Hunting Licenses and Permits

What kinds of licenses or permits do I need to hunt in Arkansas?

If you are 16 or older, an Arkansas hunting license is required to hunt wildlife unless you are on a licensed game-bird shooting resort that supplies pen-raised birds. The license must be carried with you.

You may not possess a license that belongs to someone else or one that has been altered, backdated or counterfeited. If you are a nonresident, you may not possess a resident license. If you guide, aid or assist someone else for pay or other value, you must have a guide license.

Where can I find a license dealer?

Sporting goods stores, hunting and fishing supplies stores, some discount chains and AGFC offices.

How do I buy a license by telephone?

Call (501) 223-6349 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. in the Little Rock area. Or call (800) 364-GAME (4263) 24 hours a day/7 days a week. Please have your credit card and an identification number ready. Your identification number can be a driver’s license, Social Security number, hunter education number, state ID number or passport number. Small game and fishing privileges become effective immediately. A valid license obtained by mail from the AGFC must be in your possession before hunting big game (deer, turkey, bear, elk or alligator). Lifetime and commercial licenses are not available by phone or online.

How do I buy a license online?

Licenses may be purchased online at www.agfc.com.

You will be asked to supply personal information and a Visa or MasterCard number. A receipt and confirmation number will be printed on your home printer.

A valid license obtained by mail from AGFC must be in your possession before you may hunt big game (deer, turkey, bear, elk or alligator). Small game hunting and fishing priviledges are effective at the time of purchase.

Purchase a License Online

 

Do I qualify as a resident?

A resident is any person who physically inhabits a bona fide residence within Arkansas for at least 60 days and declares themselves a full-time resident of Arkansas.

Also, the following students (who must carry proof of full-time enrollment in schools, colleges or universities while hunting or fishing in Arkansas) are eligible to purchase annual resident licenses: resident foreign exchange students attending school outside of Arkansas; nonresident foreign exchange students attending school in Arkansas; residents of Arkansas enrolled as full-time students in colleges and universities outside of Arkansas; and nonresidents enrolled as full-time students in colleges and universities in Arkansas.

Ownership of Arkansas real estate by a person living outside the state does not qualify the owner as a resident.

Active-duty military personnel assigned to duty stations in Arkansas are granted annual or trip resident privileges for hunting and fishing. Active-duty servicemen and women who were Arkansas residents at the time of entering service are granted annual or trip resident privileges for hunting and fishing, regardless of where they are stationed.

Are there any additional residency requirements for licenses?

Resident Special Guide License, the nonexpiring Lifetime Resident Hunting and Fishing Sportsman’s Permit have a one-year residency requirement. The 65 Plus Lifetime Hunting License and the 65 Plus Lifetime Combination License have a three-year residency requirement.

What are disability licenses?

Resident disabled hunters may purchase a three-year disability hunting license for $25 or a three-year combination license for $35.50 (includes fishing privileges). Proof of one year’s Arkansas residency and proof of 100 percent disability from the Social Security Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs or the Railroad Retirement Board is required. These licenses expire three years from the date of purchase. These licenses are available through the Little Rock AGFC office. Other required permits and stamps must be purchased annually.

Who needs to register for HIP?

Hunters 16 or older are required to carry proof of Arkansas Harvest Information Program (HIP) registration when hunting ducks, geese, doves, coots, woodcocks, snipe, rails, gallinules or moorhens. Available at no charge, HIP registration can be obtained by completing a short survey at license dealers or any Game and Fish Commission office and will be noted on the license form.

Which licenses do hunting guides need?

A guide is someone who guides hunters for pay or other consideration. An Arkansas resident may guide hunters on land not owned or leased by the AGFC with a Resident Guide License ($25).

An Arkansas resident, who provides proof of at least one year’s residency, may guide hunters, but not waterfowl hunters, on land owned or leased by the AGFC with the Resident Special Guide License ($150). There is no nonresident equivalent of this license.

A nonresident may guide hunters on land not owned or leased by the AGFC with the Nonresident Guide License/Hunting ($150).

Hunting guide licenses expire June 30 and do not include hunting privileges. These licenses are available from AGFC offices. 

Who needs a hunter education card?

A hunter born after 1968 must carry a valid hunter education card, unless ‘HE-VERIFIED’ is noted on your hunting license. Hunters under 16 do not need to have a card if they are under the direct supervision of a holder of a valid hunting license at least 21 years of age. Arkansas honors the home state hunter education cards of nonresidents. Call (800) 482-5795 or click here for a class schedule.

Which commercial or wildlife-related activities require a license or permit?

Resident Fur Dealer ($50), Nonresident Fur Dealer ($200), Wildlife Breeder/Dealer’s Permit ($50), Commercial Wildlife Hunting Resort Permit ($500), Special Commercial Quail Permit ($25) and Game-bird Shooting Resort ($150). A complete list is available. Call (800) 364-4263 ext. 6456 during business hours. These licenses expire June 30.

Which other wildlife-related activities require a license or permit?

These include falconry, alligator or alligator snapping turtle commerce or farming. Call (800) 364-4263 ext. 6456 during business hours for information about these licenses or permits.

Lifetime Licenses

65 Plus Lifetime Hunting License  ($25) entitles Arkansas residents 65 or older to the privileges of the Resident Sportsman’s License. HIP registration is required to hunt migratory game birds. To hunt waterfowl, a state lifetime waterfowl permit (purchased once after age 65) and federal waterfowl stamps are required in addition to HIP. Proof of applicant’s age and three-years of Arkansas residency are required to apply for this license.

65 Plus Lifetime Combination License  ($35.50) entitles Arkansas residents 65 or older to the privileges of the resident Sportsman’s License (hunting) and the Resident Fisheries Conservation License. HIP registration is required to hunt migratory game birds. To hunt waterfowl, a state lifetime waterfowl permit (purchased once after age 65) and federal waterfowl stamps are required in addition to HIP. A lifetime trout permit (purchased once after age 65) must be purchased to fish in certain waters. Proof of applicant’s age and three years of Arkansas residency are required for the license. 

The lifetime waterfowl permit and lifetime trout permit are available from the AGFC Little Rock Office and AGFC regional offices.  If you wish to purchase a license in person, bring proof of your age, such as a driver’s license, birth certificate or military record and proof of three years of Arkansas residency, such as driver’s licenses, property assessments, Arkansas income tax forms, etc. Applications and information are available by calling (800) 364-4263 or (501) 223-6388 in the Little Rock area Monday-Friday, between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Lifetime licenses are not available by phone or online.

Nonexpiring Lifetime Resident Hunting and Fishing Sportsman’s Permit ($1,000) entitles purchasers of any age to the privileges of the Resident Sportsman’s License (hunting) and the Resident Fisheries Conservation License (fishing). Fees for trout permits, leased lands permits, alligator permits, elk permits, state waterfowl stamps and wildlife management area permit hunts are waived with this license. License holders must apply, however, for WMA hunts, be successfully drawn and return notification of acceptance before being issued a permit. HIP registration is required to hunt migratory game birds. To hunt waterfowl, federal waterfowl stamps are required in addition to HIP.

This permit is available from the AGFC Little Rock Office. If you wish to apply in person, bring proof of identification and residency, such as a driver’s license, vehicle registration or personal property taxes. Applications are available at AGFC regional offices or by calling (800) 364-4263 or (501) 223-6388 in the Little Rock area. Lifetime licenses are not available by phone or online. Proof of one year of Arkansas residency is required to apply for this license.

Reciprocal Licenses

Mississippi and Arkansas recognize the validity of Arkansas resident hunting licenses on Mississippi lands that lie west of the main channel of the Mississippi River. Mississippi resident hunting licenses are valid on Arkansas lands that lie east of the main channel. Resident license holders of either state may hunt migratory waterfowl on flowing waters of the Mississippi River, on waters accessible by boat from the main channel of the Mississippi River or on state line lakes when the season is open in both states. The St. Francis, White and Arkansas rivers and their oxbows are excluded from this agreement. Floodwater is not included in this agreement. Hunters must obey the regulations of the state where they’re hunting.  Click here to download tags and for tagging requirements.

Tennessee and Arkansas recognize the hunting licenses of both states on the flowing waters of the Mississippi River, adjacent waters which are accessible by boat from the river proper and the old river chutes that form a common boundary. Excluded are wildlife management areas established by either state and the Wolf, Loosahatchie, Hatchie, Forked Deer and Obion rivers. Migratory waterfowl may be hunted on these waters by a license holder of either state when the season is open in both states. Hunters may not hunt from, nor attach any device or equipment to, land under the jurisdiction of the state in which they are not licensed. Hunters must obey regulations of the state that issues the license. Holders of nonresident licenses issued by either state have the same privileges as a licensed resident.

Deferred Hunter Education Licenses

A hunter can apply and use a Deferred Hunter Education License as long as the user:

• is at least 16 years of age and born after December 31, 1968 and not hunter education certified.
• is in the immediate presence of an adult hunter who is at least 21 years of age and possesses valid hunter education certification, or who was born on or before December 31, 1968.
• possesses a valid Arkansas hunting license.

A DHE license can be acquired once in a lifetime. The DHE license expires June 30. A person is not eligible if convicted or forfeited bond for prior violation of Hunter Education Certification Requirements or under AGFC sanctioned hunting privilege revocations.

What is CID #?

The CID #, also known as the Customer Identification Number, is a number that will be issued with all new hunting and fishing licenses.  This number is unique to each individual purchasing a license.  If a hunter has one of the newer hunting licenses, please record the CID#.  If the hunter has an older hunting license, please do not record a number in this box, just leave it blank.

 

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