Arkansas Opener Permit Draws: Apply Nov 12–15, and Which Draw Areas Have Water

Arkansas duck season opens Saturday, Nov 21 (AGFC, last checked Nov 10, 2026). If you want a drawn spot on a permit WMA for opening weekend, the window is 3 p.m. Thursday, Nov 12, through midnight Sunday, Nov 15. Winners are drawn Monday, Nov 16 and notified by email (AGFC Special Waterfowl Permit Hunts, last checked Nov 10, 2026).

That same window also covers the Tuesday, Nov 24 and Thursday, Nov 26 hunts on the areas that run weekday draws. Thanksgiving weekend (Nov 28–29) is a separate window, Nov 19–22.

This year the draw is only half the question. After 14 months of drought, AGFC said at the beginning of October it had enough water to flood only 42% of the moist-soil units it manages (AGFC, Oct 22, 2026, last checked Nov 10, 2026). So below, next to each area's dates, is what AGFC's own water tables say right now.

The first three draw windows

These dates are from AGFC's published draw schedule for each area (linked from the permit hunts page, last checked Nov 10, 2026):

Weekday draw hunts on Nov 24 and 26 are listed for Raft Creek, Buckingham Flats, Conway George, Pat Fitts Oakwood and Frog Bayou. Cypress Bayou, Prairie Bayou and Wiville list weekend draws only; their Tuesday and Thursday hunts use the self-serve daily permit at the parking area.

One exception: AGFC's draw sheet for Freddie Black Choctaw Island West Unit starts with the Dec 19–20 hunts (apply Dec 10–13). There is no first-segment draw on that sheet.

AGFC has also posted the St. Francis River Permit Unit map and draw sheet: Nov 12–15 applications cover Nov 21–23 and Nov 24–27 periods, with the draw Nov 16. This unit allows up to eight participants, with the permit holder present and everyone within 150 yards of the designated location (AGFC, last checked Nov 10, 2026).

What AGFC's water tables say, area by area

AGFC counts a unit as "flooded" at 1 inch of water or more. Each line carries the status date AGFC gave it (AGFC moist-soil units open to hunting; AGFC greentree reservoir plans, both read Nov 10, 2026):

• Steve N. Wilson Raft Creek Bottoms: Unit D is 90% flooded with both hunt holes ready (D35, D36). Unit C is 60% with holes C31–C34 ready, and Unit A is 20% with holes A6 and A7 ready. Unit B is 10% flooded and being pumped (pumping started Oct 12). Units E–H: no rainfall. Mobility-impaired unit 50% and pumping; youth unit pumping started Nov 5; Magellan has no surface water yet. (All Nov 9.)
• Sheffield Nelson Dagmar, Conway George: Units A and C 90% flooded and pumping (Nov 3); Unit B is 90% flooded (Nov 6). The Hickson greentree is still listed to have its structure closed the week of Nov 9; no current status is posted.
• Frog Bayou: Units 2–5 at 90%, Unit 1 at 70% and pumping (Nov 5). The draw units are still dry: Units 7, 9, 19 and the mobility-impaired unit (17) at 0%, and the youth unit (18) at 0% but being pumped (Nov 5). Bullington's Bog, which is not a draw unit, is also at 0% (Nov 5).
• Rex Hancock Black Swamp, Wiville West: 60% flooded, pumping since Oct 13 (status Nov 2). Wiville East: no rainfall (Nov 4).
• Prairie Bayou: Unit 1 fully flooded, but it is 3 acres; Unit 2 is being pumped with a small well (Nov 3).
• Cypress Bayou, Red Cut Slough: Units 2 and 4 "slowly pumping as water becomes available"; Units 1, 3 and 5 have no surface water; Unit 6 is 50% flooded (it is a reservoir whose structure stays closed); Units 7–9 no rainfall. Unit 10 floods with the greentree, which AGFC still lists to begin Nov 9; no flooded status is posted. (All Nov 9.)
• Bayou Meto, Buckingham Flats GTR: AGFC now lists this unit as actively pumping (Nov 9). The plan is to close the structure and continue pumping to full pool the week of Nov 9. No percent flooded is posted yet.
• Freddie Black Choctaw Island: the seven units range from 15% to 85% flooded, several still pumping (Nov 4). Remember its draw starts in December.
• Pat Fitts Oakwood: Unknown. It is not listed on either AGFC water table (moist-soil units open to hunting or greentree reservoirs) when we checked Nov 10, 2026, so we can't tell you its water (AGFC wetland management). Call the area before you apply.

How to use this before Thursday

1. Apply where AGFC says holes are ready, not where you hunted last year. As of Nov 9–10, Raft Creek (A, C and D holes) and Conway George (units A, B and C at 90%) had the clearest "ready" or high-water language. Frog Bayou's draw units were at 0% (Nov 5). Buckingham Flats is now listed as actively pumping, but AGFC has not posted a percent flooded.
2. Recheck the tables Thursday morning. AGFC updates them unit by unit, and a pump can change a unit in a week. A river forecast does not establish that a particular WMA has flooded. Use AGFC's unit-by-unit status, not a distant river gauge, to check that question.
3. Have a backup for Monday. If you don't draw, plan on a freelance WMA, and check the rules first: Nov 14–20 is a no-boat period on Common Restriction A WMAs, shooting ends at noon on WMAs from Nov 21, and nonresidents can't hunt waterfowl on Dave Donaldson Black River WMA Nov 21–29 (AGFC Guidebook pp. 4, 41–44, last checked Nov 10, 2026). Area-specific exceptions apply, so read the individual WMA entry. Our draw explainer has the full rules.
4. Youth parties: youth-unit applications only show up when you're logged in under the youth hunter's own Customer ID (AGFC, last checked Nov 10, 2026).

Every draw date is also on our draw deadline calendar.

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