Arkansas Alligator Hunters Harvest 150 Alligators in First Weekend Hunt, 62 Opportunities Remain
The first weekend of the Arkansas alligator hunting season, Sept. 18-21, yielded 150 gators across the state’s three alligator management zones. The second chunk of the hunt is set for sunset Sept. 25-sunrise 28.
Most hunting takes place on private property; hunters apply for permits to hunt public land during July.
Alligator management zone 3, which covers a piece of southeastern Arkansas along the Mississippi River from Louisiana to Monroe County, accounted for 90 alligators, nine with permits on public land and 81 on private property.
Zone 1, wedged into the southwestern corner of the state and the smallest of the three zones, produced 56 gators, 14 on public land and 42 on private land.
Four alligators were harvested on private land in zone 2, the largest zone, which reaches from the Louisiana state line to Pope County; none were taken on public land.
A new quota for public hunting at Millwood Lake in zone 1 was reached during the first weekend, which means that area is closed to hunting during the second weekend of the season. The area historically has had a lower harvest than permits allowed for, so the AGFC instituted a quota in 2025 to encourage hunters to take their alligator as soon as they could instead of holding out for a larger specimen.
“We did not meet that quota last year, but Millwood Lake hunters took advantage of their first weekend this year and filled the quota during the first two nights of this year’s hunt,” AGFC Herpetologist Amanda Bryant said. “That will be the only area closed to hunting at the start of the last weekend of the hunt.” Check current alligator harvest remaining for each management zone at www.agfc.com/hunting/more-
This year’s alligator season is well on its way to perhaps setting another record. Hunters set the mark with 205 alligators in 2025, which broke the record of 202 set in 2023.
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