LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission expects more than 33,000 deer to be harvested and checked this Saturday and Sunday during opening weekend of Arkansas’s modern gun deer season if the harvest is consistent with recent years. Although extra staff are being contracted to handle a large volume of calls expected to come in, hunters can still avoid any time on “hold” by checking their deer through AGFC’s new smartphone app.
The new app can be downloaded from the Google Play Store or Apple Store, but hunters who have used the AGFC app before this year should delete all older versions to get the new one. Once downloaded, they will need to create a new account and sign in to the system. If a hunter has a valid hunting license that allows harvest of big game, the associated electronic game tags will appear in their account. From there you can follow these simple steps to check your deer.
- Click on the Licenses and Game Check button to see your list of valid licenses and tags.
- Click on the tag you wish to use to check your big game (all tags that are still valid to be used will have an indicator arrow informing you that you can check game with it).
- Select the date of harvest and complete the short survey about the details of your harvested game. Include county, WMA/Zone, weapon used and other biological information on the harvested animal.
- Carefully review your game check report. Once submitted it cannot be changed.
- To submit, press Next, then Save.
If your phone has service, you will receive a confirmation number immediately. You will also receive an email and a message in your app inbox confirming your harvest.
If you are not connected to internet or cell service, you’ll receive a notice on your screen that your submission is pending upon validation. When your device returns to service or internet connection, you should sync your app by selecting this button. Once synced you will receive your confirmation on the app screen, via email and in the app inbox.
All deer harvested in Arkansas must be checked within 12 hours of harvest. Before they are moved, they must have a physical tag attached to the antler (for bucks) or leg (for does) that indicates the hunter’s name, customer ID number, date and time of harvest and the deer zone or WMA where it was taken. If a deer is checked at the point of harvest, it does not have to be tagged as long as it stays within the immediate presence of the hunter who checked it.
Visit https://www.agfc.com/hunting/deerfor more information on deer hunting in Arkansas.