CWD-Related Wildlife/Hunting Regulations

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2025-26 CWD Management Zone

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Deer/Elk Movement Restrictions

It is unlawful to import, transport or possess in Arkansas, any portion of a of a deer, elk, moose or caribou harvested outside of the state within Arkansas, except the following low-risk items:

• Antlers and/or antlers attached to clean skull plates or cleaned skulls (where no meat or tissues are attached to skull)
• Meat with all bones removed | How to Skin and Debone a Deer (YouTube)
• Cleaned teeth
• Hides and tanned products
• Finished taxidermy products

Deer harvested between the Mississippi River levees in neighboring states of Tennessee and Mississippi are excluded from this regulation.

It is unlawful to possess any deer or elk harvested within the CWD Management Zone to any location in the state outside the management zone, except the low-risk items listed above.

It is unlawful to possess any deer or elk harvested within Tier 1 of the CWD Management Zone (red) in Tier 2 (orange), except the low-risk materials listed above; please note:

• Intact carcasses harvested in a Tier 1 (red) county may be moved freely between the Tier 1 counties, but only low risk materials may be moved into Tier 2 (orange) counties or outside the CWD Management Zone.
• Intact carcasses harvested in a Tier 2 (orange) county may be moved freely between the Tier 2 counties or into Tier 1 counties, but only low-risk materials may be moved outside the CWD Management Zone.

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Special Elk Regulations

• It is unlawful to use natural scents or lures that contain natural deer and elk urine or other biofluids.
• All elk harvested statewide must be checked. Samples from checked elk must be submitted for CWD testing. Hunters must call 833-356-0824 for instructions on checking elk and submitting samples.
• Elk within the Core Elk Management Zone (Boone, Carroll, Madison, Newton and Searcy counties) may only be harvested by holders of public land elk hunt permits or private land elk hunt permits in accordance with those permits.
• It is unlawful to rehabilitate elk.
• Any elk outside the Core Elk Management Zone may be harvested by a hunter who is legally hunting for deer with a weapon legal for that season. Seasonal bag limit, one elk either sex.

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Special Deer Regulations

• It is unlawful to rehabilitate deer.
• It is unlawful to use natural scents or lures that contain natural deer and elk urine or other biofluids.
• Within the CWD Management Zone, button bucks do not count toward a hunter’s two-buck seasonal bag limit.
• Within the CWD Management Zone, any buck may be legally harvested; All antler-point/size restrictions have been removed.
• Within the CWD Management Zone, the seasonal bag limit has been increased or adjusted.
• Landowners within the CWD Management Zone may apply for additional deer tags to harvest bonus deer. These deer must be submitted for CWD testing. Landowners should contact their local private lands biologist to receive these tags.

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Feeding/Baiting Wildlife Prohibited

It is unlawful to feed wildlife within the CWD Management Zone, except:

• Bait may be used to hunt deer and elk on private land from Sept. 1-Dec. 31.
• Food plots may be used year-round.
• Baiting bears on private land is allowed 30 days before bear season opens. However, before Sept. 1, bears may only be baited with dog food, cat food, pastries/bread, cooking oils/grease, non-wildlife meat scraps, popped popcorn, fish and fish byproducts.
• Trapping furbearers with the use of bait during open furbearer trapping seasons or hunting furbearers during open furbearers hunting seasons on private land.
• Incidental feeding of wildlife from active livestock operations is allowed.
• Normal agricultural, gardening or soil stabilization practices are allowed.
• Attracting or feeding birds and squirrels with common bird and squirrel feeders, bird baths and grain completely submerged in water is allowed.
• Baiting is allowed for management, research or nuisance wildlife control only with approval by the AGFC Chief of Wildlife Management.