Furbearers: Hunting and Trapping

The harvest of furbearing animals goes deep in the state’s history.

• Arkansas Post was the first capital of Arkansas and started out as a trading post for hunters and trappers to sell and trade animal pelts.
• Trapping and predator hunting today serves as an important management tool by controlling populations of furbearing animals. Overpopulation of these animals can take a toll on habitats and on the other animals that are the furbearers’ prey.
• These furbearers can be hunted or trapped in Arkansas:
  • Beaver
  • Bobcat
  • Coyote
  • Fox, Gray and Red
  • Mink
  • Muskrat
  • Nutria
  • Opossum
  • Raccoon
  • River Otter
  • Striped Skunk
• Strict regulations are enforced to maintain a good predator/prey ratio. Check the current AGFC furbearer hunting and trapping regulations for the dates, requirements, and licenses.