Arkansas Game & Fish Commission

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Hunting

General Regulations

2009 Arkansas Turkey Hunting Guidebook

  • Only shotguns (10 gauge and smaller) and archery equipment (including crossbows) are legal for turkey hunting. Shot larger than No. 2 common shot is prohibited.
  • Releasing domestically reared turkeys into the wild is illegal.
  • Capturing wild turkeys or collecting their eggs is illegal.
  • Shooting a turkey from a boat is illegal.
  • Turkeys may not be taken from 30 minutes after sunset until 30 minutes before sunrise.
  • Shooting across or hunting within 100 feet of the center of a city, county, state or federally maintained road is illegal.
  • Firearms must be unloaded and cased while being transported by boat during darkness (from 30 minutes after sunset until 30 minutes before sunrise).
  • Turkeys may not be hunted with the use of traps, snares, nets, hooks, explosives, dogs or live decoys. Hunters may not possess electronic or mechanically powered or driven callers.
  • During youth turkey hunts, coyote and bobcat hunting is open only to youth hunters.
  • Hunting or shooting across the main west levee of the Mississippi or Arkansas rivers from the Louisiana-Arkansas state line to the intersection of Arkansas Highway 11 is illegal.
  • Wild turkeys may not be hunted over bait. An area is considered baited if any food (including shelled, shucked or unshucked corn, chops or wheat) is present or has been present in the last 10 days. A hunter is liable for a baiting violation if he or she knows, or reasonably should know, that the area is or has been baited, even following complete removal of bait.


Quota Permits and Youth Hunt Permits

Quota and youth permit hunts are held on several wildlife management areas.  The purposes of these hunts are to better manage turkey populations, improve hunt quality by preventing overcrowding and provide high-quality hunting opportunities for youngsters.

Limit is one legal turkey for quota and youth permit hunts. This is not a bonus turkey; it counts as part of the season bag limit. Only permit holders will be allowed to engage in any hunting-related activity on these areas during quota permit hunts. Additional instructions are printed on the permit. If drawn, there is a $10 processing fee.

The youth permit hunts are restricted to youths under 16 as of Dec. 17, 2008. For both the youth permit hunts and the quota permit hunts, youths must have completed a hunter education course and be accompanied by an adult 18 or older. Because these are preseason youth permit hunts, these areas are closed to all other hunting-related activities, including turkey scouting and photography, during the permit hunts.

Click here to learn more about the Quota and Youth Permit hunts. 

Hunting Wild Turkey on Arkansas Wildlife Management Areas and Refuges

There are season specific regulations for each Wildlife Management Area and Refuge.  Please obtain a copy of the current hunting guidebook for more information about each area.

Hunter Safety

  • Positively identify your target - Be absolutely certain it's a legal turkey before pulling the trigger. Be sure the shot path - to the bird and beyond - is safe.
  • Assume every noise and movement is another hunter - If there is any doubt, don't shoot.
  • Never stalk a turkey or turkey sound - Movement or sounds you think are a turkey could be another hunter. Be patient and let the bird come to you.
  • Protect your back - Select a large tree, rock or other substantial natural barrier while calling. Hunt in open woods.
  • Avoid wearing red, white or blue - These colors are found on the head and neck of mature gobblers and may be mistaken for a turkey.
  • Make your position known to other hunters - Wear hunter orange when moving through the woods, particularly while carrying a bird.
  • Do not move if you see another hunter - Remain perfectly still and speak to the hunter in a normal voice. Never wave, use a turkey call or stand up. Be absolutely sure the hunter knows you are there.
  • Practice courtesy and self-control - Observe written and unwritten rules of safe turkey hunting. Good hunting habits prevent accidents.
  • You, alone, are responsible for your actions - Once you decide to pull the trigger, there is no calling back your shot.

Walk-In Turkey Hunting Areas and Wilderness Areas


Walk-in turkey hunting areas and wilderness areas provide land where turkey hunters can pursue their sport without disturbance from vehicles and machinery.         
Ouachita National Forest
Walk-In Areas Wilderness Areas
Chinquapin Mountain (Perry, Saline Counties) Dry Creek (Logan, Scott, Yell Counties)
Leader Mountain (Polk County) Flatside (Saline, Perry Counties)
Fourche Mountain (Yell County) Caney Creek (Polk County)
Hogan Mountain (Scott, Logan Counties) Black Fork (Scott, Polk Counties)
Deckard Mountain (Garland, Perry Counties) Poteau Mountain (Scott, Sebastian Counties)
Sharptop Mountain (Montgomery County)
For maps of the Ouachita National Forest, contact:USDA Forest Service, PO Box 1270; Federal Bldg., Hot Springs, AR  71901, (501) 321-5202.
Ozark Francis National Forest
Walk-In Areas Wilderness Areas
Sylamore (Stone County) Richland Creek (Newton, Searcy Counties)
Huckleberry Mountain (Logan, Yell Counties) East Fork (Pope County)
St. Francis (Lee, Phillips Counties) Hurricane (Pope, Newton Counties)
Salt Fork (Franklin, Crawford Counties) Upper Buffalo (Newton County)
Leatherwood (Baxter, Searcy, Marion Counties)
For maps of the Ozark and St. Francis National Forests, contact:USDA Forest Service, 605 West Main; Russellville, AR 72801, (479) 968-2354.
Buffalo National River
Walk-In Areas Wilderness Areas
Upper Buffalo (Newton County)
Ponca (Newton County)
Lower Buffalo (Marion County)

For maps of the Buffalo National River, contact: P. O. Box 1173; Harrison, AR 72601, (501) 741-5443. The park brochure shows the location of wilderness areas.

  • State Superfund
    The National Wild Turkey Federation is a not-for-profit conservation organization incorporated in 1973 and is dedicated to the conservation, restoration and management of the wild turkey as a valuable renewable resource. Since 1988, fundraising banquets conducted throughout Arkansas have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for wild turkey programs. Fifty-six percent of all funds raised are deposited in a state superfund to be spent on approved projects benefiting wild turkeys. Through 1999, about $750,000 has been allocated to 205 projects in Arkansas. See below for a map showing locations of specific projects.