The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is inviting archery hunters to help manage nuisance deer around nine urban and suburban sites this fall, including Helena-West Helena on the Southeast Arkansas Delta edge.
Hunts are archery-only from elevated stands. Hunters must complete the International Bowhunters Education Program, attend a partner orientation covering special safety rules, and pass a proficiency test by placing three of three shots in a target’s vital area. The Arkansas Bowhunters Association manages the Helena-West Helena hunt along with Cherokee Village, Fairfield Bay, Heber Springs, Horseshoe Bend and Russellville.
Urban-hunt deer do not count against a hunter’s seasonal bag limit, and antler restrictions are lifted—but each hunter’s first deer must be donated to Arkansas Hunters Feeding the Hungry, which supplies ground meat to food pantries statewide. Details and registration links: agfc.com/urbanhunt.
Source: AGFC — Register to Participate in an Urban Archery Deer Hunt this Fall (June 23, 2026); also noted in Pine Bluff Commercial community briefs (June 24, 2026).
