Raccoon Hunting Opens

NORTHWEST ARKANSAS — Raccoon hunting opens today in Arkansas. The sport is a unique tradition in the state. Hunters listen to the dogs run through the woods and the excitement when their hounds have treed a raccoon. Raccoon hunting season opens today in Arkansas.

Arkansas Game & Fish Commission biologist Blake Sasse said that this season features an increased raccoon hunting bag limit on private land.

“The bag limit has been raised from one to four per day from July 1-Aug. 31 and from two to four per dayfrom Sept. 1 to the beginning of trapping season,” Sasse explained. “We’ve also increased the raccoon hunting bag limit on wildlife management areas to four per day from July 1-Feb. 28,” he added.

Raising the bag limit is part of the agency’s goal of increasing raccoon harvest by 10 percent that was approved by the commissioners in the 2001 strategic furbearer plan.

In July and August raccoons can only be hunted at night with the use of dogs, but starting Sept. 1 hunting during the day is allowed until the season closes at the end of March.