Arkansas Wildlife

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 St...

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...

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 a...

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 sm...

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 Ark...

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 ...

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 conf...

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 regulati...

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 l...

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 s...

Host Trey Reid discusses Arkansas Game and Fish Commission fisheries and fish hatcheries with Reed Pfeiffer, an Assistant Chief in Operations and Jason Miller, an Assistant Chief in Fisheries, who began at the Joe Hogan Hatchery in 2000 and managed it before becoming assistant chief in 2023. They outline Arkansas’s hatchery system—four warm-water facilities (Joe Hogan at Lonoke, Andrew Hulsey in Hot Springs, Charlie Cra...

In this Arkansas Wildlife Podcast episode, host Trey Reid talks with Emily Roberts, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s prescribed fire coordinator, about how prescribed fire reinstates a natural process historically common in Arkansas and improves habitat by reducing leaf litter, opening canopies, and restoring grasses and wildflowers for wildlife. Emily describes her background, explains how fire suppression grew with s...

Host Trey Reid welcomes Colonel Joe Williams, chief of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s Enforcement Division, to discuss Williams’ upbringing near Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge, his hunting and fishing roots, and the game warden encounter that inspired his career. Williams describes earning a degree from the University of Arkansas at Monticello, interning with AGFC, entering the academy in 2009, and learnin...

Host Trey Reid welcomes John Stein, District 1 fishery supervisor in Northwest Arkansas with 24 years at the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, to discuss fishery management challenges in a rapidly growing region. Stein shares his background from Northeastern Colorado and his path into fisheries, including early work as a fish pathologist and a hatchery technician at the Andrew Hulsey Hatchery in Hot Springs. The episode covers inc...

Join host Trey Reid on the Arkansas Wildlife Podcast as he delves into the diverse and intriguing world of freshwater mussels with Dr. Kendall Moles of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. Discover the ecological importance of mussels, their unique reproductive mechanisms, and the various conservation efforts in Arkansas. Dr. Moles shares his journey and the challenges faced in preserving these vital species, including propagatio...

Join host Trey Reid on the Arkansas Wildlife Podcast as he delves into the significant role of the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation (AGFF). Special guests 
Jibbie Tucker and Deke Whitbeck share insights about the foundation's history since its inception in 1982, its mission to support the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC), and its impactful projects. Learn about the AGFF's efforts in fundraising, education...

Join Trey Reid from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission as he sits down with Nick Feltz, the District 10 Fisheries Supervisor, for an in-depth update on the ongoing Lake Conway renovation and restoration project. This episode covers the significant progress made halfway through the five-year timeline, including dam and spillway construction, habitat improvements, and homeowner involvement. Nick also discusses the productivity of ...

Join host Trey Reid with guests Jeremy Risley and Will Lancet from Arkansas Game and Fish Commissions Fisheries Division in the latest episode of the Arkansas Wildlife Podcast as they discusses the exciting launch of the Legacy Lunker Program. They delve into details about the program's aim to enhance the genetics of Arkansas's bass population through selective breeding. Anglers have the chance to contribute by donating bass weighi...

Welcome to the Arkansas Wildlife Podcast, the official podcast of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. In this episode, host Trey Reid is joined by Christy Graham, Trout Program Coordinator, and Vic DeCenzo, Assistant Chief in the Fisheries Division, to discuss the recent emergency trout regulations passed by the Commission. They delve into the reasons behind these regulations, which include significant water quality issues and f...