Flood Prone Zones
Flood Prone Zones
Current gauge readings and flood prone region closures are available by calling Wildlife Information at 833-345-0398, option 8. Readings are updated by 3 p.m. daily.
- Closure of flood prone regions is determined by Arkansas Game and Fish Commission personnel using gauges at each location every day by 3 p.m. The closure is effective at midnight and begin at the beginning of legal shooting hours for the next day’s hunt. However, it will reopen immediately upon the designated gauge reading reaching the target opening level.
- These reports do not include National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) reports. For information on closures of National Wildlife Refuges, please contact the NWR office or refer to NWR regulations for more information.
NWR Contact Numbers
- Bald Knob NWR 501-724-2458 or 870-347-2614
- Big Lake NWR 870-564-2429
- Cache River NWR 870-347-2614
- Dale Bumpers White River NWR 870-282-8200
- Felsenthal NWR 870-364-3167
- Holla Bend NWR 479-384-5693
- Overflow NWR 870-473-2869
- Pond Creek NWR 870-289-2126
- Wapanocca NWR 870-343-2595
| Title | Area | reason | status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Lake WMA | Includes Big Lake WMA | Closes to deer hunting when the water level at the Seven Mile Access gauge exceeds 236 msl. | Open |
| Black River Flood Prone Region | Includes Dave Donaldson Black River WMA | Closes to deer hunting when the Black River gauge at Corning exceeds 11 feet and reopens when it falls below 9.5 feet. Note: This region now extends to the Arkansas/Missouri state line. | Open |
| Flood Prone Region A | Includes Brushy Creek, Earl Buss Bayou DeView and Whitehall WMAs | Closes to deer hunting when the Cache River gauge at Patterson reaches 12 feet. This restriction is lifted when the Cache River gauge at Patterson falls to or below 11 feet. | Open |
| Flood Prone Region B | Includes Bayou Des Arc, Departee Creek and Steve N. Wilson Raft Creek Bottoms WMAs | Closes to deer hunting when the White River gauge at Augusta reaches 31 feet. This restriction is lifted when the gauge at Augusta falls below 30 feet and the White River gauge at Georgetown falls to or below 19 feet. Note: Bald Knob NWR and the portions of Cache River NWR lying in this zone are closed to deer hunting when this zone is closed. | Open |
| Flood Prone Region C | Closes to deer hunting when the Cache River gauge at Patterson reaches 11 feet. This restriction is lifted when the gauge falls to or below 9.5 feet. Note: The portions of Cache River NWR lying in this zone close when the Cache River gauge at Patterson exceeds 10 feet amd reopens when the gauge falls below 8.5 feet (see status of Rex Hancock Black Swamp below). | Open | |
| Flood Prone Region D | Includes Mike Freeze Wattensaw, Benson Creek Natural Area and Sheffield Nelson Dagmar WMAs | Closed to deer hunting when the White River gauge at Clarendon reaches 28 feet. This restriction is lifted when the gauge falls to or below 27 feet. Note: The portions of Cache River NWR lying in this zone are closed to deer hunting when this zone is closed. | Open |
| Flood Prone Region E | Closes to deer hunting when the White River gauge at St. Charles reaches 26 feet. This restriction is lifted when the gauge falls to or below 23.5 feet. Note: The portions of Dale Bumpers White River NWR lying in this zone are closed to deer hunting when this zone is closed. | Open | |
| Flood Prone Region F | Includes portions of Trusten Holder WMA | Closes to deer hunting when the White River gauge at Graham Burke Outlet reaches 30 feet and the gauge at Lock and Dam No. 1 (Norrel) on the Arkansas River reaches 145 feet MSL. This restriction is lifted when the White River gauge at Graham Burke Outlet falls to or below 28 feet and the gauge at Lock and Dam No. 1 on the Arkansas River falls to or below 143 feet MSL. Note: The portions of Dale Bumpers White River NWR lying in this zone are closed to deer hunting when this zone is closed. | Open |
| Flood Prone Region G | Closes to deer hunting when the Mississippi River gauge at Helena reaches 44 feet. This restriction is lifted when the gauge falls to or below 42 feet. | Open | |
| Flood Prone Region H | Includes portions of Trusten Holder WMA | Closes to deer hunting when the Mississippi River gauge at Arkansas City reaches 37 feet. This restriction is lifted when the gauge falls to or below 35 feet. | Open |
| Flood Prone Region I | Closes to deer hunting when the Mississippi River gauge at Greenville reaches 48 feet. This restriction is lifted when the gauge falls to or below 46 feet. | Open | |
| Freddie Black Choctaw Island WMA Deer Research Area (East Unit) | Closes to deer hunting when the Mississippi River gauge at Arkansas City reaches 31 feet and remains closed until the gauge falls to or below 29 feet. | Open | |
| Henry Gray Hurricane Lake WMA | Includes Henry Gray Hurricane Lake WMA | Closes to deer hunting when the White River gauge at Augusta exceeds 26 feet and the White River gauge at Georgetown exceeds 14 feet. This WMA reopens when the White River gauge at Georgetown falls below 14 feet. | Closed |
| Rex Hancock Black Swamp WMA | Includes Rex Hancock Black Swamp WMA | Closes to deer hunting when the Cache River gauge at Patterson exceeds 10 feet and reopens when the gauge falls below 8.5 feet. Note: The portions of Cache River NWR lying in Flood Prone Region C also close when the Cache River at Patterson exceeds 10 feet and reopens when the gauge falls below 8.5 feet. | Open |
| Shirey Bay Rainey Brake Flood Prone Region | Includes Shirey Bay Rainey Brake WMA | Closes to deer hunting when the gauge at Black Rock on the Black River reaches 23 feet and reopens when the gauge falls below 19 feet. | Open |
| St. Francis River Flood Prone Region | Includes St. Francis Sunken Lands WMA | Closes to deer hunting when the St. Francis River gauge at Oak Donnick reaches 216 msl and reopens when it falls below 215 msl. | Open |
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Flood Prone Zone closures only affect deer hunting in the zone closed. All other hunting and fishing opportunities remain open.
The bottomland habitats of eastern Arkansas offer excellent habitat for large deer populations, but these low-lying areas also can become inundated quickly, pushing deer into smaller areas with less available cover. This creates a situation where deer may become vulnerable to overharvest, and removes some of the aspects of fair chase. Hunting in flooded areas also increases the chances of game loss as fatally hit deer may run into swift-moving stream or deep areas before hunters can recover their harvest.
No. The $5 application fee for permit hunts on WMAs are nontransferrable and nonrefundable. Hunting licenses also are nontransferrable and nonrefundable.
AGFC biologists monitor set river gauges periodically throughout the day and these gauges determine when to close or open a flood prone zone. AGFC staff will provide updates to the website and the AGFC wildlife hotline by 3 p.m. daily. The closure of a flood prone zone becomes effective at midnight for the next day’s hunt. An area opens to deer hunting again immediately on the established river gauges reaching the opening criteria (no delay is necessary).
No. All deer hunting, no matter which method used, is closed during flood prone zone closures.
The AGFC routinely has outside vendors perform hunter attitude surveys to gauge people’s thoughts on various hunting regulations. The last such survey was performed via email in 2018. Accoridng to that survey, 60 percent of hunters were in favor of flood prone zone closures with current criteria, and 15 percent opposed them.
