An attorney for the Hatchie Coon Hunting and Fishing Club is asking a Poinsett County judge to dismiss a lawsuit over an Arkansas Game and Fish Commission-approved system for allocating hunting access in the St. Francis Sunken Lands Area.
The club, located near Trumann, filed its response Thursday in Poinsett County Circuit Court. The filing responds to a lawsuit brought in September by the St. Francis Lake Association against the hunting club and the commission.
Dispute centers on hunting access
The commission approved a proposal to establish a lottery-style system for hunting on the land. The St. Francis Lake Association argues that the arrangement would restrict duck hunting in the St. Francis Sunken Lands Area. The association's attorneys have said the lawsuit is intended to protect public access.
The hunting club's attorney argues that the association does not have standing to bring the case and that the court lacks a justiciable controversy because the harm described in the lawsuit is speculative. The response cites property records dating to August 1964 and provisions of state law in support of the club's position.
- The defendants are the Hatchie Coon Hunting and Fishing Club and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.
- The plaintiff says the access lottery would limit duck hunting in the St. Francis Sunken Lands Area.
- The club says the association lacks standing and has not shown an actual legal controversy.
Season deadline
A judge has not ruled on the dismissal request or the underlying lawsuit. Attorneys for the St. Francis Lake Association are seeking a resolution before duck hunting season begins Nov. 21.
The case concerns access to hunting land and the commission's authority to approve the lottery-style arrangement. The court's ruling will address the legal challenge brought against the club and the commission.
