(a) Subject to valid existing rights, commission-managed lands shall be open to access and use for recreational hunting except as limited by the Arkansas State Game and Fish Commission for reasons of fish or wildlife management or as otherwise limited by statutory authority of the commission.
(b) (1) The commission shall exercise its authority consistent with subsection (a) of this section in a manner to support, promote, and enhance recreational hunting opportunities to the extent authorized by law.(2) The commission is not required to give preference to hunting over other uses of commission-managed lands or over land or water management priorities established by state law.
(1) The commission shall exercise its authority consistent with subsection (a) of this section in a manner to support, promote, and enhance recreational hunting opportunities to the extent authorized by law.
(2) The commission is not required to give preference to hunting over other uses of commission-managed lands or over land or water management priorities established by state law.
(c) (1) To the greatest practicable extent, commission land management decisions and actions, including decisions made by private owners to close commission-managed lands, shall not result in any net loss of habitat land acreage available for hunting opportunities on commission-managed lands that exists on January 1, 2025.(2) This subchapter does not apply to commission-owned lands under contract to private persons or entities.(3) Acreage lost from commission-leased lands due to the expiration or termination of the lease or agreement on the commission-leased lands shall not be counted in the net loss calculation.
(1) To the greatest practicable extent, commission land management decisions and actions, including decisions made by private owners to close commission-managed lands, shall not result in any net loss of habitat land acreage available for hunting opportunities on commission-managed lands that exists on January 1, 2025.
(2) This subchapter does not apply to commission-owned lands under contract to private persons or entities.
(3) Acreage lost from commission-leased lands due to the expiration or termination of the lease or agreement on the commission-leased lands shall not be counted in the net loss calculation.
(d) (1) The commission shall expeditiously find replacement acreage for hunting to compensate for the closures of any existing hunting land.(2) To the greatest extent possible, the replacement land required under subdivision (d)(1) of this section shall be:(A) Located within a reasonable distance from the closed land; and(B) Consistent with the hunting discipline that the commission allowed on the closed land.
(1) The commission shall expeditiously find replacement acreage for hunting to compensate for the closures of any existing hunting land.
(2) To the greatest extent possible, the replacement land required under subdivision (d)(1) of this section shall be:(A) Located within a reasonable distance from the closed land; and(B) Consistent with the hunting discipline that the commission allowed on the closed land.
(A) Located within a reasonable distance from the closed land; and
(B) Consistent with the hunting discipline that the commission allowed on the closed land.
(e) On or before July 1 of each year, the commission shall submit to the House Committee on State Agencies and Governmental Affairs and the Senate Committee on State Agencies and Governmental Affairs a written report describing:(1) The number of acres of commission-managed lands that were closed during the previous fiscal year to recreational hunting and the reasons for the closures; and(2) The number of acres of commission-managed lands that were open to recreational hunting during the previous fiscal year.
(1) The number of acres of commission-managed lands that were closed during the previous fiscal year to recreational hunting and the reasons for the closures; and
(2) The number of acres of commission-managed lands that were open to recreational hunting during the previous fiscal year.
(f) This subchapter does not compel the opening to recreational hunting of national parks or national monuments administered by the National Park Service.
(g) This subchapter does not prohibit a private landowner from making otherwise legal decisions regarding access to his or her privately owned commission-managed lands.