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Arkansas WMA Hunting Rules
The rules that hold on every WMA, the closed seasons area by area and where to find the waterfowl rules.
Photo: Linda Tanner (flickr user: goingslo) (CC BY 2.0)
Rules that apply on every Arkansas WMA
Every WMA in Arkansas is its own deer and turkey zone with its own guidebook entry, so statewide dates are only a starting point. A few rules hold on all of them: WMAs: three deer, no more than two antlered bucks (standardized in 2026); WMA deer count toward the statewide limit. Baiting not allowed on WMAs (except bait in legal furbearer traps). Pop-up blinds must show 144 square inches of blaze orange or chartreuse on all sides during firearms deer, bear and elk seasons, and hogs may be taken only by hunters already hunting bear, deer or elk in an open season.
| Rule | What the guidebook says |
|---|---|
| WMA deer bag | WMAs: three deer, no more than two antlered bucks (standardized in 2026); WMA deer count toward the statewide limit. |
| WMA/Lake Conservation Permit | $10.50: Required for anyone 16+ using AGFC-owned WMAs or lakes without a valid Arkansas hunting or fishing license (new July 1, 2026; replaces the WMA General Use Permit). |
| Leased Lands permit | $75: Hunt, trap and camp on all Leased Lands WMAs (Big Timber, Casey Jones, Cedar Mountain, Cherokee, Jim Kress, Gum Flats, Howard County, Jack Mountain, Lafayette County, Lake Greeson, Provo); not required under 16; expires June 30. |
| Baiting | Baiting not allowed on WMAs (except bait in legal furbearer traps). |
| Pop-up blinds | Portable pop-up blinds on WMAs must show 144 square inches of blaze orange or chartreuse on all sides during firearms deer, bear and elk seasons. |
| Roads | No pointing, aiming, hunting or shooting a firearm or bow across, from or within 100 feet of the centerline of a city, county, state or federally maintained road (trappers dispatching trapped animals and falconers excepted); on WMAs within 100 feet of any public or privately maintained road. |
| Lights | No shining an artificial light from a public road or within a WMA. |
| Alcohol | No alcoholic beverages on Commission-controlled WMAs except on inholdings, in vehicles on public roads or boats on navigable water within the law. |
| Waterfowl guiding | No guiding waterfowl hunters for pay on WMAs or NWRs. |
| Waterfowl hours | On WMAs waterfowl hunting runs 30 minutes before sunrise until noon November 21-January 30; to sunset on January 31 and February 6-7. Hunters must leave flooded areas by 1 p.m. (noon on Dave Donaldson Black River and George H. Dunklin Jr. Bayou Meto WMAs). |
| Feral hogs | No hog season on WMAs: hogs may be killed only by hunters legally hunting bear, deer or elk during an open season; no trapping or dogs. Not on Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission WMAs or Hot Springs State Forest WMA. |
Sources: WMA bag, license list, baiting, blinds and roads (Arkansas Game and Fish Commission); checked November 9, 2026.
Closed seasons on Arkansas WMAs
The land records carry each area's CLOSED line from the guidebook. 136 areas print one: alligator is closed on 133, bear (all or firearms) on 88, some or all deer seasons on 50, quail on 11 and turkey on 25. Areas without a CLOSED line can still have permit-only days or area notes, so read the full entry on each land page.
| Area and zone | Kind | Closed seasons |
|---|---|---|
| Alum Fork Natural Area WMA zone 101 | Natural area WMA | deer alternative firearms, deer modern gun, bear modern gun, bear alternative firearms and alligator |
| Bayou Des Arc WMA zone 005 | WMA | bear and alligator |
| Bearcat Hollow WMA zone 015 | WMA | alligator |
| Bell Slough WMA zone 022 | WMA | deer modern gun (youth hunt available), bear modern gun (youth hunt available) and alligator |
| Benson Creek Natural Area WMA zone 023 | Natural area WMA | bear and alligator |
| Beryl Anthony Lower Ouachita WMA zone 025 | WMA | bear firearms and alligator |
| Big Lake WMA zone 040 | WMA | deer alternative firearms, bear, alligator, turkey (youth hunt available) |
| Big Timber WMA zone 045 | Leased land WMA | alligator |
| Blevins WMA zone 055 | WMA | bear and alligator |
| Blue Mountain WMA zone 060 | WMA | alligator |
| Brewer Lake/Cypress Creek WMA zone 075 | WMA | deer, bear, turkey and alligator |
| Brushy Creek WMA zone 077 | WMA | deer alternative firearms, bear, turkey and alligator |
| Buck Island WMA zone 078 | WMA | bear, furbearer trapping and alligator |
| Buffalo National River WMA zone 080 | WMA | furbearer trapping and alligator |
| Camp Robinson WMA zone 110 | WMA | alligator and all trapping |
| Caney Creek WMA zone 120 | WMA | alligator |
| Casey Jones WMA zone 125 | Leased land WMA | bear firearms and alligator |
| Cedar Creek WMA zone 127 | WMA | deer firearms, bear firearms, alligator, furbearer hunting and furbearer trapping |
| Cedar Mountain WMA zone 123 | Leased land WMA | alligator |
| Cherokee Prairie Natural Area WMA zone 130 | Natural area WMA | deer firearms, bear firearms, alligator, turkey |
| Cherokee WMA zone 128 | Leased land WMA | alligator |
| Cove Creek Natural Area WMA zone 134 | Natural area WMA | deer firearms, bear firearms and alligator |
| Crossett Experimental Forest WMA zone 136 | WMA | deer modern gun, bear firearms, alligator, fox hunting, coyote hunting and bobcat hunting |
| Cut-Off Creek WMA zone 138 | WMA | bear firearms and alligator |
| Cypress Bayou WMA zone 140 | WMA | bear and alligator |
| Dardanelle WMA zone 160 | WMA | alligator |
| Dave Donaldson Black River WMA zone 170 | WMA | deer alternative firearms, bear and alligator |
| De Queen Lake WMA zone 176 | WMA | alligator |
| DeGray Lake WMA zone 173 | WMA | alligator |
| Departee Creek WMA zone 175 | WMA | bear and alligator |
| Devil's Knob Natural Area WMA zone 177 | Natural area WMA | alligator |
| Devils Eyebrow Natural Area WMA zone 179 | Natural area WMA | alligator |
| Dr. Lester Sitzes III Bois D'Arc WMA zone 180 | WMA | bear |
| Earl Buss Bayou DeView WMA zone 210 | WMA | deer firearms (youth hunt available), bear, alligator and turkey |
| Ed Gordon Point Remove WMA zone 213 | WMA | alligator |
| Ethel WMA zone 217 | WMA | deer firearms, bear and alligator |
| Falcon Bottoms Natural Area WMA zone 219 | Natural area WMA | bear firearms and alligator |
| Fort Chaffee WMA zone 230 | WMA | alligator |
| Foushee Cave Natural Area WMA zone 231 | Natural area WMA | alligator |
| Freddie Black Choctaw Island WMA/Deer Research Area East Unit zone 233 | WMA | alligator (both units); bear firearms (East Unit); deer archery and firearms, bear and turkey (West Unit) |
| Freddie Black Choctaw Island WMA/Deer Research Area West Unit zone 232 | WMA | alligator (both units); bear firearms (East Unit); deer archery and firearms, bear and turkey (West Unit) |
| Frierson WMA zone 234 | WMA | deer alternative firearms, bear and alligator |
| Frog Bayou WMA zone 235 | WMA | deer firearms, bear, turkey and alligator |
| Galla Creek WMA zone 240 | WMA | alligator |
| Garrett Hollow Natural Area WMA zone 245 | Natural area WMA | deer firearms, bear firearms, turkey firearms and alligator |
| Gene Rush WMA zone 250 | WMA | quail and alligator |
| George H. Dunklin Jr. Bayou Meto WMA zone 010 | WMA | bear and alligator |
| Goat's Beard Bluff Natural Area WMA zone 260 | Natural area WMA | deer firearms, bear firearms and alligator |
| Greers Ferry Lake WMA zone 270 | WMA | deer firearms (youth hunt available), bear firearms and alligator |
| Gum Flats WMA zone 282 | Leased land WMA | bear and alligator |
| H. E. Flanagan Prairie Natural Area WMA zone 284 | Natural area WMA | deer firearms, bear firearms, turkey and alligator |
| Hall Creek Barrens Natural Area WMA zone 286 | Natural area WMA | deer firearms, bear firearms and alligator |
| Harold E. Alexander Spring River WMA zone 290 | WMA | alligator |
| Harris Brake WMA zone 300 | WMA | deer firearms (youth hunt available), bear firearms and alligator |
| Hell Creek Natural Area WMA zone 285 | Natural area WMA | deer firearms, bear firearms, turkey firearms and alligator |
| Henry Gray Hurricane Lake WMA zone 310 | WMA | bear, turkey firearms (turkey youth hunt available) and alligator |
| Hobbs State Park Conservation Area WMA zone 320 | WMA | turkey and alligator |
| Holland Bottoms WMA zone 340 | WMA | bear and alligator |
| Hope Upland WMA zone 360 | WMA | deer firearms (youth hunt available), bear firearms, turkey firearms (youth hunt available), quail and alligator |
| Hot Springs State Forest WMA zone 365 | WMA | deer firearms (permit youth hunt available), bear firearms (permit youth hunt available) and alligator |
| Howard County WMA zone 370 | Leased land WMA | alligator |
| Howard Hensley – Searcy Co. WMA zone 372 | WMA | alligator |
| Iron Mountain Natural Area WMA zone 375 | Natural area WMA | deer firearms, bear firearms and alligator |
| J. Perry Mikles Lick Creek WMA zone 380 | WMA | Bear alternative firearms, quail and alligator |
| Jack Mountain WMA zone 381 | Leased land WMA | alligator |
| Jamestown Independence County WMA zone 385 | WMA | alligator |
| Jim Kress WMA zone 387 | Leased land WMA | alligator |
| Jones Point WMA zone 390 | WMA | deer firearms, bear firearms and alligator |
| Kingsland Prairie Natural Area WMA zone 395 | Natural area WMA | deer firearms, bear firearms and alligator |
| Kirk Dupps Beaver Lake WMA zone 020 | WMA | alligator and turkey |
| Lafayette County WMA zone 400 | Leased land WMA | alligator |
| Lake Conway WMA zone 100 | WMA | quail and alligator |
| Lake Greeson WMA zone 410 | Leased land WMA | alligator |
| Lake Overcup WMA zone 411 | WMA | deer firearms, bear firearms and alligator |
| Lee County WMA zone 412 | WMA | bear and alligator |
| Lee Creek WMA zone 413 | WMA | alligator |
| Little Bayou WMA zone 415 | WMA | bear firearms, alligator, fox hunting, bobcat hunting and coyote hunting |
| Little River WMA zone 417 | WMA | bear and alligator |
| Loafer's Glory WMA zone 420 | WMA | alligator |
| Longview Saline Natural Area WMA zone 423 | Natural area WMA | bear firearms and alligator |
| Maumelle River WMA zone 425 | WMA | deer firearms, bear firearms, furbearer trapping and alligator |
| McIlroy Madison County WMA zone 430 | WMA | quail and alligator |
| Mike Freeze Wattensaw WMA zone 433 | WMA | bear, quail and alligator |
| Moro Big Pine Natural Area WMA zone 445 | Natural area WMA | bear firearms and alligator |
| Mount Magazine WMA zone 450 | WMA | alligator |
| Muddy Creek WMA zone 460 | WMA | alligator |
| Nacatoch Ravines Natural Area WMA zone 465 | Natural area WMA | deer firearms, bear firearms and alligator |
| Nimrod Lloyd Millwood WMA zone 470 | WMA | alligator |
| Norfork Lake WMA zone 480 | WMA | alligator |
| Ozan WMA zone 495 | WMA | bear firearms and alligator |
| Ozark Lake WMA zone 500 | WMA | alligator |
| Palmetto Flats Natural Area WMA zone 507 | Natural area WMA | bear firearms, turkey and alligator |
| Pat Fitts Oakwood WMA zone 485 | WMA | bear firearms, turkey and alligator |
| Petit Jean River WMA zone 510 | WMA | alligator |
| Pine City Natural Area WMA zone 516 | Natural area WMA | deer firearms, bear and alligator |
| Piney Creeks WMA zone 520 | WMA | alligator |
| Poison Springs WMA zone 530 | WMA | bear firearms and alligator |
| Prairie Bayou WMA zone 535 | WMA | deer firearms (youth modern gun allowed), bear, quail and alligator |
| Provo WMA zone 537 | Leased land WMA | bear firearms and alligator |
| Queen Wilhelmina State Park WMA zone 538 | WMA | alligator |
| Railroad Prairie Natural Area WMA zone 539 | Natural area WMA | deer firearms, bear, alligator and turkey |
| Rainey WMA zone 540 | WMA | alligator |
| Rex Hancock Black Swamp WMA zone 550 | WMA | bear and alligator |
| Rick Evans Grandview Prairie WMA zone 551 | WMA | deer firearms, bear, quail, alligator and turkey (deer youth hunts and turkey youth hunts available) |
| Ring Slough WMA zone 552 | WMA | deer firearms (youth hunt available), bear and alligator |
| River Bend WMA zone 553 | WMA | alligator |
| Robert L. Hankins Mud Creek WMA zone 555 | WMA | deer firearms (youth hunt available), bear, quail and alligator |
| Roth Prairie Natural Area WMA zone 560 | Natural area WMA | deer firearms, bear, turkey and alligator |
| Sandhills Natural Area WMA zone 562 | Natural area WMA | deer firearms, bear firearms and alligator |
| Scott Henderson Gulf Mountain WMA zone 280 | WMA | alligator |
| Seven Devils WMA zone 570 | WMA | bear firearms and alligator |
| Sheffield Nelson Dagmar WMA zone 575 | WMA | bear, alligator and turkey |
| Shirey Bay Rainey Brake WMA zone 580 | WMA | bear, quail and alligator |
| Slippery Hollow Natural Area WMA zone 583 | Natural area WMA | alligator |
| Spring Bank WMA zone 585 | WMA | bear firearms and alligator |
| St. Francis National Forest WMA zone 590 | WMA | bear and alligator |
| St. Francis Sunken Lands WMA zone 600 | WMA | deer alternative firearms, bear and alligator |
| Stateline Sand Ponds Natural Area WMA zone 604 | Natural area WMA | deer firearms, bear and alligator |
| Steve N. Wilson Raft Creek Bottoms WMA zone 605 | WMA | bear, alligator and turkey |
| Stone Prairie WMA zone 608 | WMA | Deer modern gun (youth hunt available), bear modern gun (youth hunt available) and alligator |
| Sugarloaf Mountains-Midland Peak Natural Area WMA zone 609 | Natural area WMA | alligator |
| Sulphur River WMA zone 610 | WMA | bear firearms |
| Sweden Creek Natural Area WMA zone 615 | Natural area WMA | deer firearms, bear firearms, turkey and alligator |
| Sylamore WMA zone 620 | WMA | alligator |
| Terre Noire Natural Area WMA zone 625 | Natural area WMA | deer firearms, bear firearms, turkey and alligator |
| Trusten Holder WMA zone 630 | WMA | bear firearms |
| Two Bayou Creek WMA zone 633 | WMA | deer firearms (youth hunt available), bear firearms and alligator |
| U of A Pine Tree Experimental Station WDA zone 635 | WDA | bear and alligator |
| Village Creek WMA zone 637 | WMA | deer alternative firearms, bear and alligator |
| W. E. Brewer Scatter Creek WMA zone 675 | WMA | deer alternative firearms, bear and alligator |
| Warren Prairie Natural Area WMA zone 645 | Natural area WMA | bear firearms and alligator |
| Wedington WMA zone 653 | WMA | deer alternative firearms, alligator, quail and turkey |
| White Cliffs Natural Area WMA zone 654 | Natural area WMA | deer firearms, bear firearms and alligator |
| White Rock WMA zone 670 | WMA | alligator |
| Whitehall WMA zone 655 | WMA | deer firearms (youth hunt available), bear and alligator |
| Winona WMA zone 680 | WMA | alligator |
Waterfowl on WMAs: where the rules live
WMA waterfowl rules (rest areas, greentree reservoir draws, boat motor limits, permit areas and nonresident days) are printed area by area in the 2026-27 Waterfowl Hunting Guidebook and were not parsed for this site, so this page points there instead of repeating them. What the data does cover: WMA waterfowl hours, on WMAs waterfowl hunting runs 30 minutes before sunrise until noon November 21-January 30; to sunset on January 31 and February 6-7. Hunters must leave flooded areas by 1 p.m. (noon on Dave Donaldson Black River and George H. Dunklin Jr. Bayou Meto WMAs). Nonresidents need a WMA waterfowl permit ($40 for three days, $200 for 30). Paid waterfowl guiding is not allowed on WMAs or refuges.
Permit hunts and other public land
Permit-only hunts are listed separately: 142 parsed hunts with their dates and draw windows. Corps of Engineers lakes, national forests and refuges follow their own managers' rules alongside the AGFC regulations.
Related pages for WMA hunters
WMA permit hunts
Parsed WMA hunts
Draws and permits
Application windows
Legal shooting hours
County seat times
All species
Species pages
Every season row
Rows by species
Deer zones
Private land zones
Bear zones
Zones and quotas
CWD Management Zone
Tiers and carcass rules
Orange sunset over flat open fields in the Arkansas DeltaPhoto: pfly (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Farmstead with silos and a barn across a flat plowed field in eastern ArkansasPhoto: peggydavis66 (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Fall-colored Ozark hills behind a farm pasture between Batesville and Mountain ViewPhoto: Michael McGaha (CC BY 2.0)
WMA rule questions
How many deer can I take on a WMA?
WMAs: three deer, no more than two antlered bucks (standardized in 2026); WMA deer count toward the statewide limit.
Do I need a permit to use a WMA?
The WMA/Lake Conservation Permit ($10.50) is required for anyone 16 or older using AGFC-owned WMAs or lakes without a valid Arkansas hunting or fishing license.
Can I bait on a WMA?
Baiting not allowed on WMAs (except bait in legal furbearer traps).
What color must a pop-up blind show on a WMA?
Portable pop-up blinds on WMAs must show 144 square inches of blaze orange or chartreuse on all sides during firearms deer, bear and elk seasons.
When do WMA duck hunts end each day?
On WMAs waterfowl hunting runs 30 minutes before sunrise until noon November 21-January 30; to sunset on January 31 and February 6-7. Hunters must leave flooded areas by 1 p.m. (noon on Dave Donaldson Black River and George H. Dunklin Jr. Bayou Meto WMAs).
Can I shoot hogs on a WMA?
Only while legally hunting bear, deer or elk during an open season; no trapping or dogs.
Is alcohol allowed on WMAs?
No alcoholic beverages on Commission-controlled WMAs except on inholdings, in vehicles on public roads or boats on navigable water within the law.
Where are rest areas and boat rules for WMA waterfowl hunting?
In the 2026-27 Waterfowl Hunting Guidebook, area by area.
What does the Leased Lands permit cover?
$75: Hunt, trap and camp on all Leased Lands WMAs (Big Timber, Casey Jones, Cedar Mountain, Cherokee, Jim Kress, Gum Flats, Howard County, Jack Mountain, Lafayette County, Lake Greeson, Provo); not required under 16; expires June 30.