As expected, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission announced Thursday that it will include boating safety provisions in the 2015-16 waterfowl hunting regulations to eliminate hazardous boating at wildlife management areas.
An extensive discussion about unsafe boating practices at Bayou Meto Wildlife Management Area occurred at the commission's monthly work meeting in Little Rock. Travis Fortner, who said he hunted 30 days at Bayou Meto last year, talked about the chaotic mass launching of hunting boats that occurs daily at Bayou Meto. His presentation included a high-definition video of one of the so-called "boat races" at the Lower Vallier Access. He asked that the sound be muted to spare the commission and staff members in the conference room from what Fortner said was "raw and harsh" language in the video.
Fortner said he also participates in the races, and that a mass launch generally involves 60-80 boats. They all take off at once in a narrow canal and run full speed with little space between.
At the peak of the race, Fortner asked, "What happens if somebody falls out of a boat right here?"
Commissioner Fred Brown of Corning said, "You're going to have to try to identify a body after 50 props have ground it to hamburger. If you can find it."
"Exactly," Fortner said.
Fortner proposed three solutions.
One is to eliminate the regulation that prohibits hunters from entering the WMA until 4 a.m. Fortner said he believes that's a bad idea because it will lead to hunters staying all night to keep other hunters out of prime duck hunting spots. That happened most recently at Dagmar WMA during its banner year in 2012, Fortner said. Dagmar did not have a 4 a.m. restriction at that time, and the same group of hunters camped in the best holes every night for nearly two weeks.
Another solution, Fortner said, would be to build structures at Bayou Meto's accesses that allow only one boat into the ditch at a time.
"That would work, but you'd still have a race to be the first to get to the structure," Fortner said.
The best solution, Fortner said, would have a wildlife officer at the accesses every morning for the entire duck season.
"This video was filmed on a Saturday," Fortner said. "The following Monday game wardens were there and wrote tickets. That helped for the rest of year, but it was a guessing game."
On that day, wildlife officers waited in darkened boats beyond the no-wake zone and stopped the racers while they were at full throttle. They wrote 60 tickets.
Commissioner Steve Cook of Malvern asked Fortner if he believes that current regulations are sufficient.
Fortner replied affirmatively, but they must be enforced daily to be effective.
"Here's another thing. We're only talking about an hour a day," Fortner said. "At 4:10, the race is over. You don't need an enforcement presence at each boat ramp all day every day."
Fortner said that the same hunters are always in the races.
"And I'm a part of that," he said.
"It's our responsibility to stop this, for no other reason but safety alone," Brown said. "I'd like to see our guys on dry ground trying to corral this bunch of renegades than out in water where it's unsafe."
Col. Todd Callaway, the AGFC's enforcement chief, said one solution won't solve the races and their associated conflicts, but that dealing with it in the parking lots is safer than wildlife officers waiting in darkened boats to catch offenders.
Commissioner Emon Mahony said boat races aren't just at Bayou Meto. They occurred last year at Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge, and also at Black River WMA.
Commissioner Ken Reeves of Harrison said new regulations should be developed soon so that no one will be surprised next fall. It will also give the commission time to articulate the regulations.
The most interesting discussions occurred during a break after Fortner left the room.
One high-ranking member of the wildlife management division strongly advocated making a boating violation on a WMA an 18-point violation that would entail the violator forfeiting his hunting and fishing privileges for one year.
He said money isn't an issue for the racers. They have invested thousands of dollars in gear, including considerable outlays to customize 25-horsepower outboard motors to generate 40 to 50 horsepower. Motors are limited to 25 horsepower, but it is not possible to confirm actual horsepower, confirm that a 25-horsepower motor is beneath a 25-horsepower cowling.
"Paying fines doesn't bother them," the staffer said. "Losing their hunting and fishing privileges will get their attention."
Sports on 02/22/2015