Overflow National Wildlife Refuge Seasons and Zones

Federal hunting conditions on Overflow NWR

The legal basis for hunting Overflow NWR is its entry in 50 CFR 32.23; refuge dates can be narrower than state dates. AGFC treats the refuge as its own zone, 490. Dates and quota hunt details sit on the refuge site and in its brochure.

Migratory birds on Overflow NWR

We allow hunting of American woodcock, duck, goose, and coot on designated areas of the refuge.

• You must possess and carry a refuge public use regulations brochure/access permit (signed brochure) while hunting.
• Hunting of duck, goose, and coot ends at 12 pm (noon) each day.
• We allow only portable blinds. Hunters must remove portable blinds, boats, and decoys from the hunt area by 1:30 pm each day (see § 27.93 of this chapter).
• We allow only all-terrain vehicles (ATVs)/utility-type vehicles (UTVs) for hunting activities.
• You may use horses on roads and ATV/UTV trails (when open to motor vehicle and ATV/UTV traffic, respectively) as a mode of transportation for hunting activities on the refuge.
• We prohibit hunting within 150 feet (45 meters) of roads and trails open to motor vehicle use (including ATV/UTV trails).
• You may take beaver, nutria, and coyote during any daytime refuge hunt with weapons and ammunition legal for that hunt. There is no bag limit. We prohibit transportation or possession of live hog.
• We allow boats on the refuge between the hours of 4 am and 1:30 pm during waterfowl season.

Upland game on Overflow NWR

We allow hunting of quail, squirrel, rabbit, and furbearers (as governed by State law) on designated areas of the refuge.

• We allow hunting during State seasons for quail, squirrel, rabbit, and furbearers (as governed by State law) through January 31. State regulations governing appropriate zones apply.
• We do not open for the spring squirrel hunting season or the summer/fall raccoon hunting season.
• When upland game hunting, we prohibit possession of lead ammunition except that you may possess rimfire rifle lead ammunition no larger than .22 caliber.
• We allow the use of dogs for squirrel and rabbit hunting from December 1 through January 31, and for quail and raccoon/opossum hunting during the open season on the refuge for these species.
• We allow nighttime raccoon and opossum hunting.

Big game on Overflow NWR

We allow hunting of white-tailed deer, feral hog, and turkey on designated areas of the refuge.

• We allow muzzleloader deer hunting during the first State muzzleloader season for this zone. State regulations governing appropriate zones apply.
• We prohibit buckshot for gun deer hunting.
• The bag limit for the muzzleloader deer hunt is two deer, with no more than one buck.
• You may only use portable deer stands erected no earlier than the opening day of archery season, and you must remove them no later than January 31 each year (see § 27.93 of this chapter). The limit is one deer stand, blind, etc., per person.
• We prohibit the use of deer decoy(s).
• We restrict quota hunt participants on these hunts to those selected for a quota permit (electronic form), except that one nonhunting adult age 21 or older and possessing a valid hunting license must accompany a youth hunter age 15 or younger.
• The incidental taking of feral hogs will be governed by Arkansas Game and Fish Commission regulations concerning the taking of feral hogs on State Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs). Subject to State regulations, we allow incidental take of feral hogs on State WMAs during daytime refuge hunts (without the use of dogs) with legal hunting equipment and ammunition allowed for that hunt. There is no bag limit. We prohibit transport or possession of live hogs.

The refuge view of Overflow NWR

Each winter, a 3,500-acre green tree reservoir is managed to provide wintering waterfowl habitat for mallard, wood duck and other waterfowl species. When water levels are adequate, Overflow NWR can provide the classic green timber waterfowl hunting experience that eastern Arkansas is famous for. The amount of flooded acreage is rainfall dependent and can vary annually. No more than 25 shotgun shells can be possessed per hunter per day.

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

Zone numbers for Overflow NWR

On Overflow NWR itself, hunters use zone 490, not a private land zone; the table shows the private land zones that surround it. Nonresident dog hunters buy a $100 dog owner permit and are limited to the last nine days of regular modern gun season.

• Because Overflow NWR is inside the CWD Management Zone, antler restrictions are lifted and carcass rules follow the county tier (Ashley: Tier 2).
• Bear hunters here work under Bear Zone 4, with quotas that can end seasons early.
• Turkey Zone 2 sets the spring turkey season here (from AGFC's zone map).
• Its counties reach Alligator Management Zone 3, open for night alligator hunts by permit in September.

Deer zones · CWD Management Zone · Bear Zone 4 · Turkey zones

Zones from the guidebook deer zone pages, the AGFC zone layers and the CWD zone list; turkey zones from AGFC’s zone map. Checked November 9, 2026.