Categories: Arkansas NewsKTLO

2025-26 Arkansas Hunting Guidebook Reveals New Rules, Zones, and Season Dates

The 2025-26 Arkansas Hunting Guidebook is at the printer and should be showing up in sporting goods stores and license dealers across the state within the next two weeks.
Here are a few changes for the upcoming fall hunting seasons; deer scents and lures using natural deer urine are no longer prohibited in Arkansas, the upcoming early teal season has been reduced to nine days (Sept. 20-28), hunters on Ed Gordon Point Remove WMA no longer have to take a doe before harvesting a buck, Ed Gordon Point Remove WMA will participate in the early buck-only archery season (Sept. 6-8), Conway County has been added to the CWD Management Zone as a Tier 2 county, all WMAs in Conway County no longer have any antler restrictions for legal buck harvest, and portions of Hot Springs State Forest WMA are now open to public access.

The largest change readers will notice won’t come until Spring of 2026. Instead of two turkey zones with a single set of opening days, turkey season will now have five zones with three different opening days to coordinate with gobbling trends reported by hunters.
2025-26 Deer Hunting Season Opening Days will be Sept. 27 for regular archery, Oct. 18 for alternative firearms, Nov. 8 for modern gun, Nov. 1-2 and Jan. 3-4 for special youth modern gun hunts and Sept. 6-8 for the early buck-only archery hunt.
Hunters looking to get a sneak peek at the season dates and regulations for this fall’s hunting seasons can download a file directly to their smartphone or home computer at www.agfc.com/guidebooks <http://www.agfc.com/guidebooks> today.

AGFC adopts regulation changes affecting Norfork Lake WMA

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) approved several regulation changes Thursday during its monthly meeting, including adjustments impacting Norfork Lake Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Baxter County. The Commission voted to revise the harvest definitions for deer on Norfork Lake WMA, replacing the terms “legal buck” and “doe” with…

March 25, 2025

In "KTLO"

Recent sightings and new research leads to CWD regulation proposals at AGFC meeting

As the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) continues monitoring and researching chronic wasting disease (CWD) in deer, commissioners are considering new proposals that could change how hunters approach the next deer season. During a recent meeting, the AGFC heard the first reading of three proposed regulation changes regarding CWD…

February 25, 2025

In "KTLO"

Hot Springs State Forest WMA opens new hunting and recreation areas

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. — Officials with the Arkansas Department of Agriculture announced that Hot Springs State Forest Wildlife Management Area will open new acres to hunters and outdoor enthusiasts in Garland County. The WMA covers 3,307 forested acres, including land bordering Hot Springs National Park, and will initially open 1,732…

September 18, 2025

In "Arkansas News"

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