunting over bait, if you're putting corn out right now–especially if your neighbors aren't–if you got some ground where the majority of your camp are big gun hunters, and you get out there with a bow or crossbow, you have a huge advantage right now. Farmers are still in the field; you can get out there, feed early, and probably get you one in if you can bear it.
Prepping for the standard season. In the past, I have started earlier in the summer, even as early as June, trying to take inventory, but things start to shift once your family grows.
My game plan now is, starting in August, to take inventory of what's out there. I want to get some food that they're interested in and minerals that they're interested in. At a lot of places across Arkansas, salt licks and mineral sites are really hot during the summer. Our camp usually has the brown block minerals.
David Hill, Regional Managing Director at Saunders Real Estate
There's this 10-point that I got pretty familiar with. I judged him as a four-and-a-half-year-old buck last year, so I was anxious to see him this year. He has shown up, he's added quite a bit of bone, and so right now he would be my number one. But on September 6 or 7, if he showed up, I don't know that I would be able to end my season that early. I would have to see if there was something else bigger out there.
Black bear hunting. The Arkansas black bear story is super fascinating. They were very small in numbers, and our Game and Fish Commission did a very incredible job of bringing them back, and they're thriving. We're adding hunts all over the state all the time, and it’s just a really cool story. They keep seeing them in town, here in Little Rock.
(David) Back in the late 1800s, we had about 50,000 bears in the state, and then they pretty much got hunted to extinction. At the time, before we were known as The Natural State, we were called the Bear State, which is cool. But it's coming back, you're right. Those bear hunts are gaining popularity, it seems like.
(Chance) I've been really interested in doing that, and I've had my eye open for hunt lease opportunities. That’s a good property use where you can make some extra money. If you've got a timber investment property or pasture, and you just run cows or are waiting to cut trees, making some lease money in the wintertime might be a good use of your property.
Agriculture and harvest updates. Historically speaking, we've gotten harvest started in August and September, but we keep pushing it earlier and earlier every year. There are several reasons for it, and our genetics is one. The better reason is that, when we're able to get them in early, they survive through cold snaps and through wetter conditions. When you get them in early, you outrun some of your weed and pest pressure.
Once you can get soybeans big enough to where they are lapping over their canopy and they're blocking out the sun to the dirt, you're going to reduce your weed pressure. So there are some advantages from a management perspective to get a crop in earlier. A secondary benefit of that is that you get to harvest earlier.