(l to r) Ronnie Ritter, Kelly Hale, Mark Quinton, Ken Unger, Todd Noles

In a generous act, the Hot Springs Village POA shared Urban Deer Hunt registration fees with Hunters Feeding the Hungry. At the July 19, 2023, Board Meeting, General Manager Kelly Hale, Public Services Director Ken Unger, Lakes, Dams, Common Property, and Forestry Superintendent Todd Noles, and Board Director Mark Quinton presented a $5,000 check to Ronnie Ritter, Director of Arkansas Hunters Feeding the Hungry. Ritter oversees a program that turns donations of deer meat into snack sticks and ground deer and distributes the bounty across the state to hungry Arkansans. In addition, the POA plans to help area schools with archery programs.

Previously, the Arkansas Bow Hunters Organization conducted the HSVPOA Urban Deer Hunt (UDH) Orientation, but this year a decision was made to conduct the enterprise in-house from start to finish. Noles said the orientation this year was a huge success. (No worries If you missed the HSV Urban Deer Hunt Orientation on Saturday, July 8, 2023. You have another opportunity to attend an orientation and participate in the 2023 HSV Urban Deer Hunt. Click here for more information.)

Public Services Director said the changes made in the Urban Deer Hunt are an example of how the POA is thinking differently about how to do things. Historically, when we went through ABA (Arkansas Bow Hunters) to conduct the orientation, which was great, we had a lot of outside hunters. Most of the revenue went to the ABA. When the idea was broached to internalize the hunt, his thought was, ‘Why not?’

Noles said the Urban Deer Hunt Orientation was successful due to Board Member volunteers Bruce Caverly, Mark Quinton, and the Common Property Committee Members.

One hundred fifty registered hunters participated in the orientation. The registrants are POA members, guests of members, and First Responders in the state of Arkansas. The POA limited who could participate this year due to problems experienced in previous years. Some of the problems encountered were littering, theft, and vandalism.

Noles shared, “Some of our members told me they quit hunting two or three years ago due to bullying from outsiders.”

Each participant was charged $75 for the orientation and the right to participate in the UDH.

The UDH helps reduce the deer herd, which results in reducing traffic accidents and helps curb tics, diseases, and inbreeding.

President Ritter shared, “This year, we were especially blessed.” Arkansas Farm Bureau Foundation offered a matching donation of up to $25,000. The $5,000 contributed by the POA brought the donations up to the needed mark.

Hunters Feeding the Hungry is a state-wide organization that works with up to 70 meat processors and 150 food pantries, and various homes and shelters across the state. “Most of what we supply is ground deer burger,” stated Ritter. We get the snack sticks from the Urban Deer Hunts.

“Hot Springs Village is the largest contributor to the Snack Stick Program. Over 60% of the state-wide deer donations come from Hot Springs Village deer harvest,” explained Ritter.

Ritter stated, “We supply every school in Garland County and most of the schools in Saline County, as well as over 50 counties in the state, with snack sticks,”

Two hundred fifty snack sticks are made from each donated deer. Last year 77,000 snack stick packages were manufactured, but the goal this year is 100,000.

Board Member Bruce Caverly said that most people don’t realize that the area school districts suffer from thirty to thirty-five percent food insecurity.

Ritter said school counselors and teachers shared horror stories about children who are not fed on the weekends. “These snack sticks are used in the weekend backpack program.”

In addition to supporting Hunters Feeding the Hungry, Unger shared that the POA will support area school archery programs. This will help foster responsible hunting in the Village for years to come. Board Member Mark Quinton said he has met with the Fountain Lake and Jessieville School Superintendents about an archery program. Quinton said there were previously school archery programs, but the schools’ biggest needs with an archery program are manpower and space. “We are working on that. We may have an answer. School archery programs teach discipline and respect,” shared Quinton.

Unger said we have sold lots on the basis of people wanting to hunt here. “We took a good program and turned it into one that I think will be great. With the hunters being residents or property owners, they understand they are going to take these deer out by crossbow, bow, or vehicle,” exclaimed Unger.

Unger stated, “I am really optimistic about this program. It is just another example of things that Todd [Noles] has brought to the table, so I give him kudos on how he looks at things and, again, [kudos to] the volunteers that went into making this a successful program so far.”

The Hot Springs Village Deer Hunt begins on September 1, 2023, ending February 28, 2024.

Incentives will be given to the highest contributors to Hunters Feeding the Hungry. Click here to visit the HSV Urban Deer Hunt website.

Report by Cheryl Dowden