The regular archery deer hunting season opened Sept. 27, and for many hunters, that means it will be the first weekend to bring home a deer for the freezer. Hunters can help the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission continue to track chronic wasting disease and give themselves a little extra peace of mind by dropping off a sample from their harvested deer at one of the many CWD testing locations available throughout the state.
AJ Riggs, wildlife health biologist for the AGFC, has been working hard during the last few months to ensure hunters have a free place to get their deer tested within an hour’s drive of practically any location in the state.
“We have 101 freezers set up around Arkansas for hunters to drop off their samples, and we also have a network of 36 taxidermists who will pull a sample for anyone who brings their deer in,” Riggs said. “We send the majority of our samples to be tested by the Arkansas Department of Agriculture and will make the results available as soon as the test results come in.”
Riggs says any hunter who submits a deer that comes back positive for CWD will be immediately notified via the phone number indicated on their sample submission form. She will collect data on the harvest location and help make arrangements to dispose of the meat and carcass if needed.
“We post all CWD test results through a secure site using the game check number on the form filled out at the collection site, and people are emailed when those results come in as well,” Riggs said. “You can use the QR code found at the freezers or go to agfc.com/cwd to track your sample and get results any time, day or night.”
To submit your sample through a testing station, simply bring the deer’s head with 4 to 6 inches of the neck attached and place it in one of the provided plastic bags with your name and contact information on the card provided. Any antlers should be removed before placing it in the bag to save freezer space and prevent the bags from being punctured. Hunters who wish to keep their deer heads can contact a taxidermist or an AGFC regional office to make an appointment.
Hunters submitted 8,426 samples from white-tailed deer last deer season, with 246 positive cases identified.
“So far, we’ve already collected 114 deer from the early archery buck-only hunt, urban deer hunts and target deer reported since July,” Riggs said. “Four of the target deer turned up positive so far.”
All testing locations are available at www.agfc.com/cwd. Some of the locations have changed from last year, so hunters are encouraged to look ahead of time and find a sample location closest to their hunting area and note hours of operation.
“You also want to be mindful of CWD zone boundaries when traveling to a CWD testing station,” Riggs said. “The nearest test site may be across a CWD zone boundary, but you can’t bring the head across that line without breaking the regulation, so if you’re hunting in a CWD Zone, you want to bring that sample to a freezer that’s in that zone. The only exception would be if you’re in a Tier 2 zone and want to bring it to a Tier 1 zone.”
AGFC to Share CWD Study Results Oct. 2 The AGFC will host a special CWD meeting to discuss the results of the recent 5-year population impact research project on CWD conducted in north Arkansas with the University of Georgia. Marcelo Jorge, the study’s lead researcher, will present findings from the study, which is the first of its kind completed on chronic wasting disease in the Southeast. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. Oct. 2 at the Carroll Electric Co-Op building in Jasper.
The presentation will be followed by a question-and-answer session on the research and implications for future management of CWD in Arkansas.
Most teams locally were on a Bye-Week, Charleston rolled Heavener and Hackett handled Mountainburg. Love it or hate it, the bye week is beneficial to those teams that found competition for non-conference and gives them an extra week to prepare for when the games count towards play-off berths.
There are few games in the larger classifications that could be for the top four playoff spots. In the 3A it looks like a few of these games will produce the mercy rule by halftime. Do not blame the messenger, just read along and you will see. It is go time for these teams to find out what they have and will there be enough left in the tank by Week 10 or will turn their stuff in Monday hit hard on November 10th. Situations in the 7A West, 6A West, and the 3A-1 are exactly why we like covering high school football, we just happen to be lucky enough to be on this side of the state where the action is currently.
Stone Cold Lock Of The Week
Shiloh Christian vs Greenwood
Pick a storyline. 34 State Title appearances between 2A to 6A since 1996. 20 State Championships since 1998. Shiloh Christian Junior QB Cole Creighton has 1066 yards passing and a 70% completion percentage, Greenwood Senior QB Kane Archer with 841 yards and a 73% completion percentage. A match-up of two of the current Arkansas High School football dynasties. Of the twelve times the two schools have tangled, Greenwood leads the series 9-3. Hooten’s pre-season had Greenwood #1 and Shiloh #2 in 6A and in Week 4 nothing has changed, the only blemish to Shiloh’s record is a 41-33 loss to Oklahoma 3A powerhouse Lincoln Christian. Both schools feature college bound talent on both sides of the ball. It is a must-see game that may end up being repeated in Little Rock in December. But I am sure someone will probably put a sleeping emoji as a comment. Also, Kane Archer surpassed the school career passing touchdown record set by Brooks Coatney in 1998 of 104 against Northside in Week 1. He is 2,246 yards shy of the career school record (Coatney – 10,075) and 3,381 yards shy of the single-season school record. (Tyler Wilson – 4,222)
The Rest
Booneville vs Cedarville
The Bearcats head to Crawford County to take in the Cedarville Homecoming festivities. While I would question the decision to host a proven team on Homecoming, but it worked out for Springdale Har-Ber and Mansfield two weeks ago. Sure, Mansfield mangled Lamar and Har-Ber put on a show taking Greenwood to the final seconds. But I do not see the Pirates making Booneville walk the plank in this one. This goes completely opposite for Cedarville Friday night. Booneville’s rights the ship and it has four weeks before they meet Mansfield at home on 10/24.
Mansfield vs Hackett
2020 and 2021. That was the last time the Hornets of Hackett High School beat Mansfield. In the Whit Overton era the Tigers have rolled Hackett by an average of 34-9. But this is new year for Hackett, unfortunately the Tigers are still heavy on Burton brothers and dominating offensive and defensive lines. Hackett is coming in 2-1 and with hope to play spoiler, they will get their chance over the next three weeks with Booneville and Charleston up next. Mansfield has their “Shiloh vs Greenwood” game next week against Charleston.
West Fork vs Charleston
In the off-season West Fork lost the duo of Cooper Ridenoure and Shawn Swinson to Greenland. The scoreboard has not been kind to the Tigers, not to be confused with the Franklin County based Tigers of Charleston, or Scott County’s Mansfield Tigers. Three Tiger teams in one conference, oh my. Charleston Senior QB Carter Little, should eclipse the 1000 yard passing mark on the first or second drive. This will be Charleston’s last tune-up before the heavily anticipated Week 5 game against Mansfield.
Greenland vs Lavaca
Who wants to see a fun quarterback carousel? Okay, try to keep up. 2024 Greenland QB Slade Norwood transferred to Fayetteville to compete with the probable heir Cruz Coatney. Enters a 4-Star QB transfer Hank Hendrix to Fayetteville. Slade Norwood transfers to Farmington, and Coatney to Greenwood. So, what about Greenland? Hang on there is one more transfer to get to. Senior Cooper Ridenoure goes from West Fork to Van Buren to compete for the starting spot and a chance to go against former travel ball teammates in Greenwood. Quietly, Ridenoure heads back up I-49 bypassing Exit 53 (West Fork) for where he played youth football in Greenland. With him he brings longtime teammate Shawn Swinson to wear the Green and Black. While the wins have not come for the Pirates, they have shown promise under first-year head coach Brock May. Could Greenland dodge the Lavaca Golden Arrows and break into the win column? Lavaca is 2-1 in the season and put up 30-plus points on Dover and Roland, OK.
Magazine vs Bigelow
Magazine sitting at 3-0 heading into conference is the most intriguing storyline of the first four weeks of the season. The Bigelow Panthers come into week 4 at 0-3. If there was a Magic 8 Ball on my desk and I asked if the Rattlers move to 4-0 this week it would saw “All signs point to yes.”
Waldron vs Ozark
Last year Waldron pulled off an upset against the Ozark Hillbillies. In a series that dates to the 1950’s, Ozark holds a large advantage with thirty-two wins over the Bulldogs. With Waldron winning eighteen of the past fifty meetings. Ozark is averaging thirty-three points on the season with just a thirty-two-point loss to Charleston hanging over them. A challenge against Mena and Dardanelle looms on the horizon.
Paris vs Danville
Paris was averaging thirty points a game the first two of the season, then came a trip to Booneville. The Bearcats struck the Eagles out of the sky and only allowed seven points. A week off and Paris heads to a Danville team trying to find their footing for the 2025 season after losing Nate Foster to an accident in August. Last week, Hector painted a number 18 on the visitor’s side of the field, and the Hector cheerleaders wore #18 shirts to honor the fallen athlete.
Some Other Games That Might Pique Your Interest
Southside vs Mountain Home
It is almost hard to believe that these two teams, as of Friday night, will have only met twice. The only other Fort Smith school the Bombers have played is Fort Smith St. Annie’s in 1970 and 1972. Mountain Home passed through Fort Smith, to play Greenwood, a total of eight times though, so there is some useless information for you. Here is what makes this game interesting, Fort Smith Southside has much improved since last year and looking to make some noise in the 6A West. With Greenwood and Shiloh slated the #1 and #2 spots in the playoffs, Southside, Mountain Home, Lake Hamilton, and Van Buren could take 3rd-6th in any order this year. Why is this important? The past four seasons, the 3rd-6th seed out of the West has beat the 3rd-6th of the 6A East in the first round 14-1.
Fayetteville vs Bentonville West
Bentonville after this week will solidify their status as the #2 team in the state to Bryant, but little brother Bentonville West wants some much-deserved attention. This week in the 7A West there are four of the top five teams in the conference facing off against each other. Bentonville takes on Springdale Har-Ber who may surprise the Tigers just as they did Greenwood. A fifth team, but by no means the fifth best, Rogers faces Fort Smith Northside to start the conference slate. Back to Fayetteville and Bentonville West! The Bulldogs and Wolverines faced a common foe in Greenwood, and both played the defending 6A champion close. Both played Cabot and handed out big losses to the once dominant team. Under Bentonville there are four teams that could do the funniest thing and beat each other and muddy up the 7A playoff picture just as Mansfield, Charleston, and Booneville could do in the 3A.
Paris, AR –Ted Tritt is announcing his intention to run for the Arkansas State Senate District 26 seat Special Election in the Republican Primary. This was the seat held by the late Senator Garry Stubblefield, who passed away on September 2, 2025. The district covers portions of Franklin, Johnson, Logan, and Sebastian Counties.
When asked why now, and why this race, Mr. Tritt remarked that “I have had many people reach out to me asking that I run for the State Senate seat, rather than State Representative. After much thought and consideration, I decided to do so. My goals are the same: to work hard to be a voice for the people and to work with other members of the Legislature to help the State of Arkansas. I look forward to visiting with people across the district, asking for their vote and support, as well as learning about issues that are important to them.”
Tritt was born in Ozark, Franklin County, and raised in Logan County, where he still owns the family homeplace. As a young man, he worked for local farmers in a variety of roles, but most enjoyed spending part of each summer in Cross County, helping relatives plant row crops. In 1979, he began his career in the oil industry with a Gulf Oil Company distributor, managing commercial, retail, and wholesale accounts. He later became Operator and Manager of the Paris branch of Littlefield Oil Company.
In 1987, while continuing to run the fuel business, Tritt and his family launched several private ventures. Over time, they built and operated a fuel station and service center and a hardware and farm supply store. After selling these businesses and with his children grown, Tritt returned full-time to the fuel industry, where he spent the next two decades working across the Southeast United States and in Caribbean markets.
“District 26 has always been home and is my home. I would be honored to represent our communities in the State Legislature,” Tritt said. “With my business and civic background, I have the experience to be an effective Senator. Everyone deserves to be heard. That is the job. I want to bring people together to strengthen our economy, protect our hospitals, and create opportunities so that families don’t have to leave home to find good jobs. My goal is never to lose focus on the quality of life that our families enjoy.”
Tritt has been deeply involved in his community for many years. He served as Board Chair of the North Logan County Chamber of Commerce and chaired its Industrial and Business Development Committee. He completed Leadership Logan County as well as a Community and Economic Development Leadership program at the University of Arkansas. Working alongside leaders like Rep. Frank Willems, Lloyd George, and Charlie Selman, he helped make Mount Magazine State Park a reality.
Tritt also served as Chair of the Arkansas River Valley Area Council (ARVAC) and was a founding board member of Helping Hands. His commitment to service extends to volunteering with Make-A-Wish and Special Olympics. In 2000, he hosted a business delegation exchange from Ukraine, strengthening ties between Arkansas and international partners.
During his campaign, Ted Tritt will work to protect the needs and desires of local stakeholders by committing to voting no to the current Franklin County Prison site, while also committing to finding needed solutions to our current Department of Corrections (DoC) challenges. His policies will grow industries and strengthen local economies so people can work and prosper here at home. Part of that growth will be an emphasis on expanding traditional and vocational training to meet workforce needs. Protecting rural hospitals and addressing rising insurance costs are also at the heart of his plans. Along with that, improving and strengthening access to mental health services across the state is a priority. With these goals in mind, Ted Tritt is deeply committed to strengthening communities across Franklin, Logan, Scott, and Sebastian counties.
“I look forward to visiting with people across the district, asking for their vote and support, and learning about the issues that matter most to them,” Tritt said. “This campaign is about service, responsibility, and a shared commitment to the future of our home.”
Cooler weather has many deer hunters heading to the woods to set up their hunting stands for the coming archery opener on Sept. 27, and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission wants to remind all hunters to double-check all of their equipment before they climb into a tree and always wear a safety harness when they leave the ground. According to the recently released Fiscal Year 2025 Hunter Incident Report, 11 of the 17 reported hunting accidents in Arkansas were the result of treestand falls.
With more than 307,000 hunting licenses sold last year, 17 injuries requiring medical assistance beyond first aid reinforce the fact that hunting is a safe, enjoyable outdoor pursuit. In the eyes of the AGFC’s Education Division, any injury while enjoying the woods and waters of The Natural State is one too many, especially when most could be avoided with a few simple precautions.
According to Joe Huggins, Hunter Education Program coordinator for the AGFC, only two of the 11 victims involved in falls from treestands were wearing safety harnesses, and those two harnesses were not attached to the tree at the time of the fall.
“That time transitioning from a ladder or step into the stand is one of the most critical times to be wearing a harness, but that’s also when some people temporarily disconnect their harness from the tree to adjust it to the higher level of the platform,” Huggins said. “There are special safety ropes called lifelines that allow a person to stay connected throughout the climb and transition, and we strongly encourage hunters use one of those to ensure they’re attached to the tree from the time they leave the ground until the time they return at the end of the hunt.”
Most treestand falls resulted in broken bones, specifically damage to the victims’ hips or vertebrae, both of which can be life-threatening or life-changing.
“In my career, I’ve seen where people have been paralyzed or killed from falls as short as 5 feet,” Huggins said. “It may not seem like much of a distance, but if you’re unprepared and fall in an awkward position or on equipment, it can cause major damage.”
For the second year in a row, at least one reported treestand fall came from someone using a tree saddle, a device that substitutes for a traditional platform stand. Saddles are seen by some hunters as being a safer option because the user is essentially tethered to the tree while hunting, but improper use of the equipment can still result in a fall. According to the incident report filed last hunting season, the user involved in the saddle-hunting fall had just completed attaching his final climbing stick to the tree and was reaching back to get his foot platform when he heard a “pop” and his lineman’s belt disconnected from the tree, causing him to fall 25 feet to the ground. Huggins believes user error was involved in attaching the belt to the saddle with a carabiner. The victim was not wearing an additional safety harness during the incident.
A single fatality was reported last year. A person who was hunting coyotes in June shot at what he believed to be the back end of a coyote in dense vegetation, but it turned out to be another person who was gathering berries. The victim died at the scene from the injuries sustained.
Huggins points out that additional injuries may have occurred throughout the hunting season, but these were the only ones reported where the victim was actively hunting at the time of the injury.
“We know of a few other incidents, one well-publicized in January, where duck hunters were involved in boating accidents,” Huggins said. “They were not recorded in the Hunter Incident Report as the victims involved in these accidents were traveling to their hunting destination and not yet hunting. They were, however, reported in the AGFC’s 2024 Boating Accident Year-End Report published earlier this year. It’s still highly doubtful that any incidents regarding serious injury or fatalities are not reported to the AGFC.”
The 2025 Hunting Incident Report is available at the AGFC’s Hunter Education web page, www.agfc.com/huntered.
Dana (Bubba) Milling, of Tate, Arkansas, passed away peacefully on September 18, 2025, in Fort Smith, Arkansas at the age of 71.
Bubba was born on June 29, 1954, in Fort Worth, Texas, to Truman Herman Milling and Lola Mae (Jones) Milling. From the very beginning, Bubba had a big heart and a kind soul.
Bubba was a hard worker and a dreamer. He founded Longhorn Mechanical and proudly owned and operated it for 50 years. His dedication to his craft and the relationships he built along the way left an indelible mark on everyone who knew him.
He is survived by his loving wife of 24 years, Dottie Davis of the home; his devoted mother, Lola Mae Milling of Fort Worth, Texas; his sisters Diane Craig and husband Brian of Fort Worth, Texas, and Paula Allen and husband Jay Allen of Ruidoso, New Mexico; his cherished stepdaughter Tanya Roden and husband Randy Roden of Horatio, Arkansas; grandchildren Leah Parks and her husband Dustin Parks, and Wyatt Roden; and great-grandchildren Jessie Sawyer and Landon Sawyer, who were the lights of his life. Bubba will be missed by all that knew him and the many whose lives he impacted including a host of nieces, nephews, extended family, friends and friends who became family he loved dearly.
He was preceded in death by his father, Truman Herman Milling, who no doubt welcomed him home with open arms.
Bubba had a passion for the open road and a love of riding his Harley motorcycle. Some of his happiest moments were spent on long rides with his friends, sharing laughter, freedom, and the simple joy of the wind on his face.
A Celebration of Life honoring Bubba will be held at Heritage Memorial Funeral Home Chapel on Friday, September 26, 2025, at 2:00 p.m., with Pat Ray Biggs officiating. Arrangements are being entrusted to Heritage Memorial Funeral Home in Waldron, Arkansas.
Bubba will be remembered for his strength, and the way he made everyone feel like family. His memory will live on in the hearts of all who were blessed to know and love him.
