Where do I buy a Arkansas hunting license?

Arkansas hunting licenses and tags are sold by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) through its official licensing site. Buy direct from the agency rather than a reseller, and complete hunter education first if your birth year requires it.

When is Arkansas hunting season?

Seasons differ by species, weapon and zone, and the Arkansas season dates change every year. Our Arkansas deer guide summarizes the 2025-26 deer season structure; for every other species, check the current Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) regulations before you plan a hunt.

What can you hunt in Arkansas?

Besides white-tailed deer, our species guides single out Arkansas for black bear, wild hog, mallard, wood duck. Each species guide explains tags, seasons and tactics.

Where is public hunting land in Arkansas?

Good starting points include Ozark-St. Francis National Forest, Ouachita National Forest, White River National Wildlife Refuge. Confirm access rules, closures and special regulations with the managing agency before you go.

Hunting · State by State

Arkansas Hunting Guide

What to hunt in Arkansas, what it costs, the laws that matter and where the public land is — with the official Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) links.

Nearly 200,000 deer checked a year, generous bag limits, and Ozark-to-Delta public land make Arkansas a sleeper trophy state.

Arkansas splits into two very different hunting worlds. The Ozark and Ouachita mountains in the north and west are steep, timbered, and public-land heavy, with acorn-driven deer movement and a lower deer density than the Delta. The eastern Delta and southern coastal plain hold flatter, richer agricultural and bottomland-hardwood ground with much higher deer densities and the state's best trophy potential.

Agency: Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC)
Region: Southeast
Deer rank: #21 of 50
Species guides: 5

Arkansas hunting license and tag costs

Deer license and tag prices as last reviewed. Other species' permits are listed in the agency fee schedule.

License / tag	Price
Resident annual hunting license	approx. $25
Nonresident annual all-species hunting license	approx. $355
Nonresident 3-day hunting license	approx. $110 (extendable to 5 days for an added fee)

Arkansas hunting laws to know

Rules that catch hunters out most often. Not a substitute for the regulations book.

Topic	Rule
Blaze orange	Required during modern gun and muzzleloader seasons on WMAs and most other lands; archery-only hunters are exempt in many circumstances but check zone-specific rules.
Baiting	Baiting is illegal on WMAs; on private land it is regulated and prohibited in CWD Management Zones — check current zone maps before using feed or minerals.
Crossbows	Legal for all hunters during archery season and any firearms season, no permit or disability documentation required.
Sunday hunting	Allowed statewide on private land; some WMAs restrict Sunday access, so check individual WMA regulations.
Legal firearms	Centerfire rifles, shotguns with slugs, muzzleloaders, and handguns are legal during modern gun season; straight-wall cartridge rules are less restrictive than in Midwest shotgun-only states.
Tagging/reporting	All deer must be checked (reported) via the AGFC app, website, or phone immediately upon harvest and before moving the carcass.
CWD carcass transport	Whole carcasses may not be transported out of designated CWD Management Zones; only deboned meat, cleaned skulls/antlers, capes, and similar processed parts can leave the zone.
Hunter education	Required for anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 1969, before they can buy a license unless hunting under an apprentice/mentor exemption.

Arkansas deer season structure (2025-26)

Dates shift by a few days every year and vary by deer zone; always confirm the current-season dates and zone map on AGFC's deer seasons page before you hunt.

Season	Weapon	Typical window
Early buck-only archery	Bow / crossbow	Late Aug. (roughly a long weekend)
Archery	Bow / crossbow	Late Sept. – late Feb.
Alternative firearms (muzzleloader)	Muzzleloader / straight-wall	Mid-to-late Oct., plus a short Dec. split
Youth modern gun	Modern gun	Two weekends, Nov. and early Jan.
Modern gun	Modern gun (rifle/shotgun)	Mid-Nov. – early Dec., plus a late Dec. split

What you can hunt in Arkansas

Deer — White-tailed deer
Very good · ranked #21 of 50 for deer.
Black Bear
Sleeper states with big bears and public national forest
Access: Over-the-counter with unit-specific seasons
Wild Hog
Delta and bottomland hardwood populations
Access: Restrictions on public land during deer seasons — read current rules
Mallard
World-famous flooded timber hunting with massive mallard concentrations
Access: Over-the-counter license plus federal duck stamp
Wood Duck
Classic flooded timber habitat with strong early-season wood duck numbers
Access: Over-the-counter license plus federal duck stamp

Public hunting land in Arkansas

Arkansas has one of the largest percentages of huntable public land in the South, spread across two national forests and dozens of AGFC wildlife management areas.

Ozark-St. Francis National Forest
National forest · Northwest/North-central Arkansas
Over 1 million acres of mountain hardwoods with numerous overlapping WMAs; classic Ozark ridge-and-hollow hunting.
Official page
Ouachita National Forest
National forest · West-central Arkansas
Nearly 1.8 million acres straddling Arkansas and Oklahoma; heavily timbered, lightly pressured mountain terrain.
Official page
White River National Wildlife Refuge
National wildlife refuge · Eastern Arkansas Delta
Roughly 160,000 acres of bottomland hardwoods bordering the White River in Phillips/Arkansas/Desha counties, famous for trophy Delta bucks.
Official page
Sylamore WMA
WMA · North-central Arkansas (Ozarks)
Large Ozark WMA overlapping national forest land with rugged terrain and a CWD-zone designation to be aware of.
Official page
White Rock WMA
WMA · Northwest Arkansas (Ozarks)
Popular Madison County Ozark WMA with archery, muzzleloader, and gun seasons on national forest ground.
Official page
Piney Creeks WMA
WMA · West-central Arkansas
Multi-county Ouachita-adjacent WMA offering a full slate of deer seasons on rugged public timber.
Official page
Gene Rush WMA
WMA · North-central Arkansas
Ozark WMA in Newton/Searcy counties, part of the state's CWD management zone.
Official page

Official Arkansas links

Last reviewed 2026-09.

Nearby state hunting guides

Questions

Frequently asked

Where do I buy a Arkansas hunting license?: Arkansas hunting licenses and tags are sold by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) through its official licensing site. Buy direct from the agency rather than a reseller, and complete hunter education first if your birth year requires it.
When is Arkansas hunting season?: Seasons differ by species, weapon and zone, and the Arkansas season dates change every year. Our Arkansas deer guide summarizes the 2025-26 deer season structure; for every other species, check the current Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) regulations before you plan a hunt.
What can you hunt in Arkansas?: Besides white-tailed deer, our species guides single out Arkansas for black bear, wild hog, mallard, wood duck. Each species guide explains tags, seasons and tactics.
Where is public hunting land in Arkansas?: Good starting points include Ozark-St. Francis National Forest, Ouachita National Forest, White River National Wildlife Refuge. Confirm access rules, closures and special regulations with the managing agency before you go.