Arkansas hunting season is open

Arkansas – For the first time in modern times, black bears can now be legally killed by hunters in south Arkansas’s Gulf Coastal Plain and in some areas of the Delta.

Despite the fact that this is a thrilling and novel adventure for the Natural State, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission wants to make a few important points clear to everyone.

The season is open from December 10 to December 16; however, if the quota for each zone is met, it may end earlier.

The statewide limit is one bear per season. Arkansas Game and Fish said that hunters may use modern guns, muzzleloaders, or archery equipment.

“We’ve set the quota at 25 bears for Zone 4 and five bears for Zone 3,” Myron Means, AGFC Large Carnivore Program Coordinator, said.

“Hunters need to call the wildlife hotline (800-440-1477) before their hunt to check the harvest number and make sure the quota hasn’t been reached. I’ll be updating that hotline every day at noon and every evening at 6 p.m. The season will end in the respective zone if the quota is reached or Dec. 16, whichever comes first,” he said.