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An urban archery hunt for white-tailed deer in Fort Smith, Ark., will give bowhunters who pass a http://www.bowhunter-ed.com/arkansas/>bowhunter education course more opportunities to go afield during the 2013 season.

The Fort Smith area bowhunt is one of several urban hunts offered in Arkansas for resident and nonresident hunters. Bowhunters are expected to help control urban white-tailed deer populations and reduce problems caused by too many deer and not enough habitat.

"While these hunts are relatively new to Arkansas, urban hunts have been occurring nationwide for over 15 years as a way to manage deer in urban areas," said Marilyn Bentz, executive director of the National Bowhunter Education Foundation. "Our organization will play a vital role in providing safety training for these urban bowhunters. Hunt participants are required to attend the internationally acclaimed National Bowhunter Education Foundation program, which reassures property owners that responsible and knowledgeable bowhunters are involved in the process."

Prior to the season, bowhunters must successfully complete an International Bowhunter Education Program course. Students can get started on their training by taking a http://www.bowhunter-ed.com/arkansas/approved_hunting_course.html>bowhunter education course at bowhunter-ed.com. In addition to passing the online portion of the course, students must complete their in-the-field training with a certified instructor. Students also can opt to attend a full-day classroom course, which usually occur on Saturday.

"Those who study at bowhunter-ed.com or in the classroom can expect to learn strategies for safe and responsible hunting," Bentz said. "They'll also gain valuable skills such as knowing when to shoot and which shot placement angles are most effective."

In addition to keeping deer populations in check, urban bowhunters provide other benefits as well. They contribute to wildlife management through their purchase of hunting licenses and the excise taxes they pay on archery equipment. In addition, bowhunters contribute to local economies when they purchase gas, ice, food, clothes and other miscellaneous hunting gear.

For more information about urban bowhunting season dates and to review all urban deer hunt requirements, visithttp://www.agfc.com/licenses/pages/permitsspecialurban.aspx#9

To get started on bowhunter education training, visithttp://www.bowhunter-ed.com/arkansas/.

About the National Bowhunter Education Foundation
The NBEF and its network of 5,000 volunteer instructors work hard to ensure the future of bowhunting. Each year thousands of committed volunteers donate their time and financial means to bowhunter education throughout the world. The core curriculum of the program remains standardized throughout all 50 states and numerous foreign countries.

For more information regarding the NBEF or becoming an instructor, please contact the National Bowhunter Education Foundation at info@nbef.org or visithttp://www.nbef.org/. To take an online bowhunter education course, visithttp://www.bowhunter-ed.com/.

Media contact:
Tammy Sapp
tsapp@kalkomey.com
803-522-2138