Arkansas Duck License Requirements: Fees, WMA Permits, and Federal Stamp

To hunt ducks in Arkansas, anyone 16 or older needs a state hunting license, an Arkansas Waterfowl Stamp ($7 for residents, $50 for non-residents), a Federal Duck Stamp ($25 physical or $30 electronic), and free registration with the Harvest Information Program. If you plan to hunt on a Wildlife Management Area, add a free WMA General Use Permit, and non-residents must also carry a Non-Resident WMA Waterfowl Hunting Permit. Those are the Arkansas duck hunting license requirements in full, and the rest comes down to which version of each item fits your situation.¹

Prerequisites: Hunter Education and HIP

Two things come before you buy anything. If you were born after 1968, you must carry a valid hunter education certificate in the field. Arkansas accepts certificates issued by other states and countries that meet national standards, so a course taken elsewhere counts.²

If you haven’t completed the course, you have one workaround: buy your license with a DHE exemption code, which lets you hunt only while physically accompanied by a certified adult who is at least 21. A conviction for violating the hunter education regulation ends that exemption permanently. Youth hunters without certification have the same supervision requirement.²

The second prerequisite is Harvest Information Program registration. Every migratory bird hunter must register and carry proof in the field. HIP is free, takes a short survey about last season’s harvest, and is required of everyone except youth hunters.³

What Arkansas Residents Need

Residents need a general hunting license plus the $7 Resident Waterfowl Stamp. The hunting license comes in several flavors depending on what else you intend to pursue:¹

Resident Wildlife Conservation License, $10.50, covering small game and one legal deer.
Resident Sportsman’s License, $25, covering all game species.
Combination Sportsman’s License, $35.50, covering hunting and fishing.
65+ Resident Annual Sportsman’s License, $3.50, for hunters 65 and older.

Two lifetime options fold the waterfowl stamp into the license itself: the Lifetime Sportsman’s Permit at $1,000 and the Natural State Lifetime License at $500 (available only to children 10 and under). Lifetime holders still need HIP registration and a Federal Duck Stamp.¹

Resident youth under 16 don’t need a hunting license or the state waterfowl stamp, though supervision and hunter education rules still apply.⁴

What Non-Residents Need

Non-residents pay the $50 Non-Resident Waterfowl Stamp on top of one of these hunting licenses:¹

Non-Resident Annual Hunting License, $410, covering all game including up to six deer.
Non-Resident Annual Small Game Hunting License, $110, covering small game and waterfowl.
Non-Resident 5-Day Small Game Hunting License, $80, good for five consecutive days from purchase.

If you’re coming strictly for ducks, the $110 annual small game license or the $80 five-day license, each paired with the $50 waterfowl stamp, is the cheaper route. The $410 full annual license only pays off if you’re also hunting deer or other big game that season.⁵

Permits for Wildlife Management Areas

Much of Arkansas’s public duck hunting happens on Wildlife Management Areas, and those come with their own paperwork. Every hunter, resident or not, must carry a free WMA General Use Permit when hunting or trapping on any WMA. You can get it online, by phone, or at any AGFC regional office.⁶

Non-residents need something more. During regular duck season, no non-resident may hunt waterfowl on a WMA without a Non-Resident WMA Waterfowl Hunting Permit in one of two forms:⁷

Non-Resident 3-Day WMA Waterfowl Permit, $40, for three or fewer consecutive days. You pick the dates at purchase, all selections are final and non-refundable, and you may buy no more than ten of these per season.
Non-Resident 30-Day WMA Waterfowl Permit, $200, for a full 30-day window.

The ten-permit cap on the 3-day option is worth planning around. If you expect to spend more than roughly 30 days on WMAs, the 30-day permit costs less overall and sidesteps the cap entirely.¹

The Federal Duck Stamp

Every waterfowl hunter 16 or older anywhere in the United States must carry a current Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp. The physical stamp is $25; the electronic version is $30. Ninety-eight percent of the price goes to acquiring and protecting wetland habitat in the National Wildlife Refuge System.⁸

If you buy the physical stamp, sign it in ink across its face before hunting. The electronic version (E-Stamp) generates a digital certificate valid from purchase through June 30 of the stamp year. Under the Duck Stamp Modernization Act of 2023, the E-Stamp is now permanent proof of purchase for the whole season, replacing the old 45-day placeholder system. A physical stamp is still mailed to E-Stamp buyers after March 10.⁹

A sales receipt by itself is not a valid E-Stamp and is not legal to hunt with. Carry the actual electronic certificate on your phone or in printed form.¹⁰

Where to Buy and When Everything Expires

The simplest route is the AGFC’s online licensing portal at agfc.com, which handles every state license, stamp, and permit, including the free WMA General Use Permit and HIP registration, in one transaction. You can also call the AGFC license line at 833-345-0325 or visit an authorized retailer or AGFC regional office.⁶

The Federal Duck Stamp is available through the AGFC system, at most U.S. Post Offices, and through the E-Stamp program online. The E-Stamp certificate is good to hunt with the moment you receive it.¹⁰

All annual Arkansas hunting licenses and stamps expire June 30, matching the state’s July 1 to June 30 fiscal year, and the Federal Duck Stamp follows the same cycle. Buy before the season opens and check that nothing from last year has rolled over expired, because a prior-season stamp will not cover you.¹¹

Penalties for Hunting Without the Right Paperwork

Hunting in Arkansas without the proper license is a misdemeanor with a fine between $10 and $200.¹²

Specific AGFC regulatory violations, such as hunting without HIP registration or without a required stamp, carry stiffer consequences under the Commission’s own schedule. Hunting without HIP registration is a Class 1 offense, which runs from a $100 to $1,000 fine and up to 30 days in jail. The court can also suspend or revoke your hunting and fishing privileges, and AGFC maintains a separate points-based system that can lead to administrative suspension of your license.¹³

1
Arkansas Game & Fish Commission. Waterfowl
2
Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. AGFC Regulation 03.16 – Hunter Education Certificate Requirements
3
Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. AGFC Regulation 10.07 – Harvest Information Program (HIP) Registration Required
4
Arkansas Game & Fish Commission. Hunting License Descriptions and Fees
5
LII / Legal Information Institute. Arkansas Code R 158 – D1.01 Licenses, Permits, Stamps, Tags, Costs, and Expiration Dates
6
Arkansas Game & Fish Commission. 2025-26 General WMA Regulations
7
Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. AGFC Regulation 24.09 – Nonresident Waterfowl Hunting Permit Requirements on WMAs
8
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Federal Duck Stamp
9
Federal Register. Agency Information Collection Activities; Electronic Federal Duck Stamp Program
10
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Buy a Duck Stamp or Electronic Duck Stamp
11
Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. AGFC Regulation D1.01 – Licenses, Permits, Stamps, Tags, Costs, and Expiration Dates
12
Justia Law. Arkansas Code Title 15 Section 15-42-101 – Penalty for Hunting or Fishing Without License
13
Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. AGFC Regulation 01.00-I – Penalties Upon Conviction