Wildlife Management Region IV                                                                                         25 July 2001                                                       Doe Permits and Deer Managment Assistance Program It has recently become evident that many hunting clubs in south central Arkansas remain unaware of the availability of additional doe permits for those clubs that are currently enrolled in the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission's Deer Camp Program. In order to better inform all eligible clubs of the existence of the doe permit program, we are conducting a mail-out to all clubs currenty enrolled in the Deer Camp Program. Due to unbalanced sex ratio's across many parts of the state, the AGFC has recognized the nesessity for allowing eligible clubs to legally harvest an approved number of does in addtion to the state's legal bag limit. In the past, hunting clubs were assessed a fee of $10.00 for each individual permit that they recieved. In lieu of the passage of the Conservation Tax (Amendment 75), beginning this year we have reduced the price of doe permits to a flat rate of $25.00 per club regardless of the number of permits they receive. In other words, a club that has received 10 permits per year in the past at a cost to the club of $100.00 will now only be charged $25.00 for the same number of permits. If any hunting clubs are interested in obtaining the additional doe permits, then a completed application and an 8 1/2 X 11map outlining your club's property needs to be sent to: Arkansas Game & Fish Commission, P.O. Box 110, Camden, AR 71711, Attn: Brad Carner.  There is also a Deer Managment Assistance Program (DMAP) that has been initiated by the AG&F. This program is a voluntary program in which AGFC biologists will provide free assistance to those clubs who wish to improve the current health and condition of the deer herd they are currently managing.  NOTE: Beginning in 1998, with the passage of the statewide three point rule and subsequent anterless deer limit liberalization, the Arkansas Game & Fish commissin has made a concerted effort to improve the existing health of Arkansas' deer herd. Over the past three years, a by-product of increased anterless deer harvest had been a dramatic increase in button buck harvest statewide. When added to the antlered buck harvest over the past three years, the increased button buck harvest has to some degree negated the intended benefits from increased doe harvests in terms of improved sex ratios. In an  attempt to remedy this problem by decreasing the button buck harvest statewide, the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission has recently passed a regulation for the 2001-2002 deer season that states that a button buck will now count as a legal buck. In other words, "when a button buck is harvested it will count towards the hunter's two buck limit!" For further information on any of the above, please contact Brad Carner at (877) 836-4612.