Arkansas
91,910 to 100,000
Wild Turkey Population
Easterns
Turkey Subspecies
224,000
Number of Licenses Sold Annually
$25
Cost of Resident License and Permit
$510 ($410 nonresident annual hunting license, $100 nonresident turkey permit)
Cost of Non-Resident License and Permit
Photo by David Turko.
This great state is known for greenheads, not gobblers, but its turkey hunting tradition runs deep.
Upside: Arkansas offers more than 3 million public acres, with 650,000 overseen by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. Downside: There are many management concerns about Arkansas turkey populations. In 2009, the AGFC voted to abruptly cancel the fall turkey season, even after it was officially listed in the law book. Low kill numbers and poor hatches were cited. This hinted at declining flock populations, then estimated at 130,000 to 140,000, according to the National Wild Turkey Federation. That number has flattened to slightly less than 100,000 in 2025. Arkansas hunters shot 9,296 turkeys during Spring 2024.
But there's plenty of optimism for the future. Arkansas has experienced several years of good turkey reproduction, which should equate to good hunting opportunities in 2025.
