Best ways to celebrate National Hunting and Fishing Day in Arkansas
Sept. 20, 2023
LITTLE ROCK — Thanks to a proclamation signed by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders last week, Sept. 23 has officially been named National Hunting and Fishing Day in Arkansas. With the fall weather finally arriving, it’s a perfect time to take someone new into the outdoors and pass on a passion for conservation. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission has cooked up the following five ways anyone can enjoy the benefits of hunting and angling on this special day:
World Champion Squirrel Cook Off returns Sept. 23
Aug. 30, 2023
SPRINGDALE — In less than a month, northwest Arkansas will once again welcome a culinary competition of dishes including ingredients ranging from grits and greens to sauce piquant and savory spices, all celebrating the world’s most underrated source of protein — squirrels. After a three-year hiatus, the World Champion Squirrel Cook Off will be held beginning 9 a.m. Sept. 23 at its new home, the J.B. and Johnelle Hunt Family Ozark Highlands Nature Center in Springdale.
Get to the squirrel woods and cook up some fun
May 9, 2023
SPRINGDALE — Arkansas squirrel hunters have two big dates to remember this year. May 15 is the annual opening day of squirrel season, and September 23 will be the best way to use those tasty squirrels. That’s the day the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s J.B. and Johnelle Hunt Family Ozark Highlands Nature Center will host Joe Wilson and the 2023 World Champion Squirrel Cook Off.
Buttermilk Fried Goose with Bluewing Syrup
Feb. 8, 2023
STUTTGART — With another end of duck season leaving most duck-hunting die hards in a slight state of depression, what could be better than a little comfort food using some of the geese you brought home during the last few months?
Get more from your ground venison
Nov. 23, 2022
Arkansas’s deer season is well underway with more than 120,000 deer harvested so far. Freezers across the state are filling with venison steaks, roasts and, of course, ground venison. Typically the loins and the tenderloins are the first cuts cooked up at home or camp, leaving a generous portion of ground venison at the bottom of the freezer. Wil Hafner, facility manager at Potlatch Cook’s Lake Nature Center in Casscoe, has a few tips and recipes to get more out of your ground venison.
Move past the poppers this dove season
Aug. 31, 2022
LITTLE ROCK — We have nothing against wrapping some wild game around a slice of jalapeno, and some cream cheese and searing it with a bacon coating on a hot grill, but that’s all it seems most dove hunters care to do with the bounty the opening day of the season can provide. We’ve lined up a few favorite recipes from folks at the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission that you might want to give a whirl this season instead of the normal “wrap it in bacon” mentality. No matter which recipe you choose, here are a few tips to keep in mind in the field and at the tailgate this Labor Day Weekend.
Barbellycoa tacos add Latin flavor to waterfowl
Jan. 19, 2022
STUTTGART — Greater White-fronted geese (AKA Specklebelly or Barbelly) are highly sought by waterfowl hunters because they are relatively easy to decoy, respond to calls, and provide table fare second only to sandhill crane in the waterfowling world. Although it is hard to beat a perfectly seared specklebelly breast, Arkansas’s long goose season provides ample opportunity to try various recipes, and who doesn’t love taco Tuesday?