General Info
County history coming soon!
CITIES
Cities In County
Not including unincorporated communities
Citys and Towns
Big Flat
Briarcliff
Buford
Clarkridge
Cotter
Gamaliel
Gassville
Lakeview
Midway
Mountain Home
Norfork
Salesville
RESIDENTIAL SERVICES
County Residential Services
A little bit of contact information for all purpose residential needs.
County Sheriff 870-425-7000
Coroner 870-425-3125
Health Unit 870-425-3072
Jailer 870-425-7551
Juvenile Probation Office 870-425-3840
Librarian 870-580-0987
Sanitarian 870-425-2545
Veteran’s Service Office 870-425-8155
Municipal Court 870-425-3140
Probation Officers 870-425-4601
Small Claims 870-425-8910
Prosecuting Attorney 870-425-2595
Public Defender’s Office 870-424-2907
Office of Emergency Management 870-424-6119
Training Center 870-481-6252
Road & Bridge 870-425-3695
County Website
*For more information visit: http://www.baxtercounty.org/
HUNTING
Hunting Seasons
For more information visit:
Deer Hunting Regulations
Antler-Point Restrictions
When counting the number of points, the end of the main beam constitutes one point. Points must be at least 1 inch long to count.
The distance from ear-tip to ear-tip on a buck with ears in the alert position is approximately 15 inches. Use this as a guide for determining a buck’s inside spread.
Estimating a buck’s main beam length can be a little more difficult and may require frontal and profile views. If the antler seen from the side projects forward beyond the midpoint between the eyes and the tip of the nose, beam length of the buck likely exceeds 18 inches.
Youth hunters: Youths 6 to 15 years of age may harvest any buck without regard to antler size or points.
Three-point rule: A legal buck must have both antlers shorter than 2 inches (button buck) or have three or more points on one side of his rack. The three-point rule applies statewide unless mentioned below.
12-inch inside spread or 15-inch main beam rule: A legal buck on Dr. Lester Sitzes III Bois D’Arc WMA, Harold E. Alexander Spring River WMA, Hope Upland WMA, Lafayette County WMA, McIlroy Madison County WMA, Mike Freeze Wattensaw WMA, Scott Henderson Gulf Mountain WMA, Shirey Bay Rainey Brake WMA and Moro Big Pine Natural Area WMA must have either:
- both antlers under 2 inches, or
- an inside spread of at least 12 inches, or
- at least one main beam 15 inches or longer.
15-inch inside spread or 18-inch main beam rule: A legal buck in deer zones 16, 16A and 17 and on Bayou Meto WMA, Buck Island WMA, Cut-Off Creek WMA, Dave Donaldson Black River WMA, Ed Gordon Point Remove WMA, Freddie Black Choctaw Island WMA Deer Research Area East Unit, Henry Gray Hurricane Lake WMA, Rick Evans Grandview Prairie WMA, St. Francis National Forest WMA, Sheffield Nelson Dagmar WMA and Trusten Holder WMA must have either:
- both antlers under 2 inches (button buck), or
- an inside spread of at least 15 inches, or
- at least one main beam 18 inches or longer.
Other legal definitions:
- On Bald Knob, Big Lake, Cache River, Felsenthal, Holla Bend, Overflow, Pond Creek, Wapanocca and White River NWRs; Rex Hancock Black Swamp and U of A Pine Tree Experimental Station WMAs any buck deer may be legally harvested during all deer hunts.
- On Greers Ferry Lake WMA any buck may be legally harvested during the deer muzzleloader Mobility Impaired permit hunt.
- On Hobbs State Park Conservation Area, Nimrod Lloyd Millwood WMA and Johnson County WRA on Dardanelle WMA any buck may be legally harvested during the deer modern gun mobility impaired hunt.
Legal Hunting Equipment
- Archery
- Long, recurve and compound bows – Must have at least a 35-pound pull. Scopes, string locks and mechanical string releases may be used. Deer, turkey and bear hunters must use arrowheads at least 7/8-inches wide (mechanicals OK). Poison may not be used on arrows.
- Crossbow – Crossbows must have at least a 125-pound pull and a mechanical safety. Deer, turkey and bear hunters must use arrowheads at least 7/8-inches wide (mechanicals OK). Poison may not be used on arrows. Scopes may be used.
- Muzzleloader
- Muzzleloading rifles must have a barrel at least 18 inches long and be at least .40 caliber. Magnifying sights may be used. The use of shot is not legal. Legal muzzleloaders are loaded through the muzzle and are not capable of firing a cartridge. Electronic pulse ignition muzzleloaders allowed.
- Muzzleloading handguns must have a barrel at least 9 inches long and be at least .45 caliber if they shoot conical bullets (200 grains or heavier). If round balls are used, the minimum caliber is .530.
- A hunter may carry a muzzleloading handgun of any caliber as backup to a muzzleloading rifle.
- Modern Gun
- All modern guns may be used during modern gun deer season with the following exceptions. You may not use the following for deer:
- buckshot in a .410 shotgun.
- shot smaller than No. 4 buckshot in any shotgun.
- rimfire cartridges, military or full-metal jacketed ammunition.
- any centerfire rifle or pistol smaller than .22 caliber.
- handguns with barrels shorter than 4 inches.
- Air guns.
- All modern guns may be used during modern gun deer season with the following exceptions. You may not use the following for deer:
In zones 4, 4B, 5 and 5B, deer hunters may use only:
- shotguns (.410 or larger) with slugs.
- muzzleloading rifles.
- pistols with barrels from 4-inches to 10-inches long and chambered for straight-walled centerfire cartridges .30-caliber or larger. Only lead, lead alloy, soft nose and/or hollow point bullets may be used.
Hunters may use modern guns, muzzleloaders or archery equipment during the modern gun season. They may use muzzleloaders or archery equipment during muzzleloader season.
Bowhunters must wear hunter orange during muzzleloader and modern gun seasons, but may harvest does according to archery regulations for that zone.
Baiting Deer
Baiting is the direct or indirect placing, exposing, depositing, distributing or scattering of salt, grain or other feed that could serve to lure or attract wildlife to, on or over an area where hunters are attempting to take them. An area is considered baited for 10 days following complete removal of bait.
- Hunters may bait deer on private land.
- Baiting is not allowed on wildlife management areas.
Special Deer Regulations
- Swimming deer may not be hunted.
- Deer may not be driven or captured from a boat.
- Deer may not be hunted from watercraft on public waters.
Waterfowl Hunting Regulations
Legal Hunting Equipment
Legal Weapons
Waterfowl may be taken only with shotguns 10-gauge and smaller that are rendered incapable of holding more than three shells, archery equipment and muzzleloading shotguns.
Legal Shot
While waterfowl hunting, the only type of shot that may be in the hunter’s possession are: steel, tungsten-iron (Hevi-Steel), tungsten-polymer, tungsten-matrix, tungsten-iron-nickel-tin (TINT), tungsten-nickel-iron (Hevi-Shot), tungsten-bronze-iron (TBI), tungsten-tin-bismuth (TTB) or bismuth-tin or such shot approved as nontoxic by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Hunters may use only nontoxic shot size T (.2-inch diameter) and smaller when hunting waterfowl and coots. Other migratory birds (doves, rails, woodcock, snipe, moorhens and gallinules) may be taken with size T and smaller nontoxic shot or size BB (.18-inch diameter) and smaller lead shot.
Motorized Vehicles
Hunting from Motorized Vehicles
It is illegal to hunt from a motorized boat or sailboat, unless the motor has been been completely shut off and/or the sails furled, and its progress from those means has ceased.
It is illegal to hunt migratory birds from any motor-driven land vehicle or aircraft of any kind. Parapalegics and persons missing one or both legs may hunt from a stationary motor-driven land vehicle.
Rallying with Motorized Vehicles
It is illegal to hunt migratory birds with the aid of any motor-driven vehicle or sailboat used to rally, concentrate, drive or stir up birds.
Electronic Calls
It is illegal to hunt migratory birds with the aid of recorded or electrically amplified bird calls with the following exceptions:
- Crows
- Snow, Blue and Ross’s Geese during Conservation Order
Waterfowl Baiting Laws
It is illegal to hunt or kill migratory game birds with the aid of bait (salt, grain or other feed that has been placed, exposed, deposited, distributed or scattered to attract migratory game birds).
- An area is considered baited for 10 days after the complete removal of all bait.
- Anyone hunting who knows or reasonably should know the area is baited is liable for the offense. Hunters should physically inspect the field for any signs of baiting and question landowners, guides and caretakers to ensure the field is legal to hunt.
- Hunters may hunt migratory waterfowl over fields of harvested agricultural crops or standing crops that have not been manipulated.
- Natural vegetation may be manipulated for all migratory birds.
- Planted millet is treated as an agricultural crop and may not be manipulated if you intend to hunt waterfowl. Millet that grows on its own in subsequent years (volunteer crop) is considered natural vegetation and may be manipulated without restriction.
Federal Regulations Overview
In addition to these regulations, federal rules apply to the taking, possession, shipping, transporting and storing of migratory game birds.
Turkey Hunting Regulations
Turkey Hunting Regulations
- Only shotguns (10 gauge and smaller) and archery equipment (including crossbows) may be used to hunt turkey. Shot larger than No. 2 common shot is prohibited.
- Shooting a turkey from a boat is illegal.
- Turkeys may only be taken from 30 minutes before sunrise until 30 minutes after sunset.
- Firearms must be unloaded and cased while being transported by boat at night (from 30 minutes after sunset until 30 minutes before sunrise).
- Turkeys may not be hunted with the use of traps, nets, snares, hooks, explosives, dogs or live decoys. Hunters may not possess electronic or mechanically powered calls.
- Releasing domestically reared turkeys into the wild is illegal.
- Capturing wild turkeys or collecting their eggs is illegal.
Baiting Laws
Baiting is the direct or indirect placing, exposing, depositing, distributing, or scattering of salt, grain or other feed that could serve to lure or attract wildlife to, on or over any areas where hunters are attempting to take them. An area is considered baited for 10 days following complete removal of bait.
- Turkeys may not be hunted with the aid of bait.
Turkey Permit Hunts
Turkey hunting is allowed on several WMAs and National Wildlife Refuges through a drawn-permit system.
Feral Pig Regulations
Feral Hogs are Pests
Feral hogs are not native to the United States. They are an invasive species, a public nuisance and a threat to Arkansas. They compete for food resources, destroy habitat by rooting and wallowing and will eat ground-nesting birds, eggs, fawns and young domestic livestock. They also carry up to 45 bacteria, diseases and parasites, including Trichinellosis, Brucellosis and swine herpes virus.
Hunting and shooting feral pigs has been implemented for the last few decades. It can chase feral hogs away from crops or food plots temporarily, but they soon return or become a problem for a neighboring landowner. Studies show at least 66 percent of a hog population must be removed each year just to prevent it from growing. Hunting has shown to reduce hog populations by only 8 to 50 percent.
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission recognizes large-scale trapping as the most efficient and economical means currently available to reduce feral hog populations.
Sport hunting of feral hogs has been more hindrance to hog removal than benefit. Illegal relocation of hogs for hunting purposes has spread the problem to new areas. The shooting of individual hogs also thwarts large-scale trapping efforts by agencies because increased disturbance makes it nearly impossible to catch the whole sounder, or family group, at once.
Season Dates and Bag Limits
To view information, click either the plus icon or name to open a section. To close a section, click the plus icon or name again. The season dates and bag limits are subject to change at any time based on harvest results. To view all dates in one long list, click here.
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FISHING
Fishing Seasons
For more information visit:
General Fishing Regulations
It is illegal to:
- Refuse an officer’s lawful request to see or inspect your wildlife, tackle, weapon or license.
- Flee from an officer or interfere with an officer performing his or her duties.
- Aid, accompany or abet someone else in a violation.
- Import, transport, possess or take endangered species.
- Transport illegally taken fish or wildlife across state lines.
- Waste the edible portion of fish or wildlife, with the exception of rough fish.
- Take wildlife for scientific studies without a permit from the AGFC.
- Use game fish and their parts, dead or alive, for bait or lures, except for 4-inch and smaller bream or bream over 4 inches that were caught by hook and line. (Bream over 4 inches must be counted toward your daily limit.)
- Buy or sell game fish unless they were raised by a licensed fish farmer or unless they are bream 4 inches or shorter. In either case, a fish dealer’s license may be required.
- Litter or fail to extinguish fires on public property.
- Take or possess the Ouachita streambed salamander.
- Take bait, other than insects, freshwater shrimp, worms and baitfish from public waters and sell or offer to sell it. A fish dealer’s license may be required.
- Release any fish, baitfish or crayfish into public waters without written permission from the AGFC, unless releasing said species into waters where they were originally taken.
- Possess fish or wildlife taken by someone else without a signed statement from the taker, stating name, address, species, date taken and license number. (This requirement applies to commercial storage facilities).
- For a guide to give away his or her fish if it will cause the recipient to exceed his or her daily limit.
- Place or use rebar or any non-woody materials into the substrate of AGFC-owned lakes without prior approval.
- Possess fish that are filleted or have head or tail removed while fishing from the shore, boat or transporting fish by boat on catch-and-release areas and length/slot limit waters.
- Drive, harass or pursue trout with noise, objects, boats or by wading to concentrate them.
- Fish within 100 yards below any dam and within the outlet channels of Arkansas Valley Electric Cooperative Hydroelectric Plant at Barling and the Murray Hydroelectric Plant at North Little Rock. The exceptions to this include individuals fishing with one handheld rod or pole in waters not otherwise posted, taking rough fish with bow and arrow in waters not otherwise restricted or taking shad with throw nets or cast nets for personal use. Additional Corps of Engineers restrictions may apply.
- Cull rainbow trout. Once a trout has been retained on a stringer, in a fish basket, live well or ice chest, it must be kept and counted in the anglers limit. However, in Bull Shoals and Norfork tailwaters (except in catch-and-release areas) one rainbow trout longer than 16 inches may be temporarily retained in a live well for measuring, weighing and photographing before being released.
- Chum in trout waters designated as catch-and-release areas, artificial lures only areas and areas where natural or scented baits are prohibited. Chumming is defined as dislodging or depositing any substance not attached to a hook, which may attract fish. Dislodging material from the streambed to attract trout by shuffling one’s feet (aka the “San Juan shuffle”) is considered chumming. Dragging chains or anchors is not considered chumming.
- Import trout and trout eggs without disease-free certification.
Regulations for AGFC Lakes, Accesses and Wildlife Management Areas
On AGFC lakes, accesses and wildlife management areas you may not legally:
- Water ski or use personal watercraft.
- Create a hazardous wake.
- Obstruct an access area, parking area, launching ramp or access road.
- Build a structure on AGFC-owned (or controlled) lakes unless it complies with the AGFC land-use policy.
- Possess firearms except while legally hunting or carrying a concealed weapon permit. During open hunting seasons, firearms may be transported by boat if unloaded and cased.
- Discharge or possess fireworks.
- Import, transport or carry any firewood into a Commission-owned WMA or campsite.
- Hunt, trap or possess hunting equipment when seasons are not open.
- Possess a loaded firearm in a camping area or in fishing or boating access areas, unless you have a concealed weapon permit.
- Remove anything – other than personal possessions – from Commission-owned land and water without permission.
- Camp outside a designated area, camp more than 14 consecutive days (including time when the camp is set up but not occupied), or allow the camp to remain unoccupied for more than 48 hours.
- Disobey official signs.
- Damage AGFC property.
- Cut trees.
- Burn timber, brush or grass.
- Burn materials containing nails, screws or other metal objects.
- Leave a fire unattended.
- Post signs.
- Create a disturbance after 10 p.m.
- Engage in commercial activities without prior AGFC approval.
- Construct, place or occupy a permanent hunting stand, building, shelter or moored houseboat.
- Use or possess chainswaws, handsaws, hatchets, axes, weed trimmers, string trimmers or other cutting devices. Chemical defoliants are prohibited.
- Operate any motorized vehicle on any road, trail, levee or dam owned by the AGFC, where no maintained road exists, or in a direction of travel contrary to directional signs on a wildlife management area or AGFC-owned lake. No all-terrain vehicles are allowed unless the driver has a mobility-impaired program card.
Definitions, Methods and Associated Regulations
Aquatic Wildlife – All aquatic species, including aquatic snails, aquatic turtles, crayfish (crawfish, crawdads), fish (including minnows), frogs, mussels and salamanders.
Artificial Lure/Fly – Fishing tackle made by flytying or made entirely of rubber, wood, metal, glass, feathers, hair, synthetic fibers or plastic, with hook attached. Required for some trout-fishing areas.
Bream – Any species of the genus Lepomis including bluegill, redear, warmouth and other sunfish.
Catch-And-Release – The requirement that fish of a designated species must be released immediately into the water where caught.
Commercial Fish – Bowfin over six inches, buffalo, catfish, carp, drum, gar, paddlefish, suckers (except silver redhorse), white amur and shovelnose sturgeon. Catfish and paddlefish may be considered either commercial fish or game fish depending on the type of tackle used to take these fish.
Daily Limits – A daily limit is the number of fish of one species (or group of species) allowed to be taken from midnight to the next midnight. Fishermen are allowed to have only one daily limit of fish while fishing or returning from a one-day fishing trip.
Dip Netting – Dip nets may be used only when fish are caught first by hook and line or bow and arrow. Dip nets may be used to take baitfish for personal use while sport fishing. This use is limited to dip nets with mesh one inch or smaller.
Fish Cleaning – While fishing in waters designated as having a length or slot limit on sport fish, you may not possess a fish that has been filleted or had its head or tail removed while fishing from shore, boat or while being transported by boat. Check your destination to see whether length or slot limits apply.
Fishing Below Dams – It is illegal to fish within 100 yards below any dam and within the outlet channels of Arkansas Valley Electric Cooperative Hydroelectric Plant at Barling and the Murray Hydroelectric Plant at North Little Rock. The exceptions to this include individuals fishing with only one hand-held rod or pole in waters not otherwise posted, taking rough fish with bow and arrow in waters not otherwise restricted, or taking shad with throw nets or cast nets for personal use. Additional Corps of Engineers restrictions may apply.
Gaffing – Taking or attempting to take fish with a hand-held hook. Gaffing is not allowed unless the fish is caught on a hook and line first (or with bow and arrow).
Game Fish – Alligator gar, black bass, white bass, striped bass, hybrid striped bass, crappie, catfish, trout, bream, sunfish, goggle-eye, walleye, northern pike, muskellunge, sauger, saugeye, paddlefish and pickerels. Catfish and paddlefish are considered commercial fish if taken with commercial tackle.
Length Limit – Minimum Length Limit : The shortest length of a fish of a designated species that can be kept. MAXIMUM LENGTH LIMIT: The maximum length of a fish of a designated species that can be kept. PROTECTED LENGTH LIMIT: A size limit that prohibits anglers from keeping fish within a designated size group. Unless otherwise specified, all fish are measured from the front of the lower jaw with the mouth closed to the tip of the tail with tail lobes pressed together when laid flat on a rule. All fish not meeting the length limit requirements for a particular water or species must be immediately released into the water where caught.
Rough Fish – Gar (except alligator gar), bowfin, common carp, Asian carp (grass carp, bighead carp, silver carp), sucker (including buffalo), bullhead, yellow bass and drum.
Sport Fish – see game fish.
Tackle – Rod, reel, pole, line, net, yo-yo, minnow seine or other devices used to fish. Commercial tackle such as gill nets, hoop nets, trammel nets, traps or snaglines may not be used to catch game fish.
To Fish – To take, catch, kill, collect, net, trap, spear or otherwise attempt to reduce fish to possession. Fish may not be taken with electrical devices, firearms, explosives, or toxic, stupefying or killing substances.
Using Live Bait – Baitfish include bluntnose minnows, bullhead catfish, bullhead minnows, chubs, crayfish, dace, fatheads, common carp under six inches (Common carp may not be used as bait in certain waters.), goldfish, shiners, stonerollers, logperch (also called sand pike or zebra minnows), gizzard and threadfin shad, gar (other than alligator gar), drum, bowfin under 6 inches, skipjack herring, silversides (brook and inland), buffalo (bigmouth, smallmouth, and black), river carpsucker, sculpin (banded and Ozark) and bream under 4 inches long. Bream longer than 4 inches may be used as bait only if first taken by hook and line and are subject to daily limit restrictions.
With the exception of shad, baitfish may not be taken in the area within 100 yards below a dam.
During daylight hours, baitfish may be taken using:
- seines no larger than 50 feet long and four feet wide with quarter-inch mesh;
- square traps no larger than six feet by six feet by three feet with half-inch mesh and with a throat size of two inches and round traps no longer than three feet in diameter and six feet in length and with a throat size of 2 inches with up to half-inch wire or mesh;
- lift traps used for commercial fishing must be no larger than six feet by six feet by three feet with half-inch mesh. Sport fishing lift traps must have one inch (or smaller) square bar mesh;
- cast nets with one-inch (or smaller) mesh;
- shad trawl nets with one-inch (or smaller) mesh;
- glass, plastic or wire mesh minnow traps no larger than one gallon with a one-and-a-half inch (or smaller) throat;
- hand-operated dip nets with one inch (or smaller) square bar mesh for use while sport fishing. This method may be used day or night. All other species of fish must be immediately released.
You may not use live wild-caught baitfish on Norfork Lake unless said bait was caught on Norfork Lake (includes the watershed above the lake) or was purchased from an Arkansas licensed dealer on Norfork Lake.
Dispose of leftover bait properly. Dump minnows and other live bait in their original water source or in a trash receptacle.
