LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The time to prepare for Arkansas dove hunting season opening weekend is now.
Arkansas Game and Fish Commission will be accepting applications for opening weekend dove hunt permits through Aug. 15. Permits will allow the holder to take advantage of one of the 11 permit-based fields across the state for the Sept. 3 and 4 weekend.
Permit requests are submitted with a field and day selection. Winners will be randomly drawn and notified. A permit holder may bring one additional hunter with them.
Four of the fields are in Wildlife Management Areas, the remaining seven being private fields leased from farmers.
Wildlife Management Areas:
- Camp Robinson Special Use Area in Faulkner County
- Shirey Bay Rainey Brake WMA’s Powhatan Field in Lawrence County
- Black River WMA’s Brookings Field in Clay County
- Frog Bayou WMA’s Powerline Field in Crawford County.
Private, leased, fields:
- Jefferson County (34 acres of sunflowers)
- Franklin County (40 acres of top-sown wheat with some sunflowers)
- Lafayette County (40 acres of sunflowers)
- Fulton County (40 acres of top-sown wheat)
- Bradley County (36 acres of top-sown wheat)
- Greene County (60 acres of sunflowers)
- Prairie County (60 acres of millet)
After opening weekend, dove hunting in the WMA fields is on a first-come basis. The commission also maintains a list of fields which do not require a drawn permit for the full Sept. 3 – Oct. 23 then Dec. 8 – Jan.15, 2023 season.