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Black Bear Hunting in Arkansas (2026-27)
The 2026-27 bear calendar for Arkansas with bags, weapons, hours and public land picks.
Photo: Yellowstone National Park (Public Domain Mark 1.0)
Black Bear hunting by the numbers
Arkansas sets 6 season rows for black bears this year, beginning September 9, 2026. On limits, the guidebook says this about black bears: One bear per season. Timing for black bears, as AGFC sums it up: zones 1-2 archery September 9-November 30, alternative firearms October 17-25, modern gun November 14-30; zones 3-5A December 19-25; no dogs; bait on private land. Further bear detail: 2025 harvest 445 bears.
Sources: Guidebook p. 29 and AGFC harvest report (Arkansas Game and Fish Commission); checked November 9, 2026.
GearHeading out for a hunt? Hunting gear checklists by season →
Every 2026-27 bear season row
One row per printed bear season; the last column links the guidebook page it came from.
| Hunt | Area | Windows | Limit | Now | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archery | Bear Zone 1, 2 | Sep 9–Nov 30 | One bear per season statewide by any method | Guidebook p. 29 | |
| Alternative Firearms | Bear Zone 1, 2 | Oct 17–25 | One bear per season | Guidebook p. 29 | |
| Youth gun hunt | Bear Zone 1, 2 | Nov 7–8 | One bear per season | Guidebook p. 29 | |
| Modern Gun | Bear Zone 1, 2 | Nov 14–30 | One bear per season | Guidebook p. 29 | |
| Modern Gun | Bear Zone 3, 4, 5, 5A | Dec 19–25 | One bear per season | Guidebook p. 29 | |
| All seasons closed | Bear Zone 6, 7 | Closed | – | Closed | Guidebook p. 29 |
- Opens on the Wednesday closest to September 11 (new rule). Zone 1 quotas: archery 450, alternative firearms 50, modern gun 50 (zone closes when reached); Zone 2 no quota. No dogs. Baiting allowed on private land from 30 days before the first bear season.
- Zone 1 quotas: archery 450, alternative firearms 50, modern gun 50 (zone closes when reached); Zone 2 no quota.
- Excludes WMAs that require a deer permit to harvest a bear. Youth Game Tag required. Zone 1 quotas: archery 450, alternative firearms 50, modern gun 50 (zone closes when reached); Zone 2 no quota.
- Quotas: Zone 3 5 bears, Zone 4 25, Zone 5 10, Zone 5A 5; each zone closes when its quota is reached. Archery, alternative firearms and youth seasons closed in these zones.
- Closed.
Sources: Guidebook p. 29 (Arkansas Game and Fish Commission); checked November 9, 2026.
Arkansas bear seasons by zone
Bear Zone 1 carries method quotas (archery 450, alternative firearms 50, modern gun 50), and Zones 3 to 5A have small whole-season quotas.
| Zone | Counties | Status | Quota | Methods | Harvest 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bear Zone 1 | 29 | Open | 450 / 50 / 50 | Alternative Firearms, Archery, Modern Gun, Youth gun hunt | 292 |
| Bear Zone 2 | 21 | Open | No quota | Alternative Firearms, Archery, Modern Gun, Youth gun hunt | 126 |
| Bear Zone 3 | 8 | Open | 5 | Modern Gun | 0 |
| Bear Zone 4 | 22 | Open | 25 | Modern Gun | 22 |
| Bear Zone 5 | 4 | Open | 10 | Modern Gun | 4 |
| Bear Zone 5A | 3 | Open | 5 | Modern Gun | 0 |
| Bear Zone 6 | 12 | Closed | – | None | – |
| Bear Zone 7 | 17 | Closed | – | None | – |
Bear quota check: zone quotas (Zone 1 by method 450/50/50; Zone 3 5, Zone 4 25, Zone 5 10, Zone 5A 5); call 833-345-0398 the evening before hunting.
Where bear bait is allowed: bait only on private land in bear zones 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 5A from 30 days before the first bear season to the end of the last; inside the CWD zone before September 1 only dog/cat food, pastries/breads, cooking oils and grease, non-wildlife meat scraps, popped popcorn, fish.
Sources: bear zones, baiting and 2025 bear report (Arkansas Game and Fish Commission); checked November 9, 2026.
Arkansas black bear harvest
The 2025 bear report lists 445 bears, 337 of them on private land.
| Zone | 2025 bears | Males | Females |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bear Zone 1 | 292 | 199 | 93 |
| Bear Zone 2 | 126 | 77 | 49 |
| Bear Zone 3 | 0 | – | – |
| Bear Zone 4 | 22 | 12 | 9 |
| Bear Zone 5 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Bear Zone 5A | 0 | – | – |
Six top bear counties
Sources: 2025 Black Bear Harvest Report (Arkansas Game and Fish Commission); checked November 9, 2026.
Black Bear bag limits
Check the bear limit before each trip: the rows below cover daily, season and possession limits as printed.
| Row | Bag | Page |
|---|---|---|
| Black bear | One bear per season statewide in bear zones 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 5A by any method; nonresidents limited to one Nonresident Bear Tag per year. | Guidebook p. 29 |
Equipment rules for Arkansas black bears
Methods for black bears come from two places: the weapon group lists and each season row.
- Archery
Bear hunters following the archery list may use long, recurve and compound bows 35 lb pull or more; crossbows 125 lb pull with mechanical safety; scopes and releases allowed; broadheads at least 7/8 inches for big game; spears allowed in archery seasons. The same list rules out, for black bears, arrows with firearm ammunition or poison; arrows propelled by compressed air or explosive propellant; firearms in immediate possession while bowhunting bear, deer or turkey (except a legally possessed handgun or when a firearms season is open).
- Alternative firearms (formerly muzzleloader)
Legal for black bears under the alternative firearms (formerly muzzleloader) list: muzzleloading rifles .40+ with 18 inches+ barrel (magnifying sights; buckshot No. 4+), muzzleloading handguns (9 inches+ barrel; .45+ conical 200 gr+ or .530+ round ball), non-semiautomatic straight-wall centerfire .30+ (bolt, break, falling block, lever, pump, rolling block, straight-pull), large bore air rifles .40+, archery. The same list rules out, for black bears, shotguns with slugs; semiautomatic centerfire firearms unless the upper receiver is replaced with a listed action.
- Modern gun (deer, bear)
Black bears may be taken under the modern gun (deer, bear) list with modern guns, alternative firearms and archery; centerfire .22 and larger; shotguns with slugs or No. 4 buckshot or larger; handguns with barrels 4 inches or longer; large bore air rifles .40+ (not for elk); Bear: shotguns 20 gauge or larger with rifled slugs. Off limits for black bears: buckshot in a .410; shot smaller than No. 4 buckshot; rimfire cartridges; centerfire smaller than .22; handguns under 4 inches barrel.
Method notes on the bear rows
- Row text for black bears: Archery.
- Row text for black bears: Alternative firearms or archery.
- Row text for black bears: Modern gun (youth 6-15).
- Row text for black bears: Modern gun, alternative firearms or archery; shotguns 20 gauge or larger with rifled slugs.
Sources: Guidebook p. 50, Guidebook p. 51 and Guidebook p. 29 (Arkansas Game and Fish Commission); checked November 9, 2026.
Licenses that cover black bears
An Arkansas resident needs 60 days of primary residence to buy resident licenses for black bears; owning land here does not count. Resident bear tags are built into the licenses below, so there is no separate tag purchase this year.
| Product | For | Cost | Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Combination Sportsman's License | Resident | $35.50 | CS |
| Sportsman's License | Resident | $25 | RS |
| Annual Hunting License | Nonresident | $410 | NBG |
| Bear Tag | Nonresident | $300 | NRB |
| Youth Game Tag | Resident | Free | YGT |
Sources: license list and license requirements (Arkansas Game and Fish Commission); checked November 9, 2026.
Black Bear: rules beyond the season dates
Bear hunters in a firearms season need 400 square inches of a safety color above the waist and a head garment; blaze pink is not on the list. Reporting a bear harvest: check within 12 hours; premolar and hair samples encouraged (no longer required in 2026).
| Rule | What it says |
|---|---|
| Permission and posting | For bear hunters: written permission (relatives excepted) required to hunt, trap or run dogs on private land; Posting: signs or 8-inch purple paint marks at most 100 feet apart (1,000 feet on cultivated land, pasture etc.) and at road entrances. |
| Lights | For bear hunters: no shining an artificial light from a public road or within a WMA. |
| Roads | Bear hunters note: 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. |
| Near homes | For bear hunters: written permission of the owner or occupant needed to hunt with firearms within 150 yards or archery within 50 yards of a residence (owners and lessees excepted). |
Sources: Guidebook p. 55, Guidebook p. 48, hunter orange and Game Check (Arkansas Game and Fish Commission); checked November 9, 2026.
Arkansas public areas for black bears
Where to start looking for black bears on public land, with the area statement that names them.
Piney Creeks WMA
What the area prints for black bears: Bear Archery: September 9-November 30.
White Rock WMA
What the area prints for black bears: Bear Archery: September 9-November 30.
Sylamore WMA
What the area prints for black bears: Bear Archery: September 9-November 30.
Muddy Creek WMA
What the area prints for black bears: Bear Archery: September 9-November 30.
Winona WMA
What the area prints for black bears: Bear Archery: September 9-November 30.
Casey Jones WMA
What the area prints for black bears: Bear Archery: December 19-25; Season closes earlier when Bear Zone 4 quota is reached.
Cherokee WMA
What the area prints for black bears: Bear Archery: September 9-November 30.
Big Timber WMA
What the area prints for black bears: Bear Archery: September 9-November 30 (only on that part of the area that lies in Bear Zone 2).
Sources: WMA listings (Arkansas Game and Fish Commission); checked November 9, 2026.
Black Bear shooting hours by town
Legal light for black bears runs from a half hour before sunrise to a half hour after sunset. Times below are worked out for Little Rock, Helena-West Helena, Mena and Jonesboro from AGFC's Little Rock table with the one-minute-per-nine-miles correction.
| Near | Date | Rise | Set | Hours | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Little Rock | Sep 9, 2026 | 6:47 a.m. | 7:27 p.m. | 6:17 a.m. to 7:57 p.m. | NOAA formula |
| Little Rock | Nov 7, 2026 | 6:35 a.m. | 5:09 p.m. | 6:05 a.m. to 5:39 p.m. | AGFC table |
| Little Rock | Dec 19, 2026 | 7:11 a.m. | 5:01 p.m. | 6:41 a.m. to 5:31 p.m. | AGFC table |
| Helena-West Helena | Sep 9, 2026 | 6:40 a.m. | 7:20 p.m. | 6:10 a.m. to 7:50 p.m. | NOAA formula |
| Helena-West Helena | Nov 7, 2026 | 6:24 a.m. | 4:58 p.m. | 5:54 a.m. to 5:28 p.m. | AGFC table |
| Helena-West Helena | Dec 19, 2026 | 7:00 a.m. | 4:50 p.m. | 6:30 a.m. to 5:20 p.m. | AGFC table |
| Mena | Sep 9, 2026 | 6:55 a.m. | 7:34 p.m. | 6:25 a.m. to 8:04 p.m. | NOAA formula |
| Mena | Nov 7, 2026 | 6:47 a.m. | 5:21 p.m. | 6:17 a.m. to 5:51 p.m. | AGFC table |
| Mena | Dec 19, 2026 | 7:23 a.m. | 5:13 p.m. | 6:53 a.m. to 5:43 p.m. | AGFC table |
| Jonesboro | Sep 9, 2026 | 6:40 a.m. | 7:21 p.m. | 6:10 a.m. to 7:51 p.m. | NOAA formula |
| Jonesboro | Nov 7, 2026 | 6:24 a.m. | 4:58 p.m. | 5:54 a.m. to 5:28 p.m. | AGFC table |
| Jonesboro | Dec 19, 2026 | 7:00 a.m. | 4:50 p.m. | 6:30 a.m. to 5:20 p.m. | AGFC table |
Sources: shooting hours and AGFC Little Rock sun table (Arkansas Game and Fish Commission); checked November 9, 2026.
Black bear wading across a rushing riverPhoto: marneejill (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Black bear walking past downed timber in a grassy clearingPhoto: Yellowstone National Park (Public Domain Mark 1.0)
Red, orange and green fall foliage on a forested Ouachita Mountains slopePhoto: Tammo2011 (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Black Bear FAQ
What license do I need to hunt black bears?
Hunters 16 and older need a license; residents can use the Combination Sportsman's License ($35.50), Resident Sportsman's License ($25) and Nonresident Annual Hunting License ($410).
What are legal shooting hours for black bears?
The rule for black bears is 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset; in Little Rock on September 9, 2026 that meant 6:17 a.m. to 7:57 p.m.
Can I hunt black bears today in Arkansas?
Yes. As of November 9, 2026, archery is open for black bears.
Where should I look for black bears?
Try Piney Creeks WMA, White Rock WMA and Sylamore WMA, and read each area entry for its own dates.
Which bear zones have quotas?
Zone 1 by method and Zones 3 to 5A by zone; Zone 2 has none.
Where is bear bait allowed?
Private land in the open bear zones, from 30 days before the first bear season.
Where do these bear rules come from?
The 2026-27 AGFC guidebooks and date sheets, checked November 9, 2026.
Which days are open for black bears in 2026-27?
As printed for 2026-27: archery September 9 to November 30, 2026; alternative firearms October 17 to 25, 2026; youth gun hunt November 7 to 8, 2026; modern gun November 14 to 30, 2026; modern gun December 19 to 25, 2026.
What is the bag limit for black bears in Arkansas?
One bear per season.
What equipment is legal for bear hunting?
The archery list applies: long, recurve and compound bows 35 lb pull or more; crossbows 125 lb pull with mechanical safety; scopes and releases allowed; broadheads at least 7/8 inches for big game; spears allowed in archery seasons.