Who needs hunter education
Hunter education in Arkansas is run by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC). The rule is simple: anyone born after 1968 must be hunter education certified to hunt in Arkansas. If you were born on or before December 31, 1968, you do not need the course, although you still need the right licenses.
There is no minimum age to enroll. The course material is written at about a sixth-grade reading level, so younger students can follow it with help.
Arkansas accepts hunter education certification from other states, and Arkansas certification is recognized in other states, Canada and Mexico.
Licenses
Hunters 16 or older need an Arkansas hunting license. To buy a resident license you must physically live in a bona fide Arkansas residence for at least 60 days and declare full-time residency. Owning land in Arkansas does not make an out-of-state owner a resident.
Carrying your license
A signature is no longer required on the license. AGFC suggests saving the emailed license as a PDF or screenshot on your phone, or using the AGFC mobile app, rather than relying on your email app in areas with poor cell service. You may not carry someone else's license or an altered one, and non-residents may not carry a resident license.
Youth supervision and the deferral code
Hunters under 16
A child under 16 who has not completed hunter education may hunt only under the direct supervision of a licensed hunter at least 21 years old.
Deferred Hunter Education (DHE) code
Hunters 16 and older can get a free Deferred Hunter Education code instead of completing the course first. It is available from license agents, by phone or online. The conditions are strict:
- You must hold a valid Arkansas hunting license while hunting.
- You must be directly supervised by someone at least 21 who is hunter education certified or was born on or before Dec. 31, 1968.
- You must not have a conviction (or forfeited bond) for a hunter education violation, or an AGFC revocation of hunting privileges.
| Hunter | Without the course |
|---|---|
| Under 16 | Direct supervision by a licensed hunter 21 or older |
| 16 or older | DHE code, a valid license and direct supervision by a qualified adult 21 or older |
| Born on or before Dec. 31, 1968 | Course not required |
Taking the course
The classroom course is free. It is about 10 hours of instructor-led teaching with hands-on demonstration, usually spread over three or four evenings or held on one full Saturday. You must pass a test at the end.
AGFC also lists several approved online courses from private providers, which you complete at your own pace. A Spanish-language online option is available. Bowhunter education is offered in the same classroom and online formats.
Use AGFC's class finder to locate a classroom course near you. Each course covers firearm safety, hunter ethics, wildlife management and outdoor survival, the same topics in the US-wide practice sets.
Hunter orange in Arkansas
Where a modern gun or alternative firearms season for deer, bear or elk is open, hunters and anyone with them must wear at least 400 square inches of hunter orange, chartreuse or blaze camouflage above the waist. They must also wear a head garment in one of those colors.
Migratory bird hunters are exempt from this rule.
Tagging, checking and deer rules
- Fill out your deer tag in ink immediately, before you move the deer.
- Attach the tag to the ear or antler.
- Check the deer within 12 hours, online, through the AGFC app or by phone.
- Write the check number on the tag. Keep the tag on until final storage.
- You may remove entrails, but evidence of sex must stay until the deer is checked.
- If you quarter in the field, the head stays within arm's reach of all four quarters until checked.
- Big game may not cross a state line before checking, unless normal travel routes require it.
- If you give game away after checking, use a game transfer form.
Youth hunters
A youth must be at least 6 to harvest and check big game, and the deer is checked under the youth's own account, not a parent's. Hunters aged 6 to 15 may take any buck, whatever its antlers.
Methods and baiting
- Bows need at least a 35-pound pull, and big-game broadheads must be at least 7/8 inch wide.
- Crossbows need at least a 125-pound pull and a mechanical safety.
- Deer and elk may be hunted over bait only in the CWD Management Zone, from Sept. 1 to Dec. 31, during an open season, on private land.
For alternative firearms seasons, legal guns include muzzleloading rifles of .40 caliber or larger with a barrel at least 18 inches long, straight-wall centerfire guns of .30 caliber or larger, and large-bore air rifles that meet the size and power limits. Shotguns with slugs are not allowed in those seasons. For modern gun seasons, rimfire cartridges, .410 buckshot and handguns with barrels under 4 inches are among the prohibited items.
Deer camps, processors and taxidermists must label every stored portion of a deer with the hunter's name, customer ID, address, harvest date, species and check number. Keep good records so your deer can be traced back to you.
Key terms
The 16 words and rules to know for this test. Read the list or study them as flashcards: flip each card, then mark it "Know it" or "Still learning".
- AGFC
- The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, which runs hunter education and sets hunting rules in Arkansas.
- Born after 1968 rule
- Anyone born after 1968 must be hunter education certified to hunt in Arkansas. Those born on or before December 31, 1968 are exempt.
- No minimum age
- Arkansas sets no lower age limit for enrolling in hunter education. The material is written at about a sixth-grade reading level.
- Hunting license age
- Arkansas hunters 16 or older need a hunting license. Residents must have lived in an Arkansas home for at least 60 days.
- Direct supervision
- Hunting under the close watch of a qualified adult at least 21 years old, required for uncertified youth and DHE code holders.
- Deferred Hunter Education code
- A free DHE code for hunters 16 and older that lets them hunt before taking the course, with a valid license and supervision.
- Classroom course
- The free AGFC course of about 10 hours with hands-on demonstration, ending with a test.
- Hunter orange requirement
- During modern gun or alternative firearms deer, bear or elk seasons, wear 400 square inches above the waist plus a head garment.
- Allowed visibility colors
- Hunter orange, chartreuse or blaze camouflage all meet Arkansas's visibility rule. Migratory bird hunters are exempt.
- Deer tag
- Fill it out in ink immediately, before moving the deer, and attach it to the ear or antler until final storage.
- Checking a deer
- Check your deer within 12 hours online, in the AGFC app or by phone, and write the check number on the tag.
- Evidence of sex
- Proof of the deer's sex that must stay on the animal until it is checked, even if you remove the entrails.
- Game transfer form
- The form to use if you give away game after it has been checked.
- Youth any-buck rule
- Hunters aged 6 to 15 may take any buck. A youth must be at least 6 to harvest and check big game.
- Bow and crossbow minimums
- Bows need at least a 35-pound pull and 7/8 inch broadheads. Crossbows need at least 125 pounds and a mechanical safety.
- CWD Management Zone
- The only area where deer and elk may be hunted over bait, on private land from Sept. 1 to Dec. 31 in an open season.