This diversity of landscape is responsible for an array of habitats home to multiple species of fish and game animals. It’s why Arkansans enjoy an incredibly rich and varied outdoor culture. It’s why a trip to Arkansas can offer fly fishing for world-class trout as well as legendary waterfowl hunting. It’s why white-tailed deer archery season runs for almost half the year. It’s why bass fishing and Arkansas go together like beans and cornbread around an Ozark Mountain campfire. It’s why Arkansas is known as The Natural State.
Hunting in
Arkansas
White-tailed deer hunting is the cornerstone of the state’s hunting culture because white-tailed deer are everywhere in Arkansas. The state provides acres of public land for hunting that require nothing more than a hunting license and effort. With all that land, more than 6 million acres, there’s plenty of room to roam.
Arkansas currently has one of the coolest state nicknames. But one of the old ones is maybe even cooler. Though it was unofficial, Arkansas was once known as “The Bear State” long before that other bear state even had borders. Black bears here were once thick as summer blackberries, and thanks to the efforts of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, the bears are back in number.
Hardier deer and bear hunters looking for wilder country and no other humans can pursue their chosen beasts in some of Arkansas’s designated wilderness areas where the only sights and sounds are those of the natural sort.
Arkansas is where the land rises from the Mississippi River Delta into some of the oldest uplands in the world and the most western of eastern forests before meeting the Great Plains.
Despite the many bucks and bears, who could ever think of Arkansas and not think of ducks? Waterfowl hunting takes on a grand scale in Arkansas, especially in the flooded timberlands of the Cache and White rivers, and the rice fields around Stuttgart. Millions of migratory waterfowl, including mallards, wood ducks and snow geese, make Arkansas a pivotal stop on their annual migration. For waterfowl hunters, it’s a spectacle like no other, with decoy spreads and calls echoing across flooded fields and a community event in Stuttgart celebrating the art of duck calling and the joys of hearing wings flapping high above the Grand Prairie.
If small game is your thing, pack a .22 or shotgun and stalk a hardwood ridge for both fox and gray squirrels. Or maybe settle in behind a pack of beagles as they yodel through the bottoms chasing a cottontail. The state’s woodlands, wetlands and prairies provide a picturesque setting for these pursuits where hunters can reconnect with the fundamentals of hunting culture.
Arkansas
was once known as “The Bear State”
long before
that other bear state even had borders.”
Fishing in Arkansas
Fishing opportunities might be the only thing that outshines hunting in Arkansas. Swamps, oxbows, big Southern rivers, clear mountain creeks, cold tailwaters, expansive impoundments and everything in between are here to explore. You can wet a hook in countless Arkansas waters every month of the year and odds are that something will bite.
Largemouth bass are the crown jewel of the state’s fishing scene. Arkansas waters are known for producing lots of bass. There are actually three kinds of bass in Arkansas: largemouth (of course), smallmouth (found in some impoundments and many mountain creeks), and spotted bass (found in many impoundments and most creeks).
Angling for catfish is deeply ingrained in the culture of Arkansas for both the experience and the eats. The state’s lakes and rivers are home to channel, blue and flathead catfish. Night fishing is typically best, but in good waters you can fill a stringer at any time.
Trout enthusiasts can find paradise in Arkansas’s tailwater fisheries."
Crappie fishing, too, has a devoted following. Mostly because the delicate and delicious white-fleshed fish are abundant in Arkansas’s waters. It’s also because they are a harbinger of warmer days to come as crappie fishing often heats up in late winter and early spring.
Trout enthusiasts can find paradise in Arkansas’s tailwater fisheries. Home to a former world record brown trout and countless other monster rainbows and browns, the Little Red River and the White River are world-class trout streams that sometimes fly under the radar of the fly-fishing world.
Other species you can tangle with include walleye, white bass, bazillions of bluegill, striped bass and the granddaddy of all southeastern freshwater fish—the alligator gar. Thanks to efforts by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission along with concerned anglers and scientists, these prehistoric giants are making a comeback in Arkansas’s waters. Alligator gar offer a unique angling experience found with no other species and were recently named as Arkansas’s official state primitive fish. Known for their armor-like scales and toothsome snouts, alligator gar can reach staggering sizes. Anglers often pursue alligator gar along the quiet backwaters of big rivers with the hope of landing one of these living relics.
Hunting
& Fishing
Culture
is Arkansas Culture
White-tailed deer hunting is the cornerstone of the state’s hunting culture because white-tailed deer are everywhere in Arkansas. The state provides acres of public land for hunting that require nothing more than a hunting license and effort. With all that land, more than 6 million acres, there’s plenty of room to roam.
Arkansas currently has one of the coolest state nicknames. But one of the old ones is maybe even cooler. Though it was unofficial, Arkansas was once known as “The Bear State” long before that other bear state even had borders. Black bears here were once thick as summer blackberries, and thanks to the efforts of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, the bears are back in number.
Hardier deer and bear hunters looking for wilder country and no other humans can pursue their chosen beasts in some of Arkansas’s designated wilderness areas where the only sights and sounds are those of the natural sort.
Angling for catfish is deeply ingrained in the culture of Arkansas for both the experience and the eats. The state’s lakes and rivers are home to channel, blue and flathead catfish. Night fishing is typically best, but in good waters you can fill a stringer at any time.
Crappie fishing, too, has a devoted following. Mostly because the delicate and delicious white-fleshed fish are abundant in Arkansas’s waters. It’s also because they are a harbinger of warmer days to come as crappie fishing often heats up in late winter and early spring.
Trout enthusiasts can find paradise in Arkansas’s tailwater fisheries. Home to a former world record brown trout and countless other monster rainbows and browns, the Little Red River and the White River are world-class trout streams that sometimes fly under the radar of the fly-fishing world.
Other species you can tangle with include walleye, white bass, bazillions of bluegill, striped bass and the granddaddy of all southeastern freshwater fish—the alligator gar. Thanks to efforts by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission along with concerned anglers and scientists, these prehistoric giants are making a comeback in Arkansas’s waters. Alligator gar offer a unique angling experience found with no other species and were recently named as Arkansas’s official state primitive fish. Known for their armor-like scales and toothsome snouts, alligator gar can reach staggering sizes. Anglers often pursue alligator gar along the quiet backwaters of big rivers with the hope of landing one of these living relics.
Arkansas's Natural Landscapes
Beyond hunting and fishing, Arkansas's diverse natural landscapes offer a canvas for a range of outdoor adventures. The Ouachita National Forest, the state's largest, covers more than a million acres and is home to a vast network of hiking trails. These trails wind through ancient woodlands and offer opportunities to explore the state's natural history.
Canoeing and kayaking are popular activities, particularly on the Buffalo National River, America's first designated national river. It's a haven for water enthusiasts, offering stunning scenery and gentle rapids for canoeists and kayakers to navigate.
In the Delta, Dale Bumpers/White River National Wildlife Refuge offers a unique outdoor experience. Stretching across more than 160,000 acres, this is one of the largest remaining bottomland hardwood forests in the Mississippi alluvial valley. Not long ago, there were rumors that the long-thought-extinct ivory-billed woodpecker still called this vast swampy sanctuary home.
And for those seeking a slightly more refined outdoor experience, Arkansas has 52 state parks scattered from border to border with many featuring an array of amenities to ensure your comfort as you enjoy the best of The Natural State.
Pick your outdoor pleasure because there’s plenty to choose from in Arkansas.