With bow season set to close Feb. 28 in Arkansas, deer hunters are approaching the record for a season harvest and may eclipse it before the final day.

According to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, hunters have killed more than 210,457 deer in the modern rifle, muzzleloader and bow seasons. The record, set during the 2012-13 season, was 213,487. That’s almost 43,000 more deer than were reported killed during the 2009-10 season (170,516) and the season totals have climbed steadily each year.

“We’re right on track. We still have the rest of January and Feburary, and expect at least another 2,000 deer statewide to be taken by Feb. 28 (the end of bow season),” AGFC deer biologist Cory Gray said in this report. “That puts us right at the mark from last year — that’s two years, back-to-back, with a real nice harvest. We’re very pleased.”

Arkansas has numerous zones with different dates and season bag limits designed to help manage the population. Gray said hunters “are the best tool we have in the tool box, and we’re seeing the benefits of it.”

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