Trapping Laws in Arkansas: Licenses, Seasons, Trap Rules, and Penalties
November 11, 2026
Trapping laws in Arkansas changed again for the 2026-27 season, and some of those changes affect the gear in your truck. According to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, dog-proof traps are now allowed during regular furbearing season, and the allowable size of foothold traps in land sets increased to 7 inches.
This article covers what you need to stay legal: licensing, season dates, trap types, check times, where you can set, what to do with your pelts, and what happens if you break the rules. Rules come from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC), so always confirm details in the current regulation guide before you set a single trap.
If you also hunt, our hunting laws in Arkansas guide covers the broader rules that overlap with furbearer seasons.
Is Trapping Legal in Arkansas
Yes. Trapping is a legal, regulated activity in Arkansas, managed by the AGFC under authority granted by Amendment 35 to the state constitution. Furbearer trapping happens during set seasons, while nuisance trapping on private property follows a separate and more flexible set of rules.
The AGFC allows landowners or their designees to use live cage traps at any time without a Depredation Permit. Trapping inside a town must still follow local ordinances, and some cities require a permit before you set a live trap.
The state also protects trappers from harassment. Under AGFC rules, it is unlawful to willfully obstruct or impede someone taking part in lawful hunting, fishing, or trapping, and the AGFC says tampering with or destroying another person’s traps is a violation. Landowners keep the right to prohibit trapping on their own land.
Key Insight: Arkansas treats furbearer trapping (regulated seasons, licensing, tagging) differently from nuisance wildlife control (year-round live trapping on your own property). Know which one you are doing before you set a trap.
For a deeper look at dealing with problem animals at home, see our guide to wildlife removal laws in Arkansas.
Trapping License and Education Requirements in Arkansas
To trap furbearers in Arkansas, you need a valid hunting license if you are 16 or older. The AGFC states that furbearer hunters and trappers 16 and older must hold a valid Arkansas hunting license.
The trapper’s permit is where things get confusing for 2026-27. AGFC’s “New This Year” page says the Resident Trapper’s Permit has been eliminated. However, the AGFC licensing page still lists a 2026 Resident Trapper’s Permit that was valid from 12/28/2025 through 06/30/2026 and required trappers 16 and older to hold it alongside a hunting license.
Important Note: AGFC sources conflict on the trapper’s permit. The most recent change list says the permit was eliminated for 2026-27, while the licensing page only shows a permit that expired June 30, 2026. Confirm with the AGFC Licensing Division in Little Rock (833-345-0325) before your first set of the season.
I found no statewide trapper education course requirement in the sources reviewed. Even so, the AGFC and University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension both publish guidance worth reading before your first season.
Some activities need their own permits. Live foxes and coyotes that are legally trapped alive may be sold to fox-pen operators only by people holding Commission Live Fox and Coyote permits.
| Item | Requirement | Source Period |
|---|---|---|
| Hunting license | Required for furbearer trappers 16 and older | AGFC, 2026-27 |
| Resident Trapper’s Permit | Listed as eliminated for 2026-27; verify with AGFC | AGFC, 2026-27 |
| Live Fox and Coyote permit | Required to sell live-trapped foxes and coyotes to fox-pen operators | AGFC |
| Leased Lands WMA permit | $75 to hunt, trap, and camp on AGFC Leased Lands WMAs | AGFC, 2026-27 |
Trapping Seasons and Legal Furbearer Species in Arkansas
Arkansas sets its furbearer trapping seasons annually. For 2026-27, the AGFC lists a statewide season running from sunrise on Nov. 21, 2026 to sunset on Feb. 28, 2027 for most species, excluding coyote, beaver, and nutria. A second statewide season runs from Nov. 21, 2026 through March 31, 2027, and another runs from Aug. 1, 2026 through March 31, 2027. The AGFC lists no bag limit for any of them.
The AGFC page does not label which species fall under each date range in the text I reviewed. Check the official trapping season dates page for the species-by-species breakdown before you plan your line.
Species commonly trapped in Arkansas include raccoon, red and gray fox, bobcat, river otter, beaver, mink, muskrat, nutria, opossum, and striped skunk. Coyote trapping runs under its own long season, and the AGFC notes that otter pelts have their own tagging rules.
Predator Control Permit
The AGFC Predator Control Permit (PCP) allows year-round trapping of bobcat, coyote, gray fox, opossum, raccoon, red fox, and striped skunk on private land. The purpose is to remove predators that impact game species such as wild turkey and northern bobwhite.
Legal Trap Types and Restrictions in Arkansas
Arkansas regulates trap type, size, and bait during furbearing season. Under Ark. Code R. 058 (Code 17.01), it is unlawful to possess or use a snare or trap during open furbearing seasons without meeting the listed restrictions.
The 2026-27 changes matter here. Dog-proof traps are now allowed during regular furbearing season, and foothold traps in land sets can be up to 7 inches. Older regulations capped water-set smooth-jawed traps at an 8 1/2 inch jaw spread and body-gripping traps at 10 inches, so check the current guide for water-set limits.
Bait Rules
- Animal matter (meat, skin, feathers, hair) may not be used as bait within 20 feet of a trap set unless it is covered so it cannot be seen from above.
- Bait must be covered to withstand wave action, wind, and other conditions that could expose it.
- Bones cleaned of all tissue and viscera are exempt from the covering rule.
- In the CWD Management Zone, the AGFC lists trapping furbearers with bait on private land during open seasons under its feeding and baiting restrictions, so check zone rules first.
Trap Identification
Every trap, including snares, must be tagged or marked. The AGFC allows any one of four identifiers: your name and address, your driver’s license number, your vehicle license plate number, or your AGFC customer ID number.
Cage traps for rabbits have their own rule. Up to eight box traps with interior dimensions up to 8 inches wide and 10 inches tall may be used during rabbit season, according to AGFC rabbit regulations.
Trap Check Requirements in Arkansas
Check your traps every day. The AGFC licensing page states that traps must be checked daily, except kill traps, which must be checked within 72 hours.
The 24-hour standard also shows up in nuisance trapping. The University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension says live-trapped wildlife in towns must be released unharmed outside municipal boundaries within 24 hours, and the trap must carry identifying information.
Pro Tip: Run your line at first light. You stay inside the daily check rule, and animals spend less time restrained in the trap.
Leaving a live animal in a trap without food, water, or shade can also be treated as animal cruelty under Arkansas law, according to our nuisance wildlife laws in Arkansas guide. You cannot simply abandon a trapped animal; you must release it lawfully, euthanize it humanely, or hand it to a licensed wildlife control operator.
Where You Can and Can’t Trap in Arkansas
Private land comes first: you need the landowner’s permission, and landowners can ban trapping outright. On public land, the rules tighten.
Wildlife Management Areas
Under the AGFC’s 2026-27 WMA rules, traps may not be possessed on WMAs unless a season is open. Trappers may use legal firearms to dispatch animals caught in legally set traps, and baiting is banned except in legally set furbearer traps.
Leased Lands WMAs, such as Big Timber, Cherokee, and Jack Mountain, require a $75 permit to hunt, trap, and camp. A valid hunting license is also required on any WMA. Also, beginning July 1, 2026, people 16 and older using AGFC-owned WMAs and lakes must carry the $10.50 WMA/Lake Conservation Permit unless exempt, per HuntingSeasons.org.
Other Public and Restricted Areas
You cannot hunt or trap on Commission-owned properties other than WMAs, with exceptions for certain lakes. Trappers in the field often mention road rights-of-way, farm ditches, and bridges as common sets, but a forum discussion among Arkansas trappers is anecdotal, so confirm access with the managing agency.
- Cities and towns: Check local ordinances before setting any trap.
- Private property: Get permission, and carry it in writing if possible.
- Near homes and trails: Dog-proof designs reduce the risk to pets. Our guide on leash laws in Arkansas explains why dogs are often off-lead near public lands.
Tagging, Reporting and Selling Pelts in Arkansas
Arkansas requires you to tag traps, not to check in every pelt, but pelt possession has rules. The AGFC says untanned pelts must come from furbearer species that have an open season in Arkansas.
River otter pelts get extra scrutiny. Possession of untagged river otter pelts from April 1 to the start of river otter season is not allowed, except for animals taken with a depredation permit.
Selling pelts requires a fur dealer permit, according to Sportsman’s Warehouse. I could not find the current dealer permit fee or any statewide harvest reporting form in the sources reviewed, so contact the AGFC before selling.
| Task | What the Sources Say |
|---|---|
| Tag your traps | Name and address, driver’s license number, plate number, or AGFC customer ID |
| Possess untanned pelts | Only from species with an open Arkansas season |
| River otter pelts | Must be tagged; untagged possession banned April 1 until otter season |
| Sell pelts | Fur dealer permit required |
| Sell live fox or coyote | Live Fox and Coyote permit; buyers are fox-pen operators |
Penalties for Trapping Violations in Arkansas
Arkansas Game and Fish regulations assign each violation a penalty class. The rule against obstructing lawful trapping carries a Class 2 penalty, while using fish-trapping devices such as wire traps and box traps not considered legal commercial tackle carries a Class 1 penalty, per Arkansas regulation codes.
I could not confirm the exact fine range for each class from the sources I reviewed. Misdemeanor fines in Arkansas wildlife cases can come with license revocation and, in serious cases, jail time. Our wildlife removal guide notes that mistakes in this area can lead to fines, license revocations, and even jail time.
The most common ways trappers get cited include:
- Failing to mark traps with a name, address, or ID number.
- Skipping the daily check on live-restraining sets.
- Using uncovered animal-matter bait within 20 feet of a set.
- Trapping without a required license or on closed ground.
- Tampering with another trapper’s equipment.
When in doubt, call an AGFC wildlife officer or the Licensing Division before you act. Pair this guide with the AGFC regulation guide, and you will be set for the season. For related rules on other animals, see our pages on feral dog laws in Arkansas and roadkill laws in Arkansas.