New This Year
New This Year 2024-25
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission passed nearly 150 new regulations or changes to established regulations at its May 2024 meeting. The following are many of the changes that will most affect hunters in 2024-25. For changes that affect the 2024-25 waterfowl season, those will be included in the AGFC’s 2024-25 Waterfowl Guidebook.
What Do I Need to Hunt?
- Resident Adult (16 years or older): Resident hunting license excluding HNT.
- If you are on public land, the customer needs to enter the alligator draw.
- Private Land hunting requires a PLA in addition to a hunting license (PLA includes tags).
- Non-resident Adult: NBG and NRG licenses.
- No Youth can hunt for alligators.
- Resident Adult: Resident hunting license excluding HNT, and an RBT to tag their bear.
- Resident Youth: YBT to tag their bear.
- Non-resident Adult: NBG and NRB licenses.
- Non-resident Youth: YBTN to tag their bear.
- Resident Adult: Resident hunting license.
- Resident Youth: YDT to tag their deer.
- Non-resident Adult: NBG, AG5, AG3, or AG1 licenses.
- Non-resident Youth: YDTN to tag their deer.
- Resident Adult: Resident hunting license excluding HNT.
- If you are on public land, the customer needs to enter the elk draw.
- Private Land hunting requires a PLE in addition to a hunting license (PLE includes tags).
- Resident Adult and Youth: EDA to tag their draw elk.
- Resident Adult and Youth: PLE to tag their private land elk.
- Non-resident Adult: NBG and NRE licenses.
- Non-resident Youth: YETN to tag their elk.
- Resident Adult: Resident hunting license excluding HNT, and an RTT to tag their turkey.
- Resident Youth: YTT to tag their turkey.
- Non-resident Adult: NRTT license.
- Non-resident Youth: YTTN to tag their turkey.
New This Season
- Non-semiautomatic centerfire firearms (including handguns with barrels 4 inches or longer) that fire a straight-wall cartridge .30 caliber or larger and Big Bore Air Rifles are now allowed during Alternative Firearms seasons (formerly termed muzzleloader season). Lever-action rifles, single-shot rifles, pump-action rifles and bolt-action rifles (including semiautomatic rifles that have been converted to bolt-action) are allowed. Note that shotguns with slugs are not allowed during alternative firearms season. Also, 30-30 cartridges with shoulder are not allowed.
- In Deer Zones 4 and 5, rifles chambered specifically for straight-wall centerfire cartridge cases and hunting with lead and lead alloy, soft-nose and/or hollow-point bullets no less than .30 caliber are now allowed during modern gun deer season.
- Early buck archery hunt is established for the first Saturday-Monday in September (Sept. 7-9, 2024). This hunt comes with a 1-buck bag limit.
- Tree hooks with screw threads not greater than three-eights-inch in diameter are allowed on Commission-owned WMAs.
- Trail cameras may be left on WMAs.
- Portable hunting blinds, stands or associated equipment must be moved at least 200 yards after 14 consecutive days. Stands and blinds may not be placed on a WMA more than 14 days before deer archery season and must be removed within 14 days after the close of deer archery season.
- Dogs may not run loose on Blanchard Springs Recreational Area.
- Entrance into a WMA during a permit hunt is not allowed without first obtaining a permit.
- Motorized vehicles and OHVs are allowed on Lee Creek, Mount Magazine, Piney Creeks, Sylamore and St. Francis National Forest, in addition to already being allowed on Caney Creek, Cedar Mountain, Muddy Cree and Winona WMAs except on any area posted as closed.
- The AGFC Code has been clarified to note that it is unlawful to provide hunting assistance without possession of a valid hunting license (i.e., youth hunts with mentors). People who have had their hunting rights suspended or revoked are forbidden from providing hunting assistance.
- Residents must have physical possession of a valid Private Land Alligator Tag, Private Land Elk Tag, Resident Bear or Turkey Tag when hunting these species.
- Nonresidents who are turkey hunting must possess a Nonresident Annual Turkey Hunting License (allows addition of no more than 1 turkey tag).
- Nonresidents may only hunt elk or alligators on private lands with the owner’s written consent.
- The penalty for nonresidents possessing an Arkansas Resident License, permit, tag or stamp issued by the Commission, or at any time to represent as his own. Has been increased to a Class 4 penalty.
- The annual bullfrog season opening day has moved to June 1.
- Anyone guiding, aiding or assisting another person, for pay or other considerations, in the taking of any species of wildlife by any means in Arkansas, must have proof of at least $100,000 general liability insurance in addition to the appropriate guide license.
- It is unlawful to hunt, drive, herd or harass wildlife by unmanned aerial vehicle (drone).
- Nongame wildlife, excluding bats, migratory birds, and endangered species, may be taken during daylight hours with firearms, or trapped.
- Property owners or their designees may use live traps for removal of nuisance wildlife, other than alligator, bear, birds, deer or elk. Live trapping conducted in incorporated towns or cities must be in accordance with their local ordinances or statutes. Live captured nuisance wildlife must be released unharmed within 24 hours outside the municipality’s boundaries on private land with landowner permission in the county of capture or adjacent to the county of capture.
- Egyptian geese may be taken at any time.
- Trail cameras may be left on WMAs.
- Immediately after harvesting an alligator and before moving it, a hunter must check the alligator online.
- It is no longer unlawful to possess a handgun on Commission-owned or controlled property or while hunting, fishing or trapping on private property.
- Entrance into a WMA during a permit hunt is not allowed without first obtaining a permit.
- Motorized vehicles and OHVs are allowed on Lee Creek, Mount Magazine, Piney Creeks, Sylamore and St. Francis National Forest, in addition to already being allowed on Caney Creek, Cedar Mountain, Muddy Cree and Winona WMAs except on any area posted as closed.
- The AGFC Code has been clarified to note that it is unlawful to provide hunting assistance without possession of a valid hunting license (i.e., youth hunts with mentors).
- Residents must have physical possession of a valid Private Land Alligator Tag, Private Land Elk Tag, Resident Bear or Turkey Tag when hunting these species.
- Nonresidents who are turkey hunting must possess a Nonresident Annual Turkey Hunting License (allows addition of no more than 1 turkey tag).
- Nonresidents may only hunt elk or alligators on private lands with the owner’s written consent.
- The penalty for nonresidents possessing an Arkansas Resident License, permit, tag or stamp issued by the Commission, or at any time to represent as his own, has been increased to a Class 4 penalty.
- It is unlawful to hunt wildlife from a vessel, with the exception of waterfowl or alligator, and in taking frogs, fish or turtles by legal methods during open seasons.
- Only weapons legal for that hunting season are allowed to dispatch wounded big game, with the exception of a legally possessed handgun. The barrel should not exceed 6 inches and the chambered caliber should not exceed .45 caliber.
- Archery equipment that is legal for hunting now includes spears.