LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Arkansas hunters took 150 alligators during the opening weekend of the season, putting a new state record within reach as the final weekend begins Friday night.
The Sept. 18-21 harvest left hunters 55 alligators short of matching last year’s record of 205. Taking 56 more would set a new mark. In its Sept. 22 report, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission said 62 harvest opportunities remained.
The final hunting weekend runs Sept. 25-28. Under AGFC’s published rules, legal hunting hours begin 30 minutes after sunset and end 30 minutes before sunrise. The season ends 30 minutes before sunrise Monday, Sept. 28, or earlier where the applicable quota is reached.
One public hunting area is already finished for the year: Millwood Lake. Hunters filled its quota during the first two nights of the season, closing the area for the final weekend.
AGFC introduced the Millwood quota in 2025 after the area historically produced fewer alligators than the number of permits allowed. The change was intended to encourage hunters to take an available alligator instead of holding out for a larger one.
The quota went unfilled last year, but hunters reached it quickly this season, according to AGFC herpetologist Amanda Bryant.
While most of the harvest came from private property, public hunts produced many of the biggest alligators.
“Public land hunters have found the largest alligators so far this year,” Bryant said.
Seven of the 10 largest alligators taken during opening weekend came from public hunts by people who applied for permits in July, she said.
Southeastern Arkansas led the harvest. Zone 3, which follows a portion of the Mississippi River from Louisiana north to Monroe County, accounted for 90 alligators — 60% of the statewide total. Hunters took 81 on private property and nine on public land.
Zone 1 in southwestern Arkansas produced 56 alligators, including 42 on private property and 14 on public land. Zone 2, which stretches from the Louisiana state line to Pope County, accounted for four, all on private property.
The possibility of another record season marks a turnaround for a species Arkansas once had to protect and rebuild.
By 1960, the state’s alligator population had dwindled, with biologists finding a few remaining at Grassy Lake near Hope. The commission adopted protections in 1961.
Beginning in 1972, AGFC brought alligators from southern Louisiana to bolster Arkansas’ population. Over 12 years, the agency stocked about 2,800, mostly in southern Arkansas, with some going to what is now Dale Bumpers White River National Wildlife Refuge.
After populations recovered and stabilized, Arkansas received federal permission to open a hunting season. The state’s first season on public and private land was held in 2007.
Last year’s harvest of 205 broke the previous record of 202, set in 2023.
Hunters can check current quotas and regulations on AGFC’s alligator season page. Private-land hunters must call 833-345-0398 after 2 p.m. on the day of their hunt to determine whether their zone’s quota has been met.
Source: Arkansas Game and Fish Commission report by Randy Zellers and AGFC’s published season regulations.
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