Are you thinking about hunting bobcats in Arkansas? This article covers many of the fundamental laws you will need to know to get started. It also provides information such as seasons, harvest limits, and required permits for bobcat hunting in Arkansas. It is not a legal document and is not intended to cover all hunting laws and regulations.
In Arkansas, bobcat season runs from Sept. 1, 2021-Feb. 28, 2022 (dogs allowed to hunt bobcats during the day; dogs required to hunt bobcat at night). During turkey season (day hunting only; no dogs allowed). A hunting license is required. Daily limit 2, possession unlimited.
Purchase an Arkansas hunting license here.
Check out all Arkansas hunting seasons.
Is this your first time bobcat hunting? Check out my article on the three vital tips for a successful bobcat hunt.
Related: Don’t forget to check out Arkansas laws for hunting coyotes.
Related: Learn the rules for hunting fox in Arkansas.
General laws and regulations for hunting bobcats in Arkansas.
Electronic callers and decoys. According to Arkansasonline these tools are legal to use for hunting furbearers, as are hand and mouth callers. You should check with your local game warden to determine if any changes have been made to the law before using.
While electronic callers are expensive, mouth and hand callers are less pricey but take time to learn how to use.
Read this article and watch the video to learn how to use a closed reed rabbit squealer.
Follow along as call manufacturer Brian Rush shows you three open reed calls you can learn and use today.
You can read about some highly effective but inexpensive ($20) coyotes decoys here.
You can check Amazon’s price list for callers and decoys here.
Suppressors. If you may legally possess one, you may use it for hunting bobcats.
Can I kill a bobcat on my property in Arkansas?
- To allow landowners or managers to control populations of certain wildlife species as part of a program to help other species of wildlife has created the following predator permit process.
- All permit holders must have a hunting license.
- A permit is valid for use on private land outside of city limits on which the permit holder is the owner, immediate family of the owner, lessee, or have written permission from the landowner or lessee of the land upon which the permit will be used.
- Permit holders may use firearms to shoot bobcat, coyote, gray fox, opossum, raccoon, red fox, and striped skunk during the day or night outside of the regular hunting seasons for these species. Lights may be used to assist in taking these species with this permit; however, restrictions on the use of lights from roads still apply. There are no restrictions on the use of firearms except that it is unlawful to hunt raccoons, opossum, or bobcat at night with any rifled slug or a shot size larger than No. T, or with any rifle or handgun ammunition other than rimfire ammunition of .22 caliber or smaller. Additionally, general prohibitions on the use of military ball or full metal jacket ammunition to take wildlife still apply.
- Permit holders may trap bobcat, coyote, gray fox, opossum, raccoon, red fox, and striped skunk outside of the regular trapping season. Trapping must be done in accordance with Commission Codes 17.01, 17.02, and 17.03.
- Permits are valid from July 1-June 30th.
- Persons having hunting/trapping privileges revoked are not eligible to obtain or continue to use a Predator Control Permit.
Pelt tagging required for hunting bobcats in Arkansas.
Possession and Tagging of Furbearer Pelts
- Untanned pelts in a person’s possession must belong to a species of furbearer that has an open season in Arkansas.
- Shipments of untanned pelts originating in Arkansas must display the name, address and license number of the shipper, date of shipment and the words “Fur Pelts” on the package.
- Bobcat and river otter pelts must be tagged by an AGFC employee before being shipped out of state. Possession of untagged otter pelts from April 1 to the beginning of river otter hunting season is not allowed (except those taken with depredation permits).
