Cache River National Wildlife Refuge Seasons and Zones

What the refuge rules allow on Cache River NWR

Every hunt on Cache River NWR answers to 50 CFR 32.23 first and the AGFC guidebook second. Report harvest with zone 095, the refuge number in the guidebook. Season dates on a refuge can differ from state dates, so check the refuge page.

Migratory birds on Cache River NWR

We allow hunting of duck, goose, coot, merganser, snipe, woodcock, rail, gallinule, crow, and dove on designated areas of the refuge.

• Anyone on the refuge in possession of hunting equipment must possess a signed refuge hunting permit.
• Hunters may enter the refuge beginning at 4 a.m. Except when hunting applicable goose species during the State Conservation Order, waterfowl hunters must exit the refuge by 1 p.m. All other hunters, including those hunting applicable goose species during the State Conservation Order, must exit the refuge no later than 1 hour after legal sunset.
• We allow waterfowl hunting until 12 pm (noon), except that during the State Conservation Order, you may hunt for applicable goose species until legal sunset.
• You must remove decoys, blinds, boats, and all other equipment at the end of each day's hunt (see § 27.93 of this chapter).
• From March 1 through October 31, hunters and anglers may leave boats displaying valid registration on the refuge.
• During the regular State waterfowl hunting season, we prohibit the use of boats on the refuge from 12 am (midnight) to 4 a.m.
• We allow the use of dogs when migratory game bird hunting.
• We allow waterfowl hunting on flooded refuge roads.

Upland game on Cache River NWR

We allow hunting of squirrel, rabbit, quail, raccoon, opossum, beaver, muskrat, nutria, river otter, mink, bobcat, fox, striped skunk, and coyote on designated areas of the refuge.

• We allow squirrel, rabbit, raccoon, opossum, and quail hunting according to season dates and bag limits provided in the annual refuge public use brochure.
• We allow the use of dogs when hunting upland game.
• We prohibit hunting from mowed and/or graveled road rights-of-way.
• Hunters may use only shotguns, rifles and handguns chambered for rimfire cartridges, air rifles, and archery tackle.
• Hunters may enter the refuge beginning at 4 am and must exit the refuge by 1 hour after legal sunset, except that we allow hunting of raccoon and opossum at night (from 30 minutes after legal sunset to 30 minutes before legal sunrise) on the refuge.
• We prohibit hunting from a vehicle.

Big game on Cache River NWR

We allow hunting of deer and turkey, and incidental take of feral hog, on designated areas of the refuge.

• We allow archery/crossbow, modern gun, and muzzleloader deer hunting according to season dates and bag limits provided in the annual refuge public use brochure.
• Hunters may take only feral hog incidental to modern gun and muzzleloader deer hunts and during a specified period during archery deer hunting according to season dates provided in the annual refuge public use brochure.
• Hunters may only use shotguns with slugs, muzzleloaders, handguns with barrel lengths greater than 4 inches, large-bore air rifles, non-semiautomatic centerfire firearms that fire a straight-walled rifle cartridge .30 caliber or larger, and archery/crossbow tackle for modern gun deer hunting on the Dixie, Dixie Waterfowl Sanctuary, and Plunkett Farm Waterfowl Sanctuary Hunt Units.
• You may only erect one portable stand or blind 7 days prior to the refuge deer season, and you must remove it from the waterfowl sanctuaries prior to November 15, and from the rest of the refuge within 7 days of the closure of archery season (see § 27.93 of this chapter).
• Game camera use is limited to one per individual.
• We prohibit leaving any tree stand, blind, or game camera on the refuge without the owner's Arkansas Game and Fish Commission customer identification number clearly written on it in a conspicuous location.
• We prohibit the possession or use of lead shot and buckshot for deer hunting. We allow lead shot for turkey hunting.
• During the quota gun deer hunt, we allow only hunters posse

What the FWS page says about Cache River NWR

Cache River National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1986 to protect, conserve, enhance, and restore bottomland hardwood forest habitats for the benefit of wintering waterfowl, migratory birds, and other native species of wildlife. The refuge is located in the most important wintering area for mallard ducks in North America and is designated as a Wetland of International Importance. Hunters have helped conserve important wetland habitat for waterfowl and other wildlife in the Cache River Basin through the purchase of Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamps (Duck Stamps), the revenues from which are used to purchase lands for the refuge. The refuge is open for the hunting of deer, turkey, waterfowl, rabbit, squirrel, and other game.

The guidebook lists Cache River NWR among refuges with proposed, not adopted, hunting changes.

50 CFR 32.23 (eCFR); refuge website; guidebook refuge page. Checked November 9, 2026.

Where hunting stops near Cache River NWR

Closed ground nearby: The Lower White River Museum (state Park), 18 miles from the Cache River NWR point. Parks are closed by Code 05.11; Hobbs and the Buffalo National River WMA are the exceptions.

AGFC Code 05.11; closed places from lands.json (PAD-US 4.1, NPS, FWS). Straight-line miles. Checked November 9, 2026.

Night-before checklist for Cache River NWR

Report wildlife violations on Cache River NWR to AGFC; the nearest office is listed above.

Sources: source 1 · source 2 · source 3 · source 4 · source 5 · source 6; seasons from the 2026-27 Arkansas Hunting Guidebook and the 2026-27 Waterfowl Hunting Guidebook. Checked November 9, 2026.