State
CWD rules in Arkansas
CWD zone status
Agency
Arkansas Game and Fish Commission
Last verified
June 16, 2026
CWDCrossing provides informational summaries of state CWD carcass-transport regulations. Rules change annually pre-hunting-season; verify with both the origin and destination state wildlife agencies before transport. Failure to comply may result in citations. Not affiliated with the CWD Alliance, the National Deer Association, or any state agency.
Bringing a carcass into Arkansas
Arkansas is the regulating authority for what you can bring in. Applies to deer, elk, moose, and caribou harvested out of state. Exception: deer harvested between the Mississippi River levees in Tennessee and Mississippi are excluded from the import restriction. CWD confirmed in Arkansas (first detected 2016).
Allowed for import
- meat with all bones removed
- meat with no spinal column or head attached
- antlers and antlers attached to clean skull plates
- cleaned skulls with no meat or tissue attached
- cleaned teeth
- finished taxidermy products and antler products
- hides and tanned products
Restricted from import
- whole carcasses
- any portion with meat or tissue attached to bone
- brain
- spinal column/cord
- head (other than cleaned skull/skull plate)
Handling + processing
Only low-risk deboned/cleaned parts may be imported. Same restrictions apply to moving deer/elk out of the in-state CWD Management Zone.
Taking a carcass out of Arkansas
When you hunt in Arkansas and bring the carcass to another state, that destination state sets the rule. Because Arkansas has confirmed CWD detections, several destination states apply their stricter "from a CWD-affected state" rule to carcasses originating here — plan to bring back lower-risk parts only.
Arkansas on the CWD map
- CWD confirmed in state
- Under heightened surveillance
- No known CWD detections
Zone status is informational, not a hazard rating. Detections expand over time — confirm current status with each state's wildlife agency.
CWDCrossing provides informational summaries of state CWD carcass-transport regulations. Rules change annually pre-hunting-season; verify with both the origin and destination state wildlife agencies before transport. Failure to comply may result in citations. Not affiliated with the CWD Alliance, the National Deer Association, or any state agency.