Weather Throws a Curve at Arkansas Elk Hunters
Arkansas Game and Fish Commission 10.30.13
The second segment of 2013’s Arkansas elk hunt opened with bluebird skies then shifted to rain and heavy fog. It is the 16th year of permit elk hunting in the Buffalo River country. Cade Clark, just 12 years old, checked in the first elk of the hunt, and it completed a sweep of Arkansas big game animals for the Roger lad.
He took a 5X5 bull elk on private land in the western part of Newton County. The land has been in the Clark family for six generations, his father, Shawn Clark, said. Cade had previously taken deer and bear in Arkansas.
He said, “There were three bulls when we saw them. I shot at 120 yards. I was using a .308 bolt action rifle.” And it took just one shot. Cade added, “When I hit it, the bull staggered, went down, got up then went down again. I didn’t have to shoot it again.”
The elk hunt is in two formats. Twenty hunters are working with public land permits won in a random drawing in June at the Buffalo River Elk Festival in Jasper. They were picked from several thousand applications.
The private land hunt is aimed at reducing elk numbers where some landowners don’t want them as they compete with cattle and other livestock in grazing. There is a quota of eight bulls and 20 antlerless elk for this private land hunt.
The month of May is the application period for the public land hunt. Applications are made online at agfc.com, and both the applications and the public land permits are free.
Successful Public Land Hunters
Donald Moix – 3×5 Bull – Richland Valley
Garrett Day – 4×6 Bull – Richland Valley
Clayton Houston – Cow – Richland Valley
Chad Hall – Cow – Bearcat Hollow WMA
Coy Christopher – Cow – Gene Rush WMA
Judson Miller – Cow – Gene Rush WMA
Successful Private Land EMAP Hunters
Cody Cardon – 6×7 Bull – Newton County
Cade Clark – 5×5 Bull – Newton County
Danny Davidson – 5×5 – Newton County
Charles Long – Cow – Newton County
Ronnie Mobbs – 4×5 – Searcy County
Todd Rayburn – Cow – Searcy County
Greg Woods – Cow – Newton County
Dave Turner – Cow – Newton County
Linda Garrett – 6×8 Bull – Carroll County
Bruce Shackleford – Cow – Newton County
Rodger Wyatt – 5×5 – Newton County
Chris Storey – Cow – Newton County
Coleman Taylor – Cow – Searcy County
Collin Johnson – Cow – Searcy County
Thomas Demirarda – Cow – Searcy County
Kent Redding – 5×6 Bull – Searcy County
Danny Ditmanson – 5×6 Bull – Newton County
Charles Robbins – Bull – Carroll County
