Host Trey Reid talks with AGFC Conservation Support Division Chief Cory Gray and Wildlife Health Biologist A.J. Riggs about chronic wasting disease (CWD) in Arkansas. They discuss the two new counties for the 2026-2027 season (Grant and Sevier) and how the detections will effects hunters this season. They summarize a five-year research project (2020–2025) in Newton county with the University of Georgia, SCWDS, and Colorado State University, concluding CWD can drive deer population declines, w...

Host Trey Reid talks with Jessica Feltz of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s Conservation Support Division about how social science informs hunting, fishing, and conservation decisions. Feltz explains the “three-legged stool” of conservation—species, habitat, and people—and why understanding human behavior is essential for effective management. She describes tools like facilitated public meetings, interviews, focus groups, and scientifically designed surveys, including the biennial regu...

Host Trey Reid talks with Deke Whitbeck, president of the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation, about how the 501(c)(3) nonprofit supports the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission through fundraising and public engagement. They preview the 35th Arkansas Outdoor Hall of Fame banquet on August 29 at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock, which draws roughly 1,500–2,000 attendees and includes an online silent auction. They also discuss support for the Generation Conservation Summit, a new Le...

AGFC’s Trey Reid talks with southeast Arkansas district fisheries supervisor Ryan Mozisek about Lake Monticello’s rapid rebound after the city drained it in 2019 to fix levee issues. They cover major habitat work starting in 2020 (brush piles, pallet A-frames, Georgia and porcupine cubes, and nearly 2,000 trees cut for structure), ongoing additions like mossback trophy trees, and the lake’s slow refill due to a small watershed and drought conditions. Ryan shares how stocking forage and bass h...

Trey Reid hosts Congressman Bruce Westerman, Arkansas’s 4th District representative and chair of the Natural Resources Committee, to talk hunting, fishing, and forest conservation. Westerman shares his rural Garland County upbringing hunting squirrels, rabbits, quail, dove, turkeys, deer, and raccoons, his introduction to duck hunting in Stuttgart, and why turkey hunting is his favorite, including filling his limit during Arkansas’s highest turkey harvest in 20 years. He discusses crappie fis...

Host Trey Reid welcomes Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Deputy Director Brad Carner back for a third straight episode on regulation updates, focusing on Arkansas waterfowl. They review that duck season dates remain largely the same, with only a minor change around the Christmas split, still opening the Saturday before Thanksgiving and closing January 31 under federal frameworks. Key changes include expanding non-motorized access areas on select WMAs/GTRs to reduce disturbance and improve hu...

Host Trey Reid talks with Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Deputy Director Brad Carner about biannual wildlife regulation updates aimed at simplifying rules and streamlining license products. They explain a new requirement on public lands that dogs pursuing deer, fox or coyote must wear GPS collars and electric correction collars, clarifying it does not apply to other dog types or private land, and noting the goal is reducing conflicts and sustaining dog hunting opportunities. They also disc...

On this episode of the Arkansas Wildlife Podcast, host Trey Reid is joined by Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Deputy Director Brad Carner to discuss new hunting and wildlife management area (WMA) regulation changes in the upcoming biennial cycle (July 1, 2026–June 30, 2028), part of 218 total fishing and hunting code updates aimed at simplifying and standardizing rules. They explain cleanup of outdated or redundant regulations, highlight the new searchable online code book, and detail key d...

Host Trey Reid talks with Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Deputy Director Ben Batten about new regulations passed at the April commission meeting that take effect July 1, aligning fishing and wildlife regulation start dates and guidebook releases. They highlight the expansion of “blue ribbon” smallmouth bass streams from 2 to 10, with a one-over-15-inch smallmouth limit. They also discuss eliminating fish possession limits to simplify rules, clarifying how guides can transfer legally harves...

Host Trey Reid talks with Arkansas Game and Fish Commission fisheries staff Eric Naas and Will Lancett about the first year of Arkansas’s Legacy Lunker program after the donation period ended March 31. They report 19 qualifying bass donations, with fish coming from several waters including DeGray (5), Lake Austell (3), Lower White Oak (3), and Ouachita (3), and discuss unusual double-catch stories, minimal false alarms, and strong public support on social media. The donated fish are now spawn...