The next turkey hunting season, which begins on April 6, will be exciting for enthusiast in Arkansas. Due to increased harvest rates and the state’s greatest predicted reproduction rate in previous seasons, the Gulf Coastal Plain Ecoregion may see some changes in the 2024. We will delve including the season dates, bag restrictions, and rules.
Arkansas Turkey Season
The youth hunt takes place in April and is accessible to participants aged 6 to 15. Hunters and their parents or guardians may visit the AFGC website to learn more about the qualifications for the youth hunt, how to set up a youth customer information number (CID), and details on bag limits. .
Spring
| Zone 1 | April 15-23, 2024 |
| Zone 2 | April 15-May 5, 2024 |
Youth Special
| Zone 1 and 2 | April 6-7, 2024 |
Bag & Harvest Limits
| Aspect | Details |
| Statewide Bag Limit | • Two are permitted, no jakes. • Six- to 15-year-olds may take one jake toward their two-bird season limit. |
| • For the first seven days of the season, only one may be taken. • Legal turkeys are limited to one each day. | |
| It is prohibited to collect bearded hens. | |
| Bag Limit on Individual Wildlife Management Areas | All wildlife management zones allow one lawful turkey bag. |
| Harvest Limits | Zone 1: One legally, no jakes. Zone 2 hunters may harvest another. |
| Zone 2: Two legally, no jakes. |
Hunting Licenses Fees
| License Type | Cost |
|---|---|
| Combination Resident Sportsman’s License (CS) | $35.50 |
| Resident Sportsman’s License (RS) | $25 |
| Nonresident Annual All Game Hunting License (NBG) | $350 |
| Nonresident Five-Day All Game Hunting License (AG5) | $180 |
| Nonresident Three-Day All Game Hunting License (AG3) | $125 |
| Nonresident One-Day All Game Hunting License (AG1) | $55 |
| WMA General Use Permit (WMP) | Free |
| Voluntary Turkey Stamp (TS1) | $9.50 |
Permits
Hunting in wildlife management areas (WMAs) and leased properties in Arkansas is subject to a number of rules and permit requirements set out by the (AGFC).
Permit-only hunts: For the first three days of the season, turkey hunting is restricted to permit-only hunts on the WMAs of Warren Prairie Natural Area, Sylamore, Trusten Holder, and Longview Saline Natural Area. These regions are then accessible to all hunters with valid licenses. Non-hunters may accompany permit holders during the permit hunt. From January 15 through February 15, go to the AGFC website to apply for a permit.
Mobility-impaired access permits: For hunters who have enduring physical impairments that need the use of assistive equipment like wheelchairs, braces, canes, or prosthetic devices, mobility-impaired access permits are offered. The American Heart Association’s Class III or IV cardiac problems, chronic lung illness, and the need for portable oxygen are all qualifying requirements for a permit. ATV usage is permitted on trails and WMAs owned by the Commission under mobility-impaired access permits.
Leased land permits: For a fee of $40, hunters may camp, hunt, and trap on WMAs with leased land licenses. For leased land WMAs, including Big Timber WMA, Casey Jones WMA, Cedar Mountain WMA, Cherokee WMA, Gum Flats WMA, Howard County WMA, Jack Mountain WMA, Jim Kress WMA, Lafayette County WMA, Lake Greeson WMA, Provo WMA, these permits are necessary. They are good for a year from the date of purchase. Young people under 16 are exempt from needing a permit, and hunters must get permission from landowners before entering adjacent private areas.
Free annual WMA Permit: Anyone 16 years of age or older who wants to hunt or trap on a WMA must get a free yearly WMA General Use Permit. Permits are available online, over the phone, at any regional office, or by phoning the AGFC at 833-345-0325. The AGFC conducts surveys of hunters to collect data on things like hunt quality and particular biological facts.
Regulations
Proposed regulations
- The statewide bag limit will be reduced to one bird.
- Other proposed changes include minimum length limits for bass and crappie on certain lakes, requiring owner contact information on trail cameras on Commission-owned WMAs, establishing camping fees at certain areas, implementing chronic wasting disease management regulations in specific counties, allowing repeating crossbows only during firearms seasons, and prohibiting guides from providing services while intoxicated.
- Arkansas’ planned hunting, fishing, wildlife management, and camping legislation seek to manage natural resources and promote sustainable hunting and fishing.
Regulations
- Arkansas WMAs Longview Saline, Trusten Holder, Warren Prairie, and Sylamore now provide hybrid permit. From day four, all license holders may hunt at these WMAs. Permit holders and qualified hunters may hunt turkeys in these WMAs. Hunters should check the AGFC’s interactive map on its website for revised WMA borders since the Ozark National Forest WMA was split into neighboring co-op WMAs.
- Baiting is now a Class 3 offense with harsher penalties. Hunting on Petit Jean River and Cypress Bayou WMAs is now permit-only. Devil’s Eyebrow Natural Area, Beryl Anthony Lower Ouachita, Cypress Bayou, McIlroy Madison County, and Petit Jean River WMAs now provide permit hunts.
- Adult gobblers are Arkansas Game and Fish Commission-legal turkeys. Only 6–15-year-old hunters may take one jake (a young male turkey) as part of their two-bird quota for the season, including the youth hunt.
- Look for certain traits to differentiate an adult gobbler (male) from a hen (female). Adult gobblers have breast feathers with black tips, are about twice the size of females, have vibrant shades of red, blue, and white on their head and major caruncles at the base of their neck, beards over 6 inches long, and spurs over 1/2 inch. Hens, on the other hand, have breast feathers with brown or buff tips, are half to two-thirds the size of adult gobblers or jakes (juvenile males), have a primarily blue head with light feathering and smaller minor caruncles that may be red but are much smaller than those on males, have no spurs, and may have a beard (10–12% of females). Beards don’t prove a turkey’s legitimacy.
- Allows shotguns up to 10 gauge and archery equipment, including crossbows. No. 2 common shot is the maximum allowed.
- It’s prohibited to hunt from a boat.
- You must be at least six years old.
- Turkey hunting is prohibited between 30 minutes after dark and 30 minutes before daybreak.
- With exclusions, hunting is prohibited within 100 feet of the center of a municipal, county, state, or federally maintained road or any open road on a Wildlife Management Area (WMA) or National Wildlife Refuge (NWR). Boat-transported guns must be unloaded and cased from 30 minutes after nightfall to 30 minutes before daybreak.
- Cannot be hunted using traps, snares, nets, hooks, explosives, dogs, live decoys, or electronic or mechanical callers. Hunting or shooting over the main west levee of the Mississippi or Arkansas rivers from the Louisiana-Arkansas state boundary to Arkansas Highway 11 is forbidden.
- Capturing wild turkeys or their eggs is banned, as is releasing domesticated turkeys into the wild.
- Hunters may hunt on their land, but individuals using guns or archery equipment within 150 yards or 50 yards of a dwelling must have written authorization. Unless the family can verify authorization, hunting, fishing, trapping, or chasing wildlife with dogs on private property requires written permission from the proprietor or leaseholder.
FAQ
What is the bag limit for turkey hunting in Arkansas?
One legal turkey may be taken during the first seven days of the regular season, with a statewide bag limit of two. During the season, which includes the youth hunt, hunters between the ages of 6 and 15 are permitted to take one jack as part of their two-bird quota. Only hunters aged 6 to 15 can participate in the Special Youth Hunt, and the bag limit is one.
When does the Arkansas turkey season usually start?
It opens at a different time, depending on the zone. The season normally begins on April 15, lasts through April 23 in Zone 1, and from April 15 to May 5 in Zone 2. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s most recent rules and changes are always the greatest sources of information since actual dates may change.
Can youth hunters participate in the Arkansas turkey season?
Yes, young hunters between the ages of 6 and 15 can participate in the Arkansas turkey season. This includes a Special young Turkey Hunt, with a separate bag limit of one legal bird. Untrained youth hunters must be under the close supervision of an adult 21 or older.
Are there any specific hunting zones in Arkansas for turkey season?
Yes, Arkansas has two hunting zones for turkeys: Zone 1 and Zone 2. Most of Northeastern Arkansas and Northwest Arkansas is in Zone 1, whereas the majority of the remainder of the state is in Zone 2. It’s crucial to be aware of the restrictions for the particular zone where you want to hunt since each zone may have unique regulations and season dates.
