Little Rock, Arkansas – Arkansas alligator hunters got off to a fast start this year, harvesting 150 alligators during the first weekend of the state’s hunting season.
The harvest took place from Sept. 18 through Sept. 21 across Arkansas’s three alligator management zones. Most of the hunting happened on private property, although hunters also had the chance to apply for permits to hunt on public land during July.
The largest share of the weekend’s harvest came from Zone 3, which accounted for 90 alligators. The zone covers part of southeastern Arkansas along the Mississippi River, extending from the Louisiana state line to Monroe County.
Of the 90 alligators taken in Zone 3, 81 were harvested on private property and nine came from public land. The results made the zone the busiest of the state’s three management areas during the opening weekend.
Zone 1, located in southwest Arkansas, produced another 56 alligators. It is the smallest of the state’s three management zones. Hunters took 14 alligators from public land and 42 from private property in the zone.
The numbers were much lower in Zone 2, despite it being the largest management zone in Arkansas. Only four alligators were harvested there during the first weekend, all from private land. No alligators were taken from public land in Zone 2.
The strong opening weekend also led to an early closure at Millwood Lake in Zone 1. Hunters reached the area’s public hunting quota during the first weekend, meaning the lake will not be open to hunters during the second week of the season.
Millwood Lake has historically recorded a lower harvest than the number of permits available. In response, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission introduced a quota for the area in 2025. The goal was to encourage hunters to harvest an alligator earlier in the season rather than waiting in hopes of finding a larger one.
That strategy produced a different result this year.
“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.”
Millwood Lake will therefore be the only area closed when hunters return for the second weekend of the season. The closure follows the rapid pace at which hunters reached the established limit.
The early harvest is also drawing attention because this year’s season could potentially become a record-breaking year for Arkansas alligator hunters.
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According to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, hunters established a new state record in 2025 by harvesting 205 alligators. That total was two more than the previous record of 203, which was set in 2023.
The size of the alligators taken during the opening weekend has also stood out, particularly among hunters using public land. Some of the largest animals reported so far came from public hunts.
“Public land hunters have found the largest alligators so far this year,” Bryant said. “Seven of the top 10 largest alligators from the first weekend were from public hunts by people who applied for permits in July.”
The early numbers provide only a first look at the season, however. Hunters will have another opportunity to add to the statewide harvest when the second weekend begins.
The second weekend of Arkansas’s alligator season is scheduled to run from sunset on Sept. 25 through sunrise on Sept. 28.
With 150 alligators already harvested during the opening weekend and last year’s record still fresh, hunters could have a chance to push the total even higher as the season continues. The performance at Millwood Lake also shows how quickly some public hunting areas can reach their limits when hunters take advantage of the first available opportunities.
