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A follow-up to yesterday’s post. The Arkansas legislature had passed a law banning the shipment of game and fish out of the state in 1889. Several non-residents, who owned land in Arkansas or were members of a club that owned or leased land in Arkansas, kicked up a fuss over the law. Several Memphians claimedContinue reading “Today in Arkansas Wildlife History May 4 Residents V. NonResidents”

In 1889, the Arkansas Legislature passed a few game laws. One of them provided the foundation for many game laws that followed. They declared that Arkansas owned the game and fish, except the fish in private ponds. On that premise, Arkansas lawmakers have made the remaining Arkansas wildlife laws. Secondly, they passed a law, aimedContinue reading “This Day in Arkansas Wildlife History: May 3, A New Game Law”

This newspaper advertisement is from May 2, 1907. We can see that this fish business sells all types of domestic fish. What is important is the “game fish” listing on the announcement. That means bass, crappie, pike, trout, and other similar fish. Market fishermen sold their harvests to locations like this, located in Pine Bluff.Continue reading “Today in Arkansas Wildlife History: May 2 Fish Markets”

Some Arkansas citizens remained angry over the state government’s slow action.  “The total want of protection has done its deadly work,” declared a Jacksonport citizen in July 1883.  “Not even the surley bear can hold his own.  Deer are butchered during the overflows (flooding) on the ridges and high places to which they resort forContinue reading “This Day in Arkansas Wildlife History: April 29 Game Laws 1885”

Arkansas passed the first non-resident game law in the United States in 1875. Thirteen years later, Arkansas lawmakers passed a law to ban game and fish exports, a jab at market hunters. Four years later, Memphians continued to complain about Arkansawyers not wanting them to come into their state, kill the wildlife, and export it.Continue reading “Today in Arkansas Wildlife History: April 28 Non-Residents Beware”

Today is a follow-up from yesterday and the DeRossitt Bill. This is the bill that barred railroad and express companies from shipping game from the state, a move that angered many non-residents who owned land in Arkansas and hunted there. They wanted to be able to ship their harvests back home. However, the ban wasContinue reading “Today in Arkansas Wildlife History: April 26”

THE DEROSSITT BILL (1903): St. Francis County representative Frank W. DeRossitt took the floor and explained the bill.  It contained both the stricter non-exportation law (along with more considerable fines for the shipping companies) and the non-resident prohibition law that the Arkansas State Sportsmen’s Association thought most critical; it also listed new seasons for someContinue reading “This Day in Arkansas Wildlife History: April 25”

In 1889, the Arkansas legislature passed a law that forbade anyone to ship game and fish from Arkansas. Several non-resident sportsmen, who together owned thousands of acres of Arkansas land and water, became extremely angry over this new law. They claimed that they owned the land and therefore, the animals and fish that lived onContinue reading “This day in Arkansas Wildlife History: April 24”

On this date in 1844, the Van Buren newspaper, Arkansas Intelligencer, carried coverage of a debate between former President Martin Van Buren and Kentucky lawmaker Henry Clay over squatters on public lands.  During his argument, Van Buren included his opinion of game laws.  He claimed that God had given dominion to humans over the animalsContinue reading “This day in Arkansas Wildlife History: April 20”