Arkansas · Bear · 2026 Edition
Arkansas Bear Season 2026: Dates, Zones & Bag Limits
01 — Seasons
| Season | Zone | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Archery | Zone 1 (Ozark/Boston Mountains — bounded by I-40, US-67, the Missouri state line and the Oklahoma state line) | Sep 9 – Nov 30 |
| Archery | Zone 2 (Ouachita Mountains — bounded by I-40, I-430/I-30, AR-51/AR-26/US-278/US-70, and the Oklahoma state line) | Sep 9 – Nov 30 |
| Alternative firearms (muzzleloader-type) | Zone 1 (Ozark/Boston Mountains — bounded by I-40, US-67, the Missouri state line and the Oklahoma state line) | Oct 17 – Oct 25 |
| Alternative firearms (muzzleloader-type) | Zone 2 (Ouachita Mountains — bounded by I-40, I-430/I-30, AR-51/AR-26/US-278/US-70, and the Oklahoma state line) | Oct 17 – Oct 25 |
| Youth modern gun | Zone 1 (Ozark/Boston Mountains — bounded by I-40, US-67, the Missouri state line and the Oklahoma state line) | Nov 7 – Nov 8 |
| Youth modern gun | Zone 2 (Ouachita Mountains — bounded by I-40, I-430/I-30, AR-51/AR-26/US-278/US-70, and the Oklahoma state line) | Nov 7 – Nov 8 |
| Modern gun | Zone 1 (Ozark/Boston Mountains — bounded by I-40, US-67, the Missouri state line and the Oklahoma state line) | Nov 14 – Nov 30 |
| Modern gun | Zone 2 (Ouachita Mountains — bounded by I-40, I-430/I-30, AR-51/AR-26/US-278/US-70, and the Oklahoma state line) | Nov 14 – Nov 30 |
| Modern gun | Zone 3 (bounded by AR-51/AR-26/US-278/US-70, the Oklahoma state line, the Red River, US-71 and I-30) | Dec 19 – Dec 25 |
| Modern gun | Zone 4 (bounded by I-30, US-65, US-82, the Mississippi River, and the Louisiana and Texas state lines) | Dec 19 – Dec 25 |
| Modern gun | Zone 5 (a pocket along the Arkansas River at Pendleton Bridge, bounded by US-165, AR-130/AR-33, US-79/US-49 and the Mississippi River Levee) | Dec 19 – Dec 25 |
| Modern gun | Zone 5A (the adjacent pocket south of Zone 5, bounded by US-165, US-65, US-82 and the Mississippi and Arkansas rivers) | Dec 19 – Dec 25 |
02 — Bag limits & check-in
| Statewide | One bear, either sex, by any method, per license year |
|---|---|
| Sow/cub rule | Taking a female bear with cubs is legal but strongly discouraged by AGFC for conservation reasons — not a hard prohibition, unlike neighboring states |
| Zone 1 quotas | Archery 450 bears, alternative firearms 50 bears, modern gun 50 bears — each weapon segment closes early once its own quota is met |
| Zone 2 | No harvest quota |
| Zone 3 quota | 5 bears (modern gun only) — closes early once met |
| Zone 4 quota | 25 bears (modern gun only) — closes early once met |
| Zone 5 quota | 10 bears (modern gun only) — closes early once met |
| Zone 5A quota | 5 bears (modern gun only) — closes early once met |
| Zones 6 and 7 | Closed to bear hunting |
| Quota check | Call 833-345-0398 the evening before hunting to confirm the zone/weapon quota has not already closed the season |
| Harvest reporting | Check the harvest before moving it — online, via the AGFC mobile app, or by phone (833-289-2469) — and complete the check within 12 hours |
| Biological sample | Submit a premolar tooth to AGFC within 7 days of receiving the premolar sample package; a hair sample is also highly encouraged |
| Other restrictions | Killing a denned bear or one pursued by dogs is illegal; taking a radio-collared bear is prohibited; baiting is allowed only on private land from 30 days before the season through the end of bear season, subject to CWD-zone exceptions |
03 — Shooting hours
Legal light on opening day (September 9, 2026) 06:18 — 19:54
Rule: Half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset. AGFC Code 05.02 makes it 'unlawful to hunt any wildlife at night', and Code 01.00-C defines NIGHT as 'the time period 30 minutes after sunset to 30 minutes before sunrise' — the inverse of that window is legal hunting time. agfc.com blocks automated access; read from the Code Book PDF mirrored on AGFC's own S3 bucket (agfc-omnibus.s3.amazonaws.com). Sunrise/sunset shift daily — the times above are computed for opening day; use your local Arkansas sun times for any other date.
04 — License
Bear hunters in Arkansas need an Arkansas hunting license — a Resident Bear Tag (RBT, free) or, for nonresidents, a Nonresident Bear Tag (NRB, $300) plus a Nonresident All Game License ($410) Check-in or reporting a harvest is typically mandatory; see the row above for Arkansas's specific rule.
Arkansas hunting license cost →
Where to hunt public land in Arkansas — WMAs by county & access rules →
05 — Scouting gear
Patterning bear activity before Arkansas's opener usually means glassing feeding areas and running a trail camera through summer — check the state's own rules on baiting before you set one over bait.
- Hunting binoculars on Amazon →
- Trail cameras on Amazon →
- Trail camera SD cards — class, capacity & format explained →
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. These are category links, not a single named pick — we run no product tests of our own.
06 — FAQ
When does bear season open in Arkansas?
The earliest 2026 opener is September 9, 2026. See the table above for each method and zone.
When does bear season end in Arkansas?
The latest 2026 closing date is December 25, 2026. Individual segments and zones can close earlier — see the table above.
Do I need a separate bear license or tag in Arkansas?
a Resident Bear Tag (RBT, free) or, for nonresidents, a Nonresident Bear Tag (NRB, $300) plus a Nonresident All Game License ($410)
How many bears can you shoot in Arkansas?
2026 bag limits: Statewide — One bear, either sex, by any method, per license year. Sow/cub rule — Taking a female bear with cubs is legal but strongly discouraged by AGFC for conservation reasons — not a hard prohibition, unlike neighboring states. Zone 1 quotas — Archery 450 bears, alternative firearms 50 bears, modern gun 50 bears — each weapon segment closes early once its own quota is met. Zone 2 — No harvest quota. Zone 3 quota — 5 bears (modern gun only) — closes early once met. Zone 4 quota — 25 bears (modern gun only) — closes early once met. Zone 5 quota — 10 bears (modern gun only) — closes early once met. Zone 5A quota — 5 bears (modern gun only) — closes early once met. Zones 6 and 7 — Closed to bear hunting. Quota check — Call 833-345-0398 the evening before hunting to confirm the zone/weapon quota has not already closed the season. Harvest reporting — Check the harvest before moving it — online, via the AGFC mobile app, or by phone (833-289-2469) — and complete the check within 12 hours. Biological sample — Submit a premolar tooth to AGFC within 7 days of receiving the premolar sample package; a hair sample is also highly encouraged. Other restrictions — Killing a denned bear or one pursued by dogs is illegal; taking a radio-collared bear is prohibited; baiting is allowed only on private land from 30 days before the season through the end of bear season, subject to CWD-zone exceptions. Limits are set per zone and per permit — check the agency's own regulations before you hunt.
What time can you start shooting bear in Arkansas?
On opening day (September 9, 2026) legal light runs 06:18 to 19:54. The rule is: Half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset. AGFC Code 05.02 makes it 'unlawful to hunt any wildlife at night', and Code 01.00-C defines NIGHT as 'the time period 30 minutes after sunset to 30 minutes before sunrise' — the inverse of that window is legal hunting time. agfc.com blocks automated access; read from the Code Book PDF mirrored on AGFC's own S3 bucket (agfc-omnibus.s3.amazonaws.com). Sunrise and sunset shift daily, so work the offset against your local Arkansas sun times for any other date.
Can I hunt bear on my own land in Arkansas without a license?
No — Arkansas's own regulation is unconditional: a resident must carry a hunting license to hunt by any means, with only two listed exceptions (licensed game-bird shooting resorts, and a narrow age-based carve-out) — neither is a landowner exemption. This directly contradicts a claim that circulates on several third-party sites.
Verified · Arkansas Game and Fish Commission · Last verified 2026-08-15
Publisher's note. Season dates, zone-by-zone quotas, and the statewide bag limit read directly off AGFC's Bear Seasons and Limits page. Cub/sow rule, bait, den, and check-in/tooth-submission rules read off AGFC's Bear-specific Hunting Regulations page and the main Bear overview page (tag fees). Unlike North Carolina and Tennessee, Arkansas does NOT make it illegal to take a sow with cubs — AGFC officials describe it as legal but strongly discouraged for conservation reasons; that distinction is reflected in bagLimits below rather than guessed away. RE-CHECKED 2026-08-15: exact zone boundaries are now confirmed. The apps.agfc.com HTML page for E1.03 still 404s/403s, but the same regulation text is also served as a standalone PDF directly off AGFC's S3-hosted regulation-document store (agfc-omnibus.s3.amazonaws.com/eregs/regulation_pdfs/small/agfc_regulation_E1.03_small.pdf, no WAF in front of it), read directly and in full — AGFC's zones are defined by interstate/highway/river lines, NOT by whole counties as this file's prior pass approximated from secondary news coverage. Verbatim boundaries: Zone 1 runs from I-40/Oklahoma line east to I-40/US-67, north on US-67 to the Missouri line, west to the Oklahoma line, south back to I-40 (the Ozark/Boston Mountains). Zone 2 runs I-40/Oklahoma line east on I-40 to I-430, south to I-30, southwest on I-30 to AR-51, south to AR-26, west to US-278 at Center Point, west to US-70 at Dierks, west to the Oklahoma line, north back to I-40 (the Ouachita Mountains). Zone 3 picks up at I-30/AR-51 and follows the same AR-51/AR-26/US-278/US-70 line west to the Oklahoma line, south along it to the Red River, east on the Red River to US-71, south to I-30, north/east on I-30 to AR-8 near Arkadelphia. Zone 4 runs I-30/Texas line at Texarkana, northeast on I-30 to US-65, south to Lake Village, east on US-82 to the Mississippi River, south along it to the Louisiana line, west to the Texas line, north back to I-30. Zone 5 is a pocket bounded by US-165/the Arkansas River at Pendleton Bridge, north on US-165 to AR-130 at DeWitt, north to AR-33, north to US-79, north/east to US-49, south/east to the Mississippi River Levee, south to the Arkansas-Mississippi River confluence, back up the Arkansas River to Pendleton Bridge. Zone 5A is the adjacent pocket: Pendleton Bridge, south on US-165 to US-65, south to US-82, east to the Mississippi River, north to the confluence, back up the Arkansas River to Pendleton Bridge. Zones 6 and 7 (closed to bear hunting, omitted from methods[]) cover the remaining Delta/northeast corner between I-40, I-440, US-65/165, AR-130/33, US-79/49, the Mississippi River, and the Missouri Bootheel. Document itself is dated 'As of June 8, 2022' but was served live at AGFC's current regulation endpoint in this check — Arkansas bear zone lines change rarely; confirm no update at agfc.com/regulations if hunting near a boundary. Every quota-bound segment (flagged in bagLimits) can close before its printed end date once AGFC announces the zone/weapon quota has been met — hunters must call 833-345-0398 the evening before each hunt to confirm the zone is still open.