Arkansas public duck hunting
Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC)
Arkansas has some of the best-known public duck water in the country: flooded green timber, river bottoms and big WMAs in the Delta. Most public duck hunting happens on AGFC wildlife management areas and on national wildlife refuges, each with its own rules.
Key Arkansas rules for 2026-27
- 2026-27 duck season: Nov 21–29, Dec 10–23, and Dec 26, 2026–Jan 31, 2027.Source: AGFC waterfowl dates and rules · Last checked Oct 22, 2026
- On WMAs, shooting ends at noon (sunset on Jan 31 and on the Feb 6–7 youth and veterans days), and you must be off the water by 1 p.m.Source: AGFC waterfowl dates and rules · Last checked Oct 22, 2026
- Everyone needs a free WMA General Use permit. Nonresidents also need a nonresident WMA waterfowl permit (NW3, $40, or NW30, $200) plus licenses and stamps.Source: AGFC waterfowl dates and rules · Last checked Oct 22, 2026
- Some WMA tracts are hunted by online draw. You apply from 3 p.m. Thursday to midnight Sunday the weekend before each hunt period, and winners are emailed on Monday.Source: AGFC special waterfowl permit hunts · Last checked Oct 22, 2026
Deadlines
- Date?ArkansasWMA waterfowl permit hunts (weekly draws)Apply from 3 p.m. Thursday to midnight Sunday the weekend before each hunt period; winners are emailed Monday. Hunt periods: Nov 21–29, Dec 10–23, and Dec 26, 2026–Jan 31, 2027.Weekly, Thu 3 p.m. – Sun midnight. Exact weekend dates: Unknown Date not publishedAGFC special waterfowl permit hunts · checked Oct 22, 2026
- Date?ArkansasCache River NWR waterfowl draw hunt areasApplications open Monday at noon and close Tuesday at noon (Central) during hunt weeks, through RecAccess.Weekly during the season, Mon noon – Tue noon Date not publishedUSFWS Central Arkansas refuges 2026-27 · checked Oct 22, 2026
- Date?ArkansasSt. Francis River Permit Unit (St. Francis Sunken Lands WMA)New online-draw unit. AGFC has not published the application dates.Unknown Date not publishedAGFC St. Francis Sunken Lands WMA · checked Oct 22, 2026
Spot guides
Cache River
The Cache River bottoms are classic Arkansas flooded-timber country. Public ground comes in three pieces: Cache River National Wildlife Refuge,…
Horseshoe Lake
An old Mississippi River oxbow near Hughes, ringed by cabins, homes and farmland. Most of the shoreline is private, and there is one free public…
Mississippi River near Memphis
The big river is open water you can hunt with the right license on the right days, but it is also dangerous. Here is how the Tennessee–Arkansas…
St. Francis River
The St. Francis Sunken Lands are 30 miles of flooded cypress, sloughs and river along the St. Francis floodway in northeast Arkansas. It is some of…
Tunica Cutoff
Tunica Cutoff (Tunica Lake) is a long Mississippi River oxbow on the Mississippi–Arkansas line, not in Tennessee. The state line runs down the old…
Public land
- National wildlife refuge · U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceCache River National Wildlife RefugeOpen to duck hunting
- Wildlife management area · Arkansas Game and Fish CommissionSheffield Nelson Dagmar WMAOpen to duck hunting
- Wildlife management area · Arkansas Game and Fish CommissionRex Hancock Black Swamp WMAOpen to duck hunting
- Wildlife management area · Arkansas Game and Fish CommissionSt. Francis Sunken Lands WMAOpen to duck hunting
- National wildlife refuge · U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceWapanocca National Wildlife RefugeClosed to duck hunting
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Draws, water and the birds
Every public-land draw window in four states on one calendar, river gauges that refresh every hour with the National Weather Service forecast, and the agencies' own duck counts on one map.