Apply until June 15-30 for the Arkansas Alligator Hunt in the Fall

If you’re an Arkansan looking to bag an alligator this Fall, the application period is June 15th-30th. This year, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) has added some new hunting lands. The actual hunting season begins September 20th.

Hunters will be able to choose one of 10 hunting areas across south Arkansas. Browse the full list of locations, and get the application link below.

Two new hunting areas are available in Alligator Management Zone 3 this year, with one permit available at Yellow Lake in the Pine Bluff Arsenal and six permits available for the newly formed Delta Wetland Complex (Lake Grampus, Lake Wallace, Lake Enterprise, Lake Chicot and Grand Lake). Two additional hunting areas were added to Alligator Management Zone 2 for the 2024 hunting season, marking this as the first year for public opportunities in AMZ 2. One permit will be available for Lake Columbia and another will be possible to obtain for Bragg Lake.

“Hunters applying for the Yellow Lake permit should also note that Pine Bluff Arsenal has special regulations to access the area,” Eric Brinkman of AGFC said. “There are several other bodies of water on the PBA but alligator hunting will only be open on Yellow Lake. Since a firearm (shotgun or shotgun-headed bangstick) is used to dispatch the alligator, permit holders will have to go through the PBA background check which is administered by their personnel. Only permit holders and their designated assistants will be allowed access onto the PBA, and everyone has to go through a checkpoint before entering or leaving the PBA.”

The following hunts are available for the 2024 hunting season:

There are 3 Alligator Management Zones and 47 permits available.

Alligator Management Zone 1

8 permits for Millwood Lake
4 permits for Dr. Lester Sitzes III Bois D’Arc WMA
5 permits for Little River
1 permits for Sulphur River WMA
1 permit for Lake Erling

Alligator Management Zone 2

1 permit for Bragg Lake
1 permit for Lake Columbia

Alligator Management Zone 3

19 permits for the Lower Arkansas River Wetland Complex
1 permit for Yellow Lake (Pine Bluff Arsenal)
6 Permits for Delta Complex

Permits will be added to the hunter’s license. Applicants must be 16 or older in order to apply or participate in the hunt (including assistants). Hunter must obtain landowner permission in accordance with AGFC Code of Regulations.

Each permit authorizes the harvest of one alligator, which must be at least 4 feet long. Alligator hunting is allowed 30 minutes after sunset until 30 minutes before sunrise during the approved alligator hunting season dates – Sept. 20-23 and Sept. 27-30. Each permit holder may have up to three assistants with them on the hunt, but only the permit holder is allowed to snare, harpoon and dispatch the alligator.

• Click here to visit the licensing and permits page to register.

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