Arkansas, Jefferson County, Arkansas · 33,832 acres
George H. Dunklin Jr. Bayou Meto Wildlife Management Area Hunting 2026: Species & Access
George H. Dunklin Jr. Bayou Meto Wildlife Management Area covers 33,832 acres near Stuttgart in Arkansas, Jefferson County. Flat Delta bottomland hardwood and seasonal wetland, cut by eight permanent streams, twelve intermediate streams and seventeen drainage ditches, with six lakes totaling 1,080 acres (Halowell Reservoir the largest at 600). Roughly 13,000 acres flood every fall specifically to pull in ducks — this is flooded green-timber hunting on a scale few other public areas in the country can match.
01 — What you can hunt here
| Species | Notes |
|---|---|
| Waterfowl | The reason this WMA exists — 1,500 to 2,000 hunters typically turn out for opening weekend alone. Hunters must be off the water by noon, an hour earlier than Arkansas's general 1 p.m. rule. |
| White-tailed deer | Archery, Alternative Firearms permit hunt (mid-October) and Modern Gun permit hunt (mid-November), plus youth gun weekends. Three-deer bag limit, max two antlered bucks, 15-inch inside spread or 18-inch main beam antler restriction. |
| Wild turkey | Youth hunt plus a firearms season; one bird per season. |
| Dove | Split season Sept.–Oct. and Dec.–Jan.; 15-bird daily limit on mourning/white-winged dove, unlimited Eurasian collared-dove. |
| Squirrel | Long season, May 15–Feb. 28; 12-bird limit; dogs allowed. |
| Rabbit and quail | 8-rabbit and 6-quail daily limits under their own shorter seasons. |
| Crow | Thursdays through Mondays only, no bag limit. |
02 — Access rules specific to this WMA
- A valid Arkansas hunting/fishing license or a standalone WMA/Lake Conservation Permit covers access for any user, hunting or not.
- Access is predominantly walk-in and boat — the Government Cypress Tract is walk-in only, with no boat access at all.
- No outboard motors larger than 25 horsepower, no surface-drive motors larger than 37 horsepower, and airboats are prohibited entirely.
- Sixteen all-weather graveled roads (17.4 miles total) provide the main vehicle access; an additional 25 secondary roads are AGFC-use only.
- Bear and alligator hunting are closed here even in seasons when they're open statewide.
03 — Where this WMA differs from the statewide rules
- No boats allowed at all Nov. 15–21, Dec. 2–9 and Dec. 24–26, with exceptions only at specific named access points.
- Closed to all access 2–4 a.m. during the bulk of duck season (Nov. 22–Jan. 31, Feb. 7–8), except at designated campsites and boat ramps.
- No boats between noon and 4 a.m. on the days outside the full-closure windows above (Nov. 22–Dec. 1, Dec. 10–23, Dec. 27–Jan. 30), with some named exceptions.
- Wrape Plantation Waterfowl Rest Area and Halowell Reservoir are closed entirely from Nov. 1 through Feb. 15.
04 — Facilities
Camping: 52 primitive campsites scattered across the area, marked with signs. No shooting range on-site.
Multiple named boat access points (Mulberry, Buckingham Flats, Cannon Brake, Cox Cypress, Grand Cypress) serve the six lakes. Submerged hazards are a real concern here — a compass or GPS is a genuine recommendation, not boilerplate caution.
05 — Where to go next
Bayou Meto is the WMA that put Arkansas on the map for public-land duck hunting, and the closure calendar above is the reason: AGFC layers no-boat windows, overnight access closures and a permanent late-season refuge (Wrape Plantation, Halowell Reservoir) directly on top of the daily noon cutoff, precisely because opening weekend alone can draw 1,500 to 2,000 hunters into flooded green timber. Acquired starting in 1948 and known historically as the Bayou Meto Public Shooting Area, it's still built around the same 13,000 acres of fall flooding that made it famous — plan around the closure dates above before anything else.
Arkansas hunting license costs and permits →
Verified · Arkansas Game and Fish Commission · Last verified 2026-08-09
Publisher's note. Read from AGFC, retrieved 2026-08-09. Review due 2027-08-01. WMA-specific rules and closures can change between seasons — confirm before you hunt.