Arkansas Hunting License: Cost, Requirements & How to Buy
A Arkansas hunting license costs $10.50 for a resident adult and $410 for a non-resident adult (fees verified 2026-09-12).
Arkansas sells several tiers of resident hunting license, from a cheap entry-level option to a bundle that includes six deer tags, and a single expensive non-resident all-game license that most out-of-state hunters end up buying by default.
Resident Wildlife Conservation license ($10.50) covers small game, furbearers and one deer tag; the Resident Sportsman's License ($25, no fishing) or Combination Sportsman's License ($35.50, adds fishing) buys 6 deer tags, 2 turkey tags and 1 bear tag instead. Non-resident $410 annual all-game license includes 6 deer tags; bear, turkey, alligator and elk need extra permits. Anyone born on or after Jan 1, 1969 must hold a hunter education card; hunters under 16 may hunt supervised without it.
Fee last verified 2026-09-12.
Heading out for Arkansas hunting? Game wardens require carrying physical or digital license proof and valid tags. Equip yourself with a waterproof license and tag pouch, rechargeable wide-beam LED headlamp, and corrosion-resistant multi-tool pliers before your trip.
What an Arkansas hunting license costs
The Resident Wildlife Conservation License is $10.50 and covers small game, furbearers and one deer tag. The Resident Sportsman's License is $25 and includes 6 deer tags, 2 turkey tags and 1 bear tag but not fishing; the Combination Sportsman's License adds fishing for $35.50. Non-residents pay $410 for the Annual All Game Hunting License, which includes 6 deer tags but requires separate permits for bear, turkey, alligator or elk. A non-resident turkey-only license is $325; a non-resident small-game-only license is $110.
Who needs a license, and hunter safety rules
Anyone born on or after January 1, 1969 must complete a hunter education course and carry the certification card to hunt in Arkansas. Hunters under 16 who haven't completed the course may still hunt if directly supervised by a licensed adult at least 21 years old. A free Deferred Hunter Education Code is available to hunters 16 and older who want to hunt once before completing the course.
License year
Arkansas licenses run July 1 through June 30 of the following year, tied to the state's hunting season calendar rather than a purchase-date year. Buying early in July covers essentially the entire fall/winter season ahead; buying in the spring gets a much shorter remaining window.
How to buy your Arkansas hunting license
AGFC's online licensing system at ar-licensing.s3licensing.com sells all license types, tags and permits. Licenses are also sold at sporting goods stores, county clerk offices and other authorized vendors statewide.
Hunting in Arkansas: what to expect
The Ozarks in the northwest and the Ouachitas in the west-central part of the state hold most of Arkansas's public land deer and turkey hunting, with steep hardwood ridges that reward scouting over easy access. The Delta region in the east, flooded seasonally by the Mississippi and White rivers, is one of the country's best duck hunting destinations, centered on the famous Bayou Meto and Cache River bottomlands. Black bear, once nearly extirpated from the state, has rebounded enough to support a real season in the Ozark and Ouachita zones.
Public land and the Delta duck tradition
Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Wildlife Management Areas cover a huge footprint relative to the state's size, and the Delta's flooded timber WMAs (Bayou Meto chief among them) are a genuine bucket-list duck hunting destination that draws hunters from across the country every winter. Competition for the best flooded holes on a Bayou Meto morning is real; showing up well before shooting light and knowing the specific unit's access rules matters more here than in most public-land duck hunting. The Ozark and Ouachita national forests provide the bulk of public deer and turkey access in the hill country, generally with much less crowding than the Delta WMAs.
How to renew a Arkansas hunting license
There is no separate renewal process in Arkansas. A hunting license is not extended in place; when it expires you buy a new one for the next license year through the same system you used the first time, and your customer profile, hunter or angler ID and any saved payment details carry over so the second purchase takes a couple of minutes. License year runs July 1 through June 30.
The fastest route is the official Arkansas online licensing portal, which also lets you print or download the new license and add any stamps, tags or endorsements in one transaction. In-person license agents (sporting goods stores, bait shops and, in many states, county clerks) sell the same license at the same price, so use whichever is closer. Buying before the old license lapses is not required, but it avoids an accidental gap if a season opens before you get round to it.
Planning more than one? See the Arkansas fishing license page too, see how much a hunting license costs in every state, compare non-resident hunting fees across states, browse every state, or use the state license finder.